Legal Trainee

About the Role

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is seeking a Legal Trainee to join its Global M&A and Capital (GMAC) practice in Riyadh. This full-time position is designed for individuals with 0-1 years of experience who are looking to develop their legal career within a leading international law firm. The role involves working on a diverse range of corporate transactions, often with an international dimension, and offers exposure to various areas of commercial law.

The Corporate Practice

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer maintains a prominent global corporate transactional and advisory practice, handling complex international deals. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the corporate practice encompasses M&A (particularly cross-border), joint ventures, securities and capital market transactions, regulatory advice, restructurings, reorganisations, and general corporate advisory work. The firm advises a broad client base, including sovereign wealth funds, government investment vehicles, leading regional and international corporates, banks, and private equity houses, supporting them with strategically important transactions. Key sectors include financial institutions, energy (oil & gas), utilities, healthcare, retail and consumer, and telecommunications. The practice is consistently ranked Band 1 across the Middle East by leading legal research directories.

Team and Regional Presence

Freshfields has advised clients in the MENA region for over 40 years and has established a presence in Saudi Arabia for 17 years. The Saudi team, based in Riyadh, collaborates daily with Freshfields offices in Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and the wider international network to provide seamless service across all aspects of Saudi law. The MENA Global M&A and Capital (GMAC) Practice is the firm's largest in the region, comprising over 45 lawyers, including 9 partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Working on a wide variety of transactions for diverse clients under the supervision of experienced lawyers.
• Providing legal support for high-profile transactions in the market.
• Contributing to the development and strengthening of relationships with existing key clients.
• Involvement in research, translations, business development, knowledge management, and other tasks as assigned by the MENA GMAC and Dispute Resolution (DR) teams.
• Participating in matters with the MENA Dispute Resolution team where appropriate.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Must be a national of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
• Completion of a bachelor’s degree in law in KSA.
• Registered or in the process of registering for a training licence with the Saudi Ministry of Justice as a Legal Trainee.
• 0-1 years of professional experience.

Career Development

This role offers significant visibility across the firm's international network and provides exposure to both large, complex transactions and smaller deals, allowing for greater responsibility. The legal trainee will gain valuable experience in various areas of commercial law within a dynamic and supportive environment.