2025 has already ushered in a wave of international hedge funds, private equity houses, family offices and wealth platforms setting up shop in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, drawn by a mix of sovereign capital access, regulatory innovation and increasingly sophisticated licensing options. With local regulators like FSRA and DFSA streamlining approvals and expanding coverage to include crypto, AI and private credit, firms can structure and launch funds with more agility than ever. Compare this to the regulatory burdens, tax complexity and approval timelines in traditional centres like London or Singapore – the surge in new entrants is inevitable.
While market entry is fast, one business-critical decision that newcomers must get right is appointing a safe pair of hands to navigate the legal and regulatory complexities that come with operating in a new jurisdiction. Having advised funds and financial institutions on key legal hires across the Gulf, our expert local team have seen what works – and what doesn’t – when it comes to appointing a General Counsel.
It is always about more than technical expertise, with new entrants who want to establish themselves and scale at pace sharing a universal non-technical checklist when embarking on this search:
We’ve all heard the phrase “ivory tower” advice and understand it to mean lawyers detached from business needs, risk-averse to a fault or who give advice that is technically correct but impractical to implement. But in this context, it goes beyond that: what our clients want are senior executives who, although sitting at the top of the legal ladder, are in the minutiae of it all.
As funds look to move quickly, often before a full operating platform is in place, General Counsel are expected to build lean but scalable legal functions, act as de facto COOs during set-up, and ensure watertight governance without impacting business momentum.
The ideal is those as comfortable rolling up their sleeves to draft and negotiate a complex fund agreement (and willing to draft a simple NDA) as they are stepping into the boardroom to advise senior leadership on strategic risk, or sitting across the table from a Sovereign Wealth Fund LP to build trust and secure long-term commitments.
Risk and compliance frameworks are also under sharper scrutiny, making regulatory fluency non-negotiable. Growing regulatory expectations mean that those who understand this landscape and bring experience of internal controls, licensing and cross-border data flows are fast becoming favoured.
In practice this extends well beyond core compliance; both FSRA and DFSA have sharpened their focus on areas such as outsourcing rules, marketing restrictions, ESG disclosure obligations and the fast-evolving virtual asset regime. Candidates who can interpret and operationalise these requirements while enabling the fund to maintain momentum stand out immediately.
Entering a new jurisdiction comes with myriad unwritten codes and new business rhythms. Grasping what underpins business in any culture requires localised judgement, and the Gulf is no different. Understanding the operational pace in Sovereign Wealth Funds, as well as their unique governance expectations when acting as LPs, is an adjustment that takes time, a delay new entrants should seek to avoid.
However, the greatest impact of local experience often lies beyond the contractual framework. In the Gulf, transactions are shaped by personal rapport, credibility and long-term trust, rather than by contractual rigidity alone. As many funds bring commercial leadership with them from headquarters, appointing a General Counsel who can pair rigorous technical knowledge with the diplomatic skill and cultural awareness to guide negotiations can be a decisive advantage.
The list is not long, but it is exacting. For incoming funds, overlooking even one of these attributes can mean the difference between a legal leader who enables growth and one who slows momentum. Technical brilliance alone is not enough; the General Counsel who deliver real value are those who translate complexity into clarity, who remain close to the detail even when leading teams, and who embed themselves in the commercial engine of the business.
In a market that prizes speed, trust and flawless execution, boards should prioritise leaders who understand not just the “how” of the law, but the “why” that underpins every deal, negotiation and regulatory decision. These are the lawyers who will safeguard ambition without constraining it, and who will give a fund its strongest platform for long-term success in the Gulf.
At SSQ, we partner with funds and investors worldwide to identify the legal leaders who can balance technical excellence with hands-on commercial involvement and cultural insight. If you’re considering a leadership appointment in the Gulf, SSQ would be happy to support your search.
