Sturgeon Capital, a private equity investment firm, is seeking an experienced General Counsel to join its Kazakhstan office. The successful candidate will lead all legal aspects of the firm's investment activities across Kazakhstan, the AIFC and the wider CIS region, working closely with the investment team, senior management, the compliance function, investors, portfolio companies and external legal advisers.
Responsibilities:
- Legal Documentation: Draft, review, and negotiate complex legal documents, including term sheets, investment agreements, and corporate documents, ensuring adherence to legal and regulatory requirements.
- Legal Research: Conduct in-depth legal research on Kazakh and AIFC laws, as well as the legal and regulatory frameworks of other CIS jurisdictions where relevant, to assess the feasibility of investment structures and identify potential legal challenges. Monitor legislative and regulatory developments affecting the firm’s business and advise management on their implications.
- Negotiations: Represent the company in high-stakes negotiations with project companies, ensuring that legal and compliance interests are protected. Collaborate with external legal advisors to provide expert guidance.
- Investment Support: Provide legal support throughout the investment lifecycle, including transaction structuring, legal due diligence, execution, post-investment portfolio management, restructurings and exits. Support cross-border private equity investments across Kazakhstan, the AIFC and the CIS region, coordinating with external legal counsel in relevant jurisdictions where required. Identify legal risks and propose practical mitigation strategies. Identify legal risks and propose practical mitigation strategies.
- Staff and Contracts: Advise on employment law matters, ensuring compliance with local labor regulations. Review and negotiate commercial contracts to safeguard the company's interests and mitigate legal risks.
- Corporate Governance: Prepare and maintain corporate documentation for the firm and its investment vehicles, support corporate governance processes, and ensure compliance with statutory requirements.
- Stakeholder Management: Liaise with internal stakeholders, external legal advisers, regulators, investors, and counterparties to facilitate the efficient delivery of legal support across the business.
Qualifications:
- Minimum of fifteen years of experience as an in-house legal counsel or lawyer at an international law firm, specializing in corporate law or M&A.
- Strong knowledge of the laws and regulations of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the AIFC legal and regulatory framework. Familiarity with the legal and regulatory environments of other CIS jurisdictions is highly desirable.
- Proven track record of successfully closing complex deals and managing legal risks.
- Exceptional communication and problem-solving skills, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
- Demonstrated experience supporting investment funds, asset managers, or financial institutions is highly desirable.
- Knowledge of English common law principles and experience working with English law-governed transaction documents are highly desirable, particularly in the context of cross-border investments.
- Fluency in English, Russian, and ideally Kazakh.