Position Title: Vice President, Legal & Compliance

Reports to: Partner (Nathan Lee) 

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Overview

APES is a private markets investment platform with a global mandate. Since inception, we have focused on generating attractive risk-adjusted returns from Private Equity and Private Credit fund and co-investments by taking a value-oriented approach to investing. Originally founded in 2019 as a single family office, we are built to serve the distinct needs of our proprietary and partners’ capital and continue to maintain a culture of highly-aligned investing. 

APES is looking to onboard an ambitious and self-starting lawyer to support all aspects of our growing business. In this newly established role, the successful candidate will build and oversee APES’ entire legal and compliance function, ensuring the protection of APES’ interests both as a business and as an investor. This role offers a clear path to advancing to the position of General Counsel of the firm.  

Your Main Duties & Responsibilities

Transaction Execution

• Responsibility (alongside deal team) to structure, negotiate and execute APES investments with minimal supervision.

• Lead legal due diligence, manage external counsel and identify and assess legal and other risks.

• Review and manage all other agreements entered into by the business (including those with service providers).

Trusted advisor to the business

• Ongoing assessment of APES’ legal and reputational risk exposures.

• Provide proactive legal and strategic support on structuring and executing initiatives to facilitate growth of the APES platform (JVs, partnership agreements, etc.).

• Develop trusted relationship with Partners and key team members; act as an internal go-to person for all legal issues/queries. 

Establish legal and compliance frameworks

• Ensure that all of APES’ operations are conducted in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Develop and implement policies and best practices, including training sessions with the business teams.

• Propose and manage legal budget. Establish a framework to govern which tasks should be handled in-house vs. which should be outsourced.

• Monitor and remain up-to-date with legal and regulatory developments that affect the APES business and its investments.

• Collaborate with the operations team to: (i) develop and implement internal policies and procedures to enhance corporate governance; (ii) manage and maintain books and records of all APES transactions and entities; (iii) ensure that all necessary statutory and regulatory filings are made.

Requirements

• US, England or Hong-Kong qualified lawyer with at least 6 years’ post-qualification experience as a Corporate M&A lawyer, most of it gained at a top tier law firm. Experience with control and JV deals is a plus.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English (native-level preferred). Written and spoken Chinese (Cantonese or Mandarin) is a plus, but not essential.

• Willing to learn and take responsibility for ensuring compliance with applicable regulatory regimes.

• Ability to foster trusted relationships with internal and external stakeholders and act with the highest standards of integrity.

• Strong business acumen; understands basic valuation concepts and how investments are assessed.

• Knowledge of the following is a plus, but not essential: (i) PE fund/co-investment documentation; (ii) financing/credit documentation; and (iii) SFC compliance regime. You will be expected to develop expertise on these with time.

• You must have the authorization to, and be willing to work primarily from, our office in Hong Kong. 

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