Legal Counsel

Muzinich & Co. is a privately owned, global institutional asset manager specializing in corporate credit. For over 38 years, we have delivered superior risk-adjusted returns across diverse market conditions. Our investment strategies span senior loans, high yield bonds, alternative credit, private debt, and investment-grade corporate-plus solutions in both developed and emerging markets. Headquartered in New York, we operate across major financial hubs with 18 offices including London, Abu Dhabi, Dublin, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Singapore, Tokyo and Zurich. We pride ourselves on integrity, transparency, and rigorous risk management, working closely with investors to meet their objectives.

Position Overview

Muzinich & Co. seeks an experienced and commercially astute lawyer to join its global legal team, based in its Singapore office. This is a broad and intellectually demanding role combining two distinct but complementary areas of responsibility in approximately equal measure: (i) supporting the investment professionals in Muzinich's private credit and private markets business across the Asia-Pacific region, and (ii) providing legal counsel on the firm's wider asset management activities, including fund structuring, regulatory matters, and corporate initiatives, with a particular focus on Asia and the Middle East.

The successful candidate will be a senior, self-starting lawyer capable of operating with a high degree of autonomy whilst remaining closely connected to the firm's global legal function. He or she will report directly to the Group General Counsel of Muzinich & Co. in London and will work collaboratively with colleagues across multiple offices and time zones. The role requires a lawyer who is equally comfortable reviewing leveraged finance documentation as they are negotiating limited partnership agreements, and who can move seamlessly between transactional, advisory, and corporate governance workstreams. A forward-thinking approach to legal technology and a willingness to leverage AI-assisted tools to enhance efficiency and output quality are expected.

The ideal candidate will be willing to spend some time in Muzinich's London office with the Legal team in order to become familiar with the firm's processes. Muzinich is willing to consider supporting the relocation of a suitable candidate to Singapore following this initial period.

This position offers a rare opportunity to work at the intersection of private markets and institutional asset management within a specialist credit manager with a genuinely global platform.

Key Responsibilities

Private Credit and Private Markets (approximately 50%)

• Advise on the legal structuring of private credit transactions across Asia-Pacific and, where required, European jurisdictions, including the taking of security and structuring of credit facilities.
• Review and negotiate finance documentation (facility agreements, intercreditor agreements, security packages, and ancillary documents) alongside investment professionals, with reference to LMA and APLMA standards as applicable. Additional familiarity with convertible bond transactions, LMA secondary trade documentation (including sub-participations), and real estate finance transactions would be a plus.
• Instruct and supervise external counsel across multiple APAC jurisdictions (including Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and India), ensuring the firm's commercial intent is properly reflected in transaction documents.
• Maintain consistency of documentation standards across the firm's geographically dispersed private markets investment teams.
• Assist with borrowing and leverage facilities for Muzinich's private markets products, including fund-level and deal-level financing.
• Maintain records of key transaction terms and support governance processes, including investment committee procedures and fund board reporting.
• Engage directly with investment professionals, investors, investment committees, fund boards, and other key stakeholders on all aspects of private markets transactions.

Asset Management and General Legal (approximately 50%)

• Draft, review, and negotiate fund formation documentation (PPMs, LPAs, side letters, and subscription documents), with a focus on structures distributed to investors in Asia, the Middle East, and globally.
• Draft and negotiate investment management agreements, distribution agreements, rebate agreements, introducer arrangements, and third-party marketing agreements relevant to the firm's APAC activities.
• Support corporate and product initiatives, including new product launches, entry into new distribution markets, and the establishment of new offices and obtaining of regulatory licences and approvals in Hong Kong, mainland China, and other markets within the region.
• Monitor and advise on regulatory developments affecting asset management across key APAC jurisdictions, with particular focus on the frameworks administered by MAS, the SFC in Hong Kong, and other relevant regional regulators.
• Support corporate board meetings and governance matters for regional entities within the Muzinich group.
• Act as principal legal contact for the Singapore office and the broader APAC business, liaising with the Group General Counsel, compliance, portfolio managers, and other internal and external stakeholders.
• Manage and deliver business-critical legal projects as part of the firm's wider global legal team, and contribute to firmwide legal and compliance initiatives as required.

Experience, Qualifications and Attributes

• Qualified lawyer admitted in a well-established common law jurisdiction (Singapore, England & Wales, Hong Kong, US or Australia preferred), with excellent academic credentials and a blend of leading international law firm and relevant in-house experience (asset manager, bank, or private credit fund).
• Demonstrable experience with leveraged and structured finance documentation (LMA/APLMA standards) and with fund formation and distribution documentation (PPMs, LPAs, side letters, subscription documents, and service providers) for private funds and/or regulated products.
• Multi-jurisdictional transactional experience within Asia-Pacific; additional European experience would be a plus.
• Sound knowledge of the Singapore regulatory environment for asset management (Securities and Futures Act, Fund Management Regulations, MAS licensing) and awareness of current regulatory developments across the region and globally. Familiarity with one or more other APAC regulatory frameworks is desirable.
• Strong commercial judgement, with an instinctive understanding of market standards in private credit and fund structuring. A skilled and pragmatic negotiator.
• Communicates with clarity and confidence at all levels of seniority, both internally and with external counterparties worldwide. Meticulous attention to detail, combined with the ability to see the broader commercial picture.
• Proactive, solutions-oriented, and resilient; able to manage competing priorities autonomously in a fast-paced environment. Collaborative and collegial across offices, cultures, and time zones. Knows how to get the right things done.
• Demonstrable interest in legal technology, including AI-assisted research and drafting tools, and an ability to stay current with technological developments relevant to asset management legal practice.
• Proficiency in Mandarin or Cantonese would be advantageous but is not required.

Muzinich & Co. is committed to creating an inclusive culture which embraces diversity. We promote equal opportunities and ensure that no applicant is subject to less favorable treatment on the grounds of gender, marital status, nationality, race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, responsibility for dependents, or disability. We select candidates based on skills, qualifications, experience, and potential. This position description is intended to describe the duties most frequently performed by an individual in this position; It is not intended to be a complete list of duties.