HR Jobs

Explore HR jobs within leading law firms — from talent acquisition to people operations — and find your next opportunity with top legal employers.

HR Jobs in Dubai and the Middle East

HR in an international law firm in the Middle East is a genuinely rewarding career path, and a demanding one. You are working in a high-performance environment where the expectations are high, the workforce is largely expatriate and the remit tends to be broader than in most comparable roles elsewhere. If you are an HR professional who thrives on variety, values real autonomy and wants to make a genuine difference to the people around you, this market has a lot to offer.


Barratt Galvin has been placing HR professionals into international law firms across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Doha since 2007. We understand what these roles actually involve, what firms are looking for and where the best opportunities currently sit. The best time to register with us is before you are actively looking. Every time a new job comes in, the first place we look is our existing network. If we already know you, we are giving you first access to roles that are not even advertised.

Woman smiling at a laptop in a café, with blurred people and a brick wall in the background.

Why Register With Barratt Galvin

We have spent nearly two decades placing HR professionals into some of the region's most respected international law firms. That means we understand not just what these roles involve on paper, but what it actually feels like to work in a lean Middle East HR team, managing a multicultural workforce while staying aligned with a central function on the other side of the world. We know what good looks like in that environment and we know how to find it.


When a firm comes to us with an HR brief, we go straight to the people we already know. If you are in our network, you are in that first conversation.


When we put your name forward to a firm, we do not just send your CV. We brief the firm on your background, your experience managing the particular pressures of law firm HR and why we believe you are the right fit for their specific office and culture. HR roles in law firms often come down to fit and trust as much as technical capability, and we take both seriously.


We are also straight with you. If a role is not right for your profile, we will tell you. If the market is quiet at a certain level, we will say so. And if something comes up that we think is genuinely worth your attention, we will reach out directly rather than waiting for you to find it elsewhere.

Are You the Right Fit

Experience within a law firm or professional services HR environment is the foundation we look for. The HR professionals who thrive in international law firms in the Middle East tend to be highly organised, discreet and genuinely comfortable working in close proximity to senior leadership. If the following sounds like you, we would love to talk.


You are someone who handles sensitive matters with care and professionalism. You are proactive rather than reactive, comfortable managing a broad remit and confident enough to advise partners and office managers on people matters without needing to escalate everything. You understand that in a smaller office, HR is often a team of one, and you find that energising rather than daunting.


Familiarity with UAE employment law, visa and immigration processes and the particular dynamics of managing a multicultural workforce is a genuine advantage in this market. Experience with HR systems commonly used in international law firms, including SAP SuccessFactors, Workday, PeopleSoft and Taleo, is also beneficial, though not always a requirement. What matters most is that you are comfortable working with HR technology and can adapt quickly to a firm's preferred systems. At coordinator and advisor level, strong organisational skills and a genuine interest in the legal sector will take you a long way. At manager and business partner level, we are looking for the combination of operational strength, strategic awareness and the interpersonal skill to manage complex situations in a high-stakes environment.

HR Roles in International Law Firms

Roles We Place

We recruit across the full range of HR roles for international law firms, including:

HR Administrator

HR Coordinator

HR Advisor

HR Manager

Senior HR Manager

HR Business Partner

Head of HR

We also place candidates in talent acquisition and learning and development roles where these sit within the HR function, and in combined HR and office management positions in smaller offices where the remit spans both disciplines.

Dubai skyline at sunset with the Burj Khalifa and modern glass skyscrapers

Where the Roles Are

We recruit for international law firms across the Middle East, with the strongest volume of roles in:

  • Dubai, including the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)
  • Abu Dhabi, including Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM)
  • Riyadh
  • Doha

We also place HR professionals in Australia and London for candidates who are considering a move or returning home. In Australia, we place across the major legal markets including Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth. If you are open to more than one market, let us know and we will keep you in mind across all of them.

Considering a Move to the Middle East

If you are based abroad and you are thinking about a move to the Middle East, we are happy to hear from you. HR roles in international law firms in the region do occasionally attract candidates from abroad, and for the right person the move can be an excellent career step.


Firms are selective and the candidates who make successful moves tend to have solid HR experience within an international or top-tier law firm environment. If that describes you and you are genuinely open to the region, get in touch and we will give you an honest picture of the current market and what your profile looks like within it.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • How does the process work when I register with Barratt Galvin?

    The first step is a meeting with us via Microsoft Teams. Once you get in touch and share your CV, we will arrange a time to connect properly. We want to understand your HR experience, the environments you have worked in, what you are looking for in your next role and what your timeline looks like. From there, we will brief you on any live roles that may be a match, or keep you in mind as new jobs come in. We will never put your name forward without speaking to you first.

  • Do I need to have worked in a law firm specifically?

    Law firm HR experience is strongly preferred, particularly for manager and business partner level roles. In some cases, a professional services background from a comparable environment such as a Big Four firm may be considered. The dynamics of a partnership structure are genuinely different from a corporate environment and candidates who already understand them tend to perform better and settle in more quickly. At coordinator level, strong HR fundamentals and a genuine interest in the legal sector can work well even without direct law firm experience. We will always give you an honest view of how your background sits in the current market.

  • What does the HR remit typically look like in a Middle East international law firm?

    HR structures in international law firms across the Middle East vary considerably. In some firms, a single HR Manager or Advisor oversees the full people operation for the office, covering recruitment and onboarding, employee relations and performance management, visa and immigration support, learning and development, and compensation and benefits. In larger firms there may be an HR team with professionals at multiple levels. Some firms have an Office Manager on the ground with HR support provided by a team based globally. Whatever the structure, the remit tends to be broad and genuinely varied, and working closely with senior executives and firm leadership is a consistent feature of the role.

  • Is UAE employment law knowledge essential?

    It is a real advantage, particularly at manager level and above. UAE employment law has its own framework and nuances that differ meaningfully from other jurisdictions, and candidates who arrive with some familiarity tend to get up to speed much faster. If you do not have direct UAE experience but you have managed employment matters in another international context, that transferable knowledge is still valuable. We will help you understand what firms typically expect and how to present your experience well.

  • What salary can I expect in an HR role in Dubai?

    HR salaries in Dubai vary depending on the scope of the role, the size of the office and the firm's profile. We publish an annual salary report covering HR and other legal business services roles across the Middle East. Get in touch and we will share the latest data with you.

  • I am currently based in Australia. Is it realistic to find an HR role in the Middle East from here?

    It is possible, though we will be straight with you: international placements for HR roles are less frequent than for some other disciplines and firms in the region tend to prefer candidates who are already based nearby. That said, if you have strong law firm HR experience and a genuine commitment to relocating, it is absolutely worth a conversation. We will give you an honest picture of your chances and help you think through the best approach.

Ready to Explore Your Next HR Role?

Whether you are actively looking or simply keeping an eye on what is out there, we would love to hear from you. Get in touch, share your resume and let us have a conversation. We will give you an honest picture of the market, what roles might suit you and what your next move could look like.

You can upload your CV directly via the contact form on our website.