Join us in redefining Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition.

We focus on SME succession within Europe, typically €1–5M EBITDA. As our Legal Counsel, you will be the legal backbone for every transaction, directly supporting 15+ active CEOs-in-Residence simultaneously across different stages of search and acquisition in the Benelux region and beyond.

Operating within a lean, fast-paced deal team, you will drive execution from LOIs to closing, handle complex LBO structures, and systematize our legal workflows. We are looking for a pragmatic, deal-oriented professional who builds scalable infrastructure and accelerates transactions rather than creating bottlenecks.

Please complete the form below thoroughly. We’ll use your responses to assess alignment with our model and follow up if we see a strong fit.

By submitting this form, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to the terms outlined in our Disclaimer.

What WAD Capital Does

We back experienced operators (CEOs-in-Residence) to find, acquire, and run Benelux SMEs with €1-5M EBITDA. These are family businesses, founder-led companies, succession situations. Our CIRs spend 12-18 months sourcing deals, then operate those businesses for 5-7 years targeting 35%+ IRR.
We are not a large fund with a legal department. We are a lean team of 3 GPs, 15+ active CIRs, and an operations function. The legal work here is real, fast, and consequential, not theoretical.


What This Role Actually Is

You will be the legal backbone for every deal, WAD Capital structures. That means supporting 15+ CIRs who are simultaneously in different stages of search and acquisition across the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany and France. Some are negotiating LOIs. Some are in due diligence. Some are closing. You will be across all of it.
You are pragmatic, deal-oriented, and fast. You know when to escalate and when to just solve it.


What You'll Work On

Transaction Execution, the core of the role:

  • LOIs, SPAs, shareholders' agreements for SME acquisitions (asset and share deals)

  • LBO structures, earn-outs, seller financing arrangements, management equity packages

  • Due diligence coordination and legal risk assessment, focused on what actually matters, not exhaustive checklists

  • Closing mechanics and post-closing integration support for portfolio companies

  • Coördinating of the external law firms we work with (only outscoutring or escalating when necessary) 

Fund & Structural Work:

  • Legal support on fund formation, LP agreements, … as WAD evolves its structure

  • AIFMD/Belgian regulatory compliance; FSMA liaison where required

  • Cross-border Benelux legal navigation (Belgian, Dutch, and Luxembourg corporate law)

Ongoing Portfolio Support:

  • Corporate housekeeping for portfolio companies post-acquisition

  • Supporting CIRs on bolt-on acquisitions and roll-up structures

  • Employment, commercial, and governance matters as they arise

Process & Automation:

  • Work closely with operations to map, streamline, and systematize the legal workflows across the deal lifecycle, from first LOI to closing

  • Identify where manual legal work (document assembly, due diligence checklists, standard clause libraries, closing mechanics) can be templated, digitized, or (partially) automated (we build our own AI agents to automate repetitive tasks so our people can focus on adding value) 

  • Help build the legal infrastructure that scales with 15 active CIRs simultaneously — so the bottleneck is never process

What Makes This Different

You will work closely with over 15+ sharp, impatient, and results-oriented operators. They need legal counsel who accelerates deals, not one who creates friction. You will sit inside a deal team, not above it.
You will work directly with the CFO on transaction structuring, and with the COO on making the legal function leaner: template what's repeatable, automate what's manual, and build a process layer that keeps 15 active deals moving without creating bottlenecks.
Weekly pipeline meetings ensure you stay current on every active deal in the portfolio. You are not a back-office function.


What We Need

Required:

  • 5+ years in Belgian M&A, ideally with exposure to SME transactions or search fund / lower mid-market PE

  • Experience drafting and negotiating SPAs and LOIs

  • Belgian corporate law fluency; working knowledge of Dutch, French and/or Luxembourg structures

  • Fluent in Dutch, French, and English, you will draft and negotiate in all three languages (mostly in English).

  • Comfortable operating without a team beneath you; you are the resource, not the manager of resources

  • FSMA / AIFMD regulatory exposure

Strong preference for:

  • Experience with LBO structures, seller financing, and earn-out mechanics at the SME level

  • Prior in-house experience (PE fund, family office, or M&A-active company) — you understand deal timelines

FSMA / AIFMD regulatory exposure

  • Familiarity with Belgian UBO register, VIES, and standard SME governance structures

What will not work here:

  • Lawyers who default to "we need external counsel" before attempting to solve it

  • Risk-flaggers who slow deals down without proposing paths forward

  • Anyone who needs a team around them to function

  • Pure funds-formation lawyers with no transaction execution experience

The Practical Reality

  • Office: Jette, Brussels

  • Team context: You will work with the GPs, CFO and COO to support the CIRs in their deals and grow the fund

  • Deal volume: Variable - driven by 15+ active CIRs at different pipeline stages simultaneously

  • Language environment: Dutch, French, and English

  • Compensation: Competitive with in-house mid-market PE benchmarks; equity participation / carry available for the right profile

  • Starting off as the sole legal professional within WAD, potential to grow into a small legal team when the fund grows

What Success Looks Like in Year One

You've become the go-to on every active deal. CIRs trust your judgment enough to bring you in early, not just at the end. You know every deal in the pipeline and every portfolio company's legal structure by heart.
WAD Capital Partners is a Brussels-based PE search fund. We do not use recruiters for this role, direct applications only.