Paralegal: Commercial

**Purpose of the Job**:
To take responsibility for and ensure efficient and effective support to the allocated legal team (“Legal Team”) for maximum output in the delivery of quality business aligned legal services by the Legal Team, including facilitating and acting as an intermediary between the Legal Team and internal / external stakeholders including law firms. To undertake substantive legal work including preparation of first drafts and first legal review of standard agreements for the Legal Counsel, documenting and taking responsibility for workflow of legal matters generally through the electronic Legal practice management system (“FMS”). To take responsibility for and manage allocated matters from inception to resolution under supervision from the Legal Counsel. Preparing and managing efficient and accurate reporting.

**Key Performance Areas**:
Core Legal Work
Specialised Aspen and Business Unit (“BU”) aligned general legal work in the Legal Team under guidance of the responsible Aspen Lawyer

Paralegal Expertise
Efficient and accurate paralegal expertise including drafting, first comments, file management, project and matter co-ordination, management of deliverables and reporting

Database Management
Database establishment and management, including transaction VDRs

Legal Management Administration
Efficient and accurate Legal practice management, electronic file creation and management, electronic document retention, electronic reporting and certain general administration including processing invoices

Cross Swimlane Projects
Meaningfully contribute and deliver ancillary legal work in Group Legal cross - swim lane projects, as allocated by the Group Executive: Legal
BU Allocated Responsibility:

- Divisional budget management
- Quarterly intra-group cross-charging
- Template creation, improvement and management
- Group Legal Annual Conference
- Group Legal Monthly Meeting Management
- From time to time BU administration allocated by the Group Executive: Legal

Group Legal BU KPI
Meet (or exceed) and manage Group Legal BU KPI

Aspen Values & personal Insights

Educational Qualifications and Experience:

- Matric / Grade 12 and recognised professional paralegal qualification, or university degree or sound progress towards a university degree, which is preferable
- Registration with appropriate body
- 3-5 years demonstrated experience in performing a paralegal function, some of which has ideally been at an in-house legal department
- Exposure to working with long, complex legal agreements essential
- Familiarity with legal terminology essential
- Relevant experience in a legal practice or corporate environment essential
- General commercial understanding and exposure
- Advanced legal sense; systems; pharma product knowledge and industry understanding an advantage
- Microsoft Office expertise essential, particularly advanced Word such as automatic numbering & cross-referencing (including table of contents and bookmarking), track changes, comments in different formats, document security & protection, comparisons and combinations, etc; advanced Excel such as formatting, headings, filters, linking between sheets and workbooks, conversions, etc; and advanced Powerpoint
- Database establishment and management, including transaction virtual data rooms (“VDRs”)
- Project management / co-ordination of deliverables and trackers

Skills and Attributes:

- An above average natural affinity to accuracy of work
- Ability to decide, action and assess priorities and when to execute
- Minimum typing speed of 75 wpm
- Verbal and written proficiency in the English language
- Methodical implementation skills
- Administrative and organizational skills
- Electronic database establishment and management
- Positive, diligent and hard worker
- Ability to prioritise and co-ordinate work
- Flexible, outcomes-based, self-motivated and proactive
- Project management / co-ordination / monitoring of deliverables and trackers
- Ability to accurately monitor and manage spend against a financial budget

Competencies:

- Ability to plan & organise independently and deliver, including securing input and guiding others
- Initiating action, follow up and time management
- Stakeholder focus and outcomes-based approach
- Quality orientation
- Decision-making
- Stress tolerance and conflict resolution
- Problem-solving and analytical skills
- Service-orientated
- Extreme accuracy and attention to detail is a pre-requisite
- High level of integrity, ethical values and confidentiality

Aspen Competencies:
Business:
Performance Driven
Accountability / Ownership
Make Good Decisions

People:
Deals with Ambiguity/ Embraces Change
Communicates Effectively and Respectfully irrespective of status

Self:
Contributes special paralegal expertise
Takes action with Integrity
Willing and able to work as a team including taking and providing guidance

Aspen is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity. Preference will be g