Senior Legal Advisor

**Senior Legal Advisor**

**Midrand**

To advise on business direction based on legal risk management interpretation and ensure the provision of a quality legal service that fulfils a statutory, reporting and legal advisory service to all business units within the division.

**Legal risk management**:

- Maintain awareness of ongoing legal risks, new legislation and court decisions and provide feedback
- Ensure changes and developments in legislation, regulations, guidelines and practices are analysed, evaluated and reported
- Track and address legal risk management related complaints and identify trends and major issues to be addressed
- Support Compliance on legal interpretation issues
- Draft and/or review internal policies and ensure they comply with relevant statutory and/or legal requirements
- Monitor business awareness of legal risks and ensure these are being identified and managed in all legal projects, agreements, legal opinions, systems, policies, procedures and products (where relevant)

**Provision of legal advice and drafting of contracts and legal agreements**:

- Provide legal support, opinions and advice
- Provide legal protection and risk management advice, especially on contract management
- Handle escalated complaints
- Work closely with internal stakeholders to understand the legal aspects of proposed initiatives and structures
- Oversee the negotiation, review and drafting of documents for business transactions and advise on checklists used
- Ensure all legal documentation is properly signed and recorded
- Manage the legal agreement database to ensure all information is up-to-date, signed and correctly linked to other relevant systems
- Oversee the drafting and reviewing of contracts and agreements and ensure they comply with relevant statutory and/or legal requirements
- Ensure all internal contracting parties understand the content and implications of contracts proposed and/or entered into
- Ensure proper negotiation, drafting and vetting of legal agreements
- Prepare, review and modify contractual instruments to assist and support various business activities
- Ensure contracts and agreements are amended and updated where required

**Litigation management**:

- Appoint and instruct legal counsel where required
- Review ongoing litigation cases and advise management accordingly
- Provide reports on litigation matters and liaise with internal and external auditors

**Stakeholder engagement**:

- Build trusted advisor relationships with internal and external stakeholders
- Ensure effective relationships and SLA management with internal and external stakeholders
- Engage senior management on a partnership basis to facilitate legal risk assessment, evaluate the effectiveness of proposed policies and controls and take remedial action where required

**Contribution to financial controls**:

- Identify financial and business risks to the company and escalate accordingly
- BA LLB (or equivalent)
- Must be an **Admitted Attorney** or **Advocate**
- 8+ years’ legal experience with exposure to the financial services industry
- Strong background in commercial, financial and insurance law
- Prolific drafting skills of commercial agreements
- Expert contract negotiation, preparation and administration skills
- Expertise in formulating legal opinions
- Highly experienced in litigation management, drafting briefs to external attorneys
- Ability to analyse bills, legal discussion documents, conduct standards and collate comments on behalf of the group
- Proven track-record in providing effective legal counsel and developing contracts that mitigate risks and penalties
- Able to identify and mitigate legal risks
- Strong understanding of relevant **local **and **cross-border** regulatory requirements 28.11mm

Ability to commute/relocate:

- Midrand, Gauteng: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (required)