Senior Legal Counsel

Empowering Africa's tomorrow, together…one story at a time.

With over 100 years of rich history and strongly positioned as a local bank with regional and international expertise, a career with our family offers the opportunity to be part of this exciting growth journey, to reset our future and shape our destiny as a proudly African group.

Job Summary

To develop tactical strategy and delivery plans, formulate associated practice/s and to ensure operational implementation and adoption with regards to legal methodology, governance and delivery objectives.

Job Description

The role involves advising on all competition law matters and managing competition law infringement risk, including:

• Leading and coordinating merger notifications to national and regional competition authorities across Africa.

• Advising on pre-implementation risks, information sharing protocols, clean team arrangements and integration protocols.

• Advising on key competition law aspects, including vertical and horizontal agreements, distribution agreements, pricing strategies, joint ventures and exclusivity practices.

• Preparing and overseeing submissions to competition authorities across Africa, including responses to investigations and requests for information.

• Providing strategic and pragmatic advice to business.

• Managing competition law compliance across the jurisdictions where Absa Bank operates

Accountability: Legal Risk

• To provide highly specialised legal advice and support to the dedicated area of support.

Accountability: Leadership & Management

• Demonstrates strong relationship management skills with clients

• Plan and manage projects and matters through to completion, including resourcing

• Contribute to the development and implementation of team objectives and strategy and provide high quality support to the business as required by interacting with different legal and business stakeholders.

• Work independently with minimal supervision and demonstrate the ability to supervise where appropriate

Accountability: Commercial

• Demonstrate strong analytical skills and solve complex problems creatively and effectively

• Drives good cost control behaviour, especially around external spend and consistently deliver against a broad range of competing target

• Manage external counsel and represent AGL on relevant industry forums and professional bodies where required

• Add value in commercial as well as technical discussions, and provide training that is beneficial / informative to internal clients 
   

Accountability: Risk and Control

• Actively raise the profile of the legal function and improve on Legal Key Risks

• Manage and create awareness by embedding legal policies and control requirements in all areas of the business

• Provide appropriate challenge and equally be robust in the face of challenges

• Build strong risk partnerships with colleagues in other functions (especially key control areas)

• Fully understand the role of legal in AGL and how it interacts with other functions and the business.

Accountability: Teamwork:

• Proactively collaborates across different teams and geographies within Legal to break down silos

• Provide objective and constructive feedback and openly shares knowledge and expertise

Accountability:  Technical

• Acts as a trusted advisor to business and other infrastructure areas; understands market and legal developments and their impact on business

• Contribute to industry-wide initiatives and have a good network amongst peer group externally

Qualifications and Experience

• LLB Degree (minimum); postgraduate qualification in competition law preferred.
• Admitted Attorney with 6 to 8 years post admission experience specialising in competition law.
• Experience in handling merger filings, cartel investigations and compliance programmes in South Africa and across African.
• In-house or law firm experience and experience liaising with national and regional competition authorities.

Education

Bachelor Honours Degree: Law, Military Science and Security (Required)

Absa Bank Limited is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. In compliance with the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, preference will be given to suitable candidates from designated groups whose appointments will contribute towards achievement of equitable demographic representation of our workforce profile and add to the diversity of the Bank.

Absa Bank Limited reserves the right not to make an appointment to the post as advertised

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