Legal Administrative Officer (MR-5) at Gauteng Provincial Government

Requirements :

• Matric plus NQF7 in LLB or as otherwise determined by the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Development, coupled with at least 8 years’ appropriate post qualification legal experience. 

Duties :

• Manage litigation on behalf of the MEC, the HoD and the Department; Conduct, analyse, interpret, advise on research that will provide information and case law relevant to a legal matter at hand; Present and advise on motivation/ proposals on how the specific case should be approached to obtain a desirable/ justifiable outcome / result; Draft legal documents and advise on the drafting of legal documents that provide clear motivation / justification for a particular position pertaining to the case, also proposing the approach to be followed to ensure success in this regard; Successfully conduct a consultation in order to determine a client Unit’s goals and objectives; Advise a client Unit on possible courses of action during the consultation process, in relation to legal entitlements and client’s instructions;
• Document consultation and all advice given during legal consultation in writing; Provide advice and guidance to lower level production employees on advanced consultation techniques to address more sensitive or complicated issues as well as guide employees on the advice that should be rendered to the client. Examine the instruction received from client to determine the legal question(s) to be addressed;
• Consult with client to obtain further clarity, if necessary; Source necessary legal tools; Conduct the necessary research regarding the legal issue(s) to be addressed; Draft the Opinion; If necessary, consult the client; Finalise and submit the opinion to Supervisor for vetting; Obtain instructions from client as to the nature of the document to be drafted; Consult with client to obtain further information, if necessary; Conduct research and source the relevant resource tools and information;
• Draft the legal document and submit to client; If necessary, further consultations with client and other parties; Finalise the document and submit to Supervisor for vetting; Receive the document for legal review from client, along with instructions; Consult with client to obtain further information, if necessary; Conduct research and source the relevant resource tools and information; Scrutinize the document, in order to ensure that it complies with all relevant legal requirements;
• If necessary, consult with client and other parties to provide legal clarity and assist in finalizing the document which has been reviewed; Prepare comments regarding the document and submit to Supervisor for vetting; Receive summons or notice of motion from the State Attorney’s Office; Scrutinize the court papers received; Consult with State Attorney’s Office, if necessary; Consult with relevant client unit to which the matter relates;
• Prepare brief for the HOD/ MEC on necessary course of action to be undertaken; Submit brief to Supervisor for vetting; Brief the State Attorney on course of action to take, either to oppose or not to oppose; Receive instructions from relevant client unit to determine the merits of the contemplated action;
• Consult with the client unit and obtain other relevant information to prepare opinion regarding whether there are reasonable prospects of success; Provide advice to the HOD/MEC on the contemplated action and submit to Supervisor for vetting; If there are reasonable prospects of success, then the HOD/MEC will provide instructions to institute the action;
• Continue with similar steps as outlined above in respect of litigation against the Department, with appropriate modifications for the context; Conduct research on topical issue; Prepare briefing and submit to Supervisor for vetting; Circulate the legal briefing to colleagues in the Department; Provide legal library services in the event where the Law Librarian is absent or not available.