Legal Assistant / Paralegal at AfroCentric Group

What will you do?

• The role of a Legal Assistant/Paralegal is to manage the Legal, Governance, Risk and Compliance (LGRC) Function Office and provide administrative and technical support to processes and systems within the Legal Function to enhance office effectiveness and efficiency. The objective of the role is to alleviate the burden and maximise the efficiency of the Group Legal Counsel & Company Secretary and Legal Advisors so they can contribute more meaningfully to the strategic and tactical deliverables that they face on a daily basis. 
• The ideal candidate will have a strong background in legal administration, excellent organizational skills, and the ability to handle confidential information with discretion.

Qualification and Essential Skills

• NQF Level 4, preferably with legal secretarial certification/Paralegal Diploma
• Advanced level proficiency in MS Office Suite, Excel
• Excellent grammatical and editing capability
• Accuracy and quality of legal and administrative tasks
• Continuous improvement identification and implementation
• Own transport

Position Specific Outputs

Group meeting administration

• Schedule and coordinate meetings, prepare agendas, meeting packs draft and typing of minutes and follow up on action items
• Arrange logistics for meetings and events 
• Liaise with directors, executive management and their support functions on all meeting administration matters.

Office administration & Secretarial duties

• Act as the primary point of contact for LGRC and/or the Group Legal Counsel
• Handle correspondence and maintain accurate records
• Provide administrative support to the LGRC team
• Manage the Group Legal Counsel’s calendar and facilitate related processes
• Type, review, and proofread legal documents, presentations and contracts
• Facilitate and coordinate internal and external meetings for LGRC team members
• Assist lawyers with process and system related activities 
• Assist Legal Function with any facilities related matters, including maintenance, security requirements etc.
• Control and manage stationery, catering requirements and make travel arrangements 
• Assist with onboarding new team members and coordinate team activities
• Assist in budget preparation, process invoices, track expenses, and prepare financial reports (reporting on all costs against budget & expenses)
• Seek to improve administrative processes and participate in professional development
• Perform additional tasks as assigned by the Group Legal Counsel.

Contract & Document management

• Provide support to contract management processes and system (e.g. Updraft) 
• Be the super user for Docusign or e-signature platforms and perform all administrative tasks associated with loading of contracts and reporting from the system
• Drafting/generating non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and service level agreements (SLAs), promotional terms and conditions and any other work delegated by the legal professionals and ensure finalisation and filing thereof
• Maintain a well-structured and efficient electronic and paper-based filing system for relevant governance structures, ensuring that information is secured, and confidentiality is maintained
• Maintain a register of all subscriptions and alert Lawyers of any impending expiry and renewal 
• Handle sensitive information discreetly and ensure compliance with regulations
• Maintain records of compliance activities and assist with audits

Competency Requirements:

Knowledge

• Knowledge and application of processes and procedures
• Knowledge and application of relevant legislation

Skills

• Planning and organising skills
• Problem solving and decision making skills
• Business Writing Skills
• Communication Skills
• Computer Technology Skills
• Task Management
• Adobe Creative Suite
• Data modelling and evaluation
• Numerical Ability
• Customer Focus
• Relevant systems knowledge and application
• Attention to Accuracy and Detail