Legal Counsel: Product Solutions Cluster - Secured Lending - Johannesburg at Absa Group Limited (Absa)

Job Summary

• To be a member of the legal team by managing Legal Key Risk in Absa Africa and to contribute to the
• development of the Legal Function. The role will primarily focus on providing legal support and advice to the business generally, including taking responsibility for transaction documentation, assisting with product development, and providing specific advice in response to business queries as well as queries from other businesses. The candidate will also have the opportunity to work on significant firm-wide projects which are often run in the team.

Job Description

Accountability: Management of Legal Risk

• Ensure the bank’s legal and regulatory position is managed effectively in all situations in which legal disputes or regulatory issues arise, at all times safeguarding Absa’s reputation.
• Increase awareness of the Legal Key Risk Policies and report any breaches.
• Identify and articulate risks associated with proposed transactions, projects and activities that the business intends to undertake.
• Mitigate risks wherever possible.
• Attend necessary training sessions to ensure commerciality and continued legal professional development.
• Ensure regulatory & statutory compliance.
• Provide a clear record of relevant business transactions and legal advice given that effectively mitigates legal risk.
• Develop and sustain effective risk and control frameworks.

Accountability: Negotiate, draft and review agreements.

• Assist in structuring, negotiating & drafting legal agreements and documentation relating to standard agreements, transactions and new products.
• Provide legal support to the Product Solutions Cluster: Secured Lending teams, including Retail Deceased Estates and Debt Review, and working closely with product, recovery and litigation specialists, on various types of accounts
• Help to develop working structures and best practice guides for use within business.
• Address all probable risks by seeing to it that they are sufficiently addressed in legal agreements drafted.
• Consider, comment, negotiate and give advice on documents/ agreements for the Business.
• Give legal advice on transactions or deals to be done, or transactions that have been concluded.
• Conduct legal due diligences on transactions.
• Provide advice on legality, the lawfulness and enforceability of agreements and documents.
• Provide legal advice on various types of security and the realization/disposal of security

Accountability: Supplier Management

• Support Business, Procurement and Commercial Legal during Supplier contracting and on-boarding process
• Support business with their assigned Suppliers, where required.
• Deliver compliance to all Procurement Policies
• Obtain and cascade relevant information and analytics to conduct reviews that manage legal risk, where necessary.
• Participate in formal supplier performance reviews, where necessary.

Accountability: Stakeholder Management

• Determine needs of stakeholders by regular interaction with the stakeholders in order to discuss legal developments and matters with them
• Provide stakeholders with legal advice, support and legal and commercial solutions
• Provide specialist product support to Africa Regional Office legal teams.
• Manage external counsel, where required
• Distil and communicate legal concepts in a simple, concise way that is easily understood by business stakeholders.
• Evaluate, manage and prioritise tasks in accordance with business need

Accountability: Reporting

• Compile lists of matters and registers of work or instructions received
• Provide reports as required to support the assessment of the legal risk management framework.
• Attend to ad hoc reports as requested by the Legal Head/ Team Leader, such as reports required by Absa/ Legal Executive Committee (LEXCO).

Professional/technical experience

• Junior lawyer, ideally 2-5years’ PQE
• Experience of working in a highly regulated, fast paced environment, where there are often competing demands
• Experience in legal collections, litigation and debt recovery is essential
• Working knowledge of Deceased Estates & Insolvency Law would be preferred
• Experience with the National Credit Act, Consumer Protection Act and Rules of Court is essential
• Some in house experience would be beneficial.

Academic and professional qualifications

• Law Degree: LLB or BProc
• Admitted Attorney/Advocate in RSA

Personal attributes

• Ability to work as part of a team
• Very strong interpersonal skills, especially communication skills
• Well organised and efficient
• Excellent negotiating and influencing skills
• Excellent attention to detail
• Integrity and reliability
• Business awareness, prioritisation of risk and strong commercial focus
• Ability to take a commercial view within legal constraints
• Ability to manage a large (and often fluid) workload with effective prioritisation as well as  deliver accurately under pressure and at speed

Education

• Bachelor Honours Degree: Law (Required)