Senior Associate: Construction law – Disputes and Corporate/Commercial - Johannesburg at Bowmans (Law Firm)

Bowmans’ Construction team is looking for a qualified junior construction lawyer to join its young and dynamic team.  The team is ranked in both Chambers and Partners and Legal500, servicing international and domestic clients in projects and construction. The team has a strong focus on both contentious and non-contentious construction matters and is closely involved on various Projects and Infrastructure matters with Bowmans’ Project Finance team.  The candidate will be working on contentious and non-contentious construction matters and may at times support the Project Finance team.

The ideal candidate will come from a reputable law firm and have built a good track-record of experience in complex construction law matters.  Must be willing to work as part of a team that is client focused and quality driven without compromise.  They will be fully committed to building a career as a construction lawyer in the Bowmans family.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS:

• Admitted attorney with 3-6 years post admission experience in a Construction law practice
• LLB degree with a strong academic track record
• An ability and willingness to work on both contentious and non-contentious matters is essential: Candidates with experience in only contentious or non-contentious construction law matters will be considered, subject thereto that they are willing to be upskilled to be able to straddle both ends of construction law matters
• Proven track-record of working on complex construction law matters

JOB ACCOUNTABILITIES: 

• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating contracts, legal documentation and settlement discussions at an advanced level with partner supervision 
• Drafting submissions and ancillary documents in construction disputes
• Taking part in preparing overall strategy of matters
• Managing matters semi-independently and acting as primary contact point for clients
• Preparing complex legal opinions and advicenotes
• Consulting with clients, counsel and experts and ability to work with clients’ technical, commercial and legal teams
• Training and managing junior lawyers
• Assisting with and participating in pitches and other business development initiatives with a view to start building own client relationships
• Participating in firm initiatives such as pro bono and ongoing training

SKILLS: 

Legal Technical skills 

• Advanced and current knowledge of standard form construction and professional services contracts including FIDIC, NEC, JBCC and GCC
• Advanced and current knowledge of other related agreements such as EPC, O&M and good understanding of PPPs etc
• Possesses the legal technical skill to understand client requirements in order to deliver excellent client service and legally sound documents and advice  
• Ability to apply theory in a practical and commercially astute manner
• Ability to work with complex technical and commercial documents in contentious and non-contentious matters
• Able to articulate advice, and legal issues and positions effectively both in writing and verbally
• Ability to apply theory in a practical and commercially astute manner with an appreciation of commercial rationale and the ability to ask or discuss issues
• Set priorities, manage schedules and plan accordingly in a high-pressure environment

Communication  

• Able to communicate effectively and express ideas clearly
• Produce documents that are well-structured, with correct grammar and language
• Able to manage junior lawyers efficiently in manner that motivates the team
• Strong team player with great people skills
• Able to execute instructions accurately and efficiently

Computer Literacy 

• Proficient in Word and Outlook
• Knowledge of Excel and PowerPoint
• Good understanding of research tools such as Juta Law
• General IT competency in order to learn and use various firm specific tools

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES: 

• Highly committed individual
• Pro-active
• Displays utmost honesty and integrity at all times
• Ability to work well under pressure without compromising work quality or standards  
• Ability to handle high volumes of workload and meet tight deadlines
• Client focused and results driven with particular attention to detail
• Committed to support the managing and growing of a dynamic team
• Great matter management and time management skills