Specialist: Legal Risk Product at Liberty Group South Africa

Purpose

• To provide specialist legal advice and support in areas that require specialisation and to enable the provision of sound legal consultation services, with a primary focus on the development of new Risk products and the ongoing legal management and maintenance of existing Risk products in line with the changing regulations.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in law.
• Admitted Attorney.
• 2-3 years’ experience in Financial Services would be advantageous.
• Knowledge and understanding of the insurance and financial service sector would be beneficial.
• An understanding of relevant financial services legislation;
• Knowledge and understanding of products and product structures.

Skills

• Commercial thinking and business acumen with an awareness of commercial objectives of the organisation;
• A good working knowledge of the legislation and regulations impacting the financial services sector;
• Ability to apply concepts of knowledge / skill without requiring supervision;
• Ability to make quality decisions under pressure;
• Ability to provide technical guidance when required; 
• Ability to proactively identify issues that may affect the products;
• Good letter writing and verbal communication skills;
• Ability to effectively manage working relationships with team members as well as internal and external clients;
• Good time management skills

Interpersonal Skills

• Demonstrate an understanding of the consulting process as it relates to partnering with our clients to diagnose their needs, developing a realistic response, planning and implementing an intervention and evaluating results in a manner that yields the desired outcome.
• Developing and maintaining ongoing working relationships, networks and partnerships, requiring personal interaction and mutual support to help achieve business goals.
• Effectively meeting client needs, understanding and exceeding client expectations and requirements using the relevant technical skills, business acumen and optimal resources.
• Applying effective verbal, non-verbal and written communication methods to achieve desired results.
• Presents ideas effectively to individuals and groups.
• Understands team dynamics and uses flexible interpersonal style to contribute to the effective functioning of teams and facilitate the completion of team goals.

Interpersonal Competencies

• Confident and assertive with an understanding of oneself and the impact they have on others.
• Continuously learns and improves through applying an open and proactive approach to work.
• Builds credibility and trust through being honest, ethical and fair.
• Shows pride and a love for the work that they perform.
• Willingness and support for learning and development opportunities in the advocacy and regulatory discipline and area of expertise.        
• Both big picture strategic thinking and attention to detail required.
• Analytical thinking.
• Results, solution and execution focused.
• Organised, initiative and deadline driven.
• Self- management (planning, prioritising & time management).
• Ability to efficiently deal with high volumes of work and work well under pressure.

Key Responsibilities

• Meet tactical and operational needs by identifying, diagnosing and/or addressing product-related problems in own discipline;
• Provide advice to business on various legal and technical matters in line with the legal framework, applicable legislation and best practice standards;
• Vetting of the policy documents of new products that are being developed, as well as changes made to existing/legacy products;
• Attending to general legal queries and providing general legal advice and opinions.
• Identify and communicate current and anticipated legal issues or risks.
• Deliver exceptional legal service that exceeds customers’ expectations through proactive, innovative and appropriate legal solutions.
• Work collaboratively across the IAM business to provide excellent and effective legal advice and opinions.
• Contribute towards a TCF service excellence culture, which builds positive relationships and provides opportunity for feedback and exceptional service;

Additional Key Responsibilities

• Working closely with the product development teams, internal marketing teams, compliance and tax teams across the various business areas for product related matters;
• Working closely with Product development- and internal Marketing and Technical marketing teams to ensure all legislative requirements are complied with when products are advertised and marketed to clients and/or potential clients, as well Brokers and Financial Advisers.
• Working closely with the Legal Dispute Resolution team to rectify risks that have been identified for product related matters by the said team during the litigation/dispute resolution process.
• Vetting the various communication documents relating to Risk products that are sent out to policyholders.
• Vetting all marketing and product related communications that are circulated to the public and the various distribution channels;
• Provide advice on the rights, responsibilities, disclosures and available options related to products.