Legal Counsel

1. JOB PURPOSE:

The job holder is responsible for providing sound legal counsel to the company on all legal matters to ensure protection against legal exposure and liability and providing sound legal risk assessment which will facilitate management decision making.

2. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES & ACCOUNTABILITIES:

STRATEGIC RESPONSIBILITIES

(Standard accountabilities by broad organization level, may not apply to all jobs)

DESCRIPTION

Legal Counsel:

Provide legal advice, guidance and support to all business departments of the Company on a wide range of matters to protect the Company's interest by compliance with all contractual obligations, applicable statutes, rules and regulations and minimise liability, while highlighting the risk.

Demonstrate strong commercial/business acumen with the ability to deliver creative and pragmatic solutions and advice.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Feedback from Management.

Accuracy of the advice being given.

Advice given is communicated in a clear manner.

OPERATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

(Job specific accountabilities by 5-6 broad clusters)

Cases:

Conduct legal research and confirm legal opinion on all cases filed for or against the Company on different matters with a view of recovering Company's rights or minimise liability and reaching amicable settlements in line with Management's discretion.

Set out the case and/or defense strategy and identify all required documentary exhibits.

Drafting instructions and appointment letters to external counsel and experts.

Manage litigation and dispute resolution matters in all stages and aspects of the case/matter and up to completion including the enforcement procedures where applicable.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Achieving a strong success rate for the Company in litigation matters, including the absence of the following issues:

a) No-following up the cases on all levels of litigation.

b) Court and other legal deadlines being missed.

c) Case and/or defense strategy is incomplete or flawed and does not achieve the desired or best outcome to protect the Company's interests and position.

Contracts and other legal documents:

Review, negotiate and draft a wide range of contracts, including insurance and reinsurance policies, lenders' documents, settlement agreements and other legal documents, with a view to preventing legal exposure and evaluation of risk; counsel management on the interpretation and application of contractual provisions to implement legal contracts.

Custodian of original agreements and the Company's registration documents.

Counsel management on the interpretation and application of contractual provisions to implement legal contracts.

Update standard forms of agreements and other documents to reflect changes in the legal landscape.

Liaise with the Compliance Department on contracts and agreements that include regulated services and contractual aspects.

Manage the signature process and ensure that the signatory is authorized has the requisite authorities to sign such document.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Demonstrating strong drafting skills.

Absence of any disputes over legal issues concerning technical or service contracts.

Ensuring that contracts and documents are drafted in a clear manner, reflect the correct business understanding and include the proper remedies to rectify defaults of counterparties.

Highlighting potential risks, discrepancies and significant obligations to the relevant business units for their consideration.

Legal Research:

Carry out legal research on laws, judgments and legal principles and any other required information to support legal decision-making and advice.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Research undertaken produced correct or complete results.

Document Management:

Manage the filing of all executed contracts and legal templates.

Custodian of original agreements and the Company's registration documents.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Documents being filed.

Documents folder is organized.

New Projects and Ventures:

Advise top management on legal implications of the new projects, investments, including joint ventures, alliances, mergers and acquisitions etc. in order to protect the corporate interests and minimise liabilities.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

A business venture is working out based on legal advice provided.

Follow the legal processes in place.

External Legal Services:

Evaluate and monitor efficiency and quality of external legal services to ensure the Company is getting the best value for the fees paid and liaise with external lawyers on the cases filed for or against the Company.

Establish and maintain communication channels with external law firms.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Ensure the quality of the external legal services is good.

Powers of Attorney:

Understand and advise other departments on the powers which each attorney possesses.

Keep track of all POAs issued and canceled by the Company.

Ensure that POAs of exiting employees are cancelled properly.

Draft POA wording as required by the Company needs.

Manage the process for POA execution.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

All POAs are kept in one folder in an organized manner.

Internal list and folder of POAs and Powers are up to date.

Strong drafting skills for POAs which clearly set out the scope and limitations of the required powers.

Legal Translation Services:

Provide legal translation services for all official documentation that has legal implications, to avoid legal misinterpretation or any dispute.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

All legal documents are translated accurately and timely.

PEOPLE MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

(Standard accountabilities by broad organization level, may not apply to all jobs)

Manages and supervise other junior employees' work.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Deliverables of junior employees are correct and accurate.

Providing clear and accurate instructions to junior team members.

Providing mentoring to junior team members.

OTHER DESCRIPTION

Detail-focused and self-motivated approach.

Job descriptions given to the employees provide the general nature and level of work expected. It is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required for the position.

Client Management reserves the right to assign any responsibilities to its employees based on the business requirements.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Pays attention to detail in work output.

Demonstrates strong work ethics and desire to grow and succeed in the work place.

To follow and perform any other job-related instructions / duties requested by their Management.

3. FRAMEWORKS, BOUNDARIES & DECISION-MAKING AUTHORITY:

The job activities are governed by standard practices and operating procedures and are subject to general supervision.

4. KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:

INTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS – PURPOSE OF INTERACTION

SVP/ VP – Legal – Daily work related activities

Department Heads

EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS – PURPOSE OF INTERACTION

Official authorities and external lawyers

External Support

5. QUALIFICATIONS, RELEVANT CERTIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

QUALIFICATIONS

Law Degree - Minimum Bachelor's Degree

RELEVANT CERTIFICATIONS

Preferred Professional Certification: Professional Qualification from the Chartered Insurance Institute in London or equivalent is preferred.

YEARS & NATURE OF EXPERIENCE

12+ years of experience. It is preferable that the candidate has at least 2 years of this experience being in an international law firm or in-house legal department of a prominent regional or international company.

Prior team leadership experience.

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

Bilingual - Full Professional Proficiency in the English and Arabic languages.

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