Legal Counsel

Job Purpose

This position is responsible for providing expert legal advice and support on a wide range of issues, including contract negotiation and management, legal and regulatory compliance, intellectual property, employment law, and corporate governance to drive responsible business conduct.

Main Responsibilities

Legal Advisory

• Provide expert legal advice to management 
• Create associations of trust and respect with key stakeholders
• Deal with external parties (regulators, external counsel) ensuring the business’ legal interests are represented adeptly and ethically.
• Draft agreements that effectively minimise risk  exposure while maximising legal rights
• Proactively keep abreast of legislative changes that impact the business
• Handle all potentially litigious matters and ensure where possible that recourse to courts is a last resort. In that regard, write letters of demand where appropriate and reply adequately to letters of threat from law firms and others
• Ensure that the legal universe and registers are updated and comprehensive to support compliance.

Intellectual Property

• Manage the registration of new IP including trademarks, patents and designs and their renewals and updates on behalf of the Company, and collaborate with external service providers
• Maintain up to date IP registers

Case Management

• Maintain and regularly update a record of all cases and legal holds involving the Company
• Collaborate with external lawyers who are appointed to represent the Company in litigation matters 
• Assist external lawyers in researching and preparing the Company’s cases either as plaintiffs, defendants or interested parties and vet all papers/documents to be filed by the lawyers on behalf of the Company
• Engage with the Company’s external contacts, other lawyers, other persons and government officials with a view to resolving legal and general corporate and regulatory matters

Compliance

• Facilitate the roll out of Code of Business Conduct, legal and compliance policies to all staff members and relevant third parties, including communication and training
• Communicate anti-bribery framework to key stakeholders
• Maintain the regulatory universe, ensuring it is up to date, and communicate relevant changes to business units.
• Implement and optimise all policies and procedures to meet legal requirements and business needs

Ad-hoc Legal Matters 

• Provide support in preparation and dispatch of meeting packs and facilitate meeting arrangements
• Update internal and statutory registers - legal registers, contract register, directors and shareholders. 
• Make required statutory filings on provided platforms eg Business Registration Services
• Provide support and coordinate court case preparation - pleadings, witnesses, hearing dates and related matters
• Ensure statutory compliance of subsidiaries with proper record keeping
• Manage and co-ordinate ad-hoc legal projects
• Liaison with regulatory bodies on behalf of the company, ensuring timely filing of statutory periodic returns
• Provide support in legal matters arising from the Company's operations, including interactions with customers, suppliers, competitors, regulators and the public.
• Draft and advise on commercial, financial, property and general agreements on behalf of the company.
• Manage corporate business licenses and permits, and related application and renewal processes, and provide oversight to functions on their respective business licenses and permits

Minimum Required Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience

Academic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Law (LLB)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Law from Kenya School of Law

Professional Qualifications

• Professional qualification in Law such as Certified Public Secretary of Kenya (CPS - K), or equivalent 
• Professional membership with the Law Society of Kenya
• Master’s degree in Law (LLM) is an added advantage
• Professional membership with a professional body in the legal space such as data privacy is an added advantage

Experience 

• At least 6 years, 2 years’ experience in management role in a similar role or busy function
• Proven experience as a Legal Counsel, in an FMCG or a Corporate environment is an added advantage
• Practical experience in the use of MS packages and ERP systems

Competencies

Technical Competencies

• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of corporate law, contract law, and regulatory compliance, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and reporting on legal matters
• Possess a strong grasp of the legal and regulatory frameworks governing KWAL’s operations across various countries
• Excellent legal research and analytical skills
• Ability to communicate complex legal concepts effectively to non-legal stakeholders
• Skilled in engaging and overseeing outsourced legal services to safeguard the organisation’s interests
• Capable of viewing and analysing issues from a comprehensive perspective, considering their impact on the organisation’s direction
• Demonstrates business acumen with knowledge of the organisation’s strategic direction, key deliverables, programs, services, and the environmental factors influencing it
• Proficient in using Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems to streamline financial processes, enhance data accuracy, and improve overall efficiency

Behavioural Competencies

• Possess a strong grasp of the legal and regulatory frameworks governing KWAL’s operations across various countries.
• Skilled in engaging and overseeing outsourced legal services to safeguard the organisation’s interests.
• Capable of viewing and analysing issues from a comprehensive perspective, considering their impact on the organisation’s direction.
• Demonstrates business acumen with knowledge of the organisation’s strategic direction, key deliverables, programs, services, and the environmental factors influencing it.
• Highly critical thinking and be able to work flexibly in a diverse working environment.