The SpringRock Legal Counsel serves as an integral member of the Management Team with primary responsibility for ensuring the provision of legal services and advice in support of business operations. The SpringRock Legal Counsel is also responsible for the management, training and mentoring of all personnel in Legal and Compliance matters. The Legal Counsel, under the supervision of the Chief Compliance Officer, is charged with the management of, and is accountable for, the appropriate handling and resolution of all legal subjects and matters in the Company.
EXPERIENCE
• Minimum 10 years post qualification experience in a law firm or corporate environment.
• Strong knowledge of corporate law and practices and new legislations that impacts businesses.
• Prior SpringRock experience should include positions within operations or an assignment in a specialist domain (e.g. Intellectual Property, M&A, Compliance, Corporate, Litigation or Environmental law.)
• Experience in setting up entities, meeting compliance requirements and handling other business related matters in multiple international jurisdictions outside of Nigeria.
• Experience in Corporate Risk Analysis and Advisory on management of Corporate Risks.
• Oil and Gas Industry experience would be an added advantage.
QUALIFICATIONS
• Law degree (LLB or equivalent) and related national professional legal qualifications is required.
• Membership of the Nigerian Bar Association NBA.
• Strong Knowledge of Nigerian labor legislation and Laws
• Strong Knowledge of labor legislation and Laws in multiple countries outside of Nigeria.
• Knowledge of International Compliance and Regulatory Requirements including but not limited to FCPA, EU Anti-Corruption Action and similar regulations.
• Relevant Legal, Compliance and Associated Certifications would be an added advantage.
Key Responsibilities and Duties
• Drafts, reviews and negotiates legal and commercial documents for client contracts. Takes full ownership of the T&Cs negotiation with clients and liaises with management as needed;
• Drafts, reviews and negotiates legal and commercial documents including letters of intent, supplier/procurement agreements, leases and licenses;
• Handles commercial contracts and contract disputes; provides support and assistance to the business groups management team;
• Interacts with other support functions and departments ensuring the Legal Department’s involvement in all matters that requires legal support or may give rise to legal exposure;
• Provides guidance and assistance to ensure all operations and business activities in the company are carried out in compliance with relevant country laws and regulations;
• Shares with other Management Team members responsibility for the implementation and monitoring of compliance with SpringRock Corporate Policies, Standards and Procedures and SpringRock’s corporate legal and regulatory obligations;
• Participates in compliance incident reviews, undertakes Operations Assurance Reviews and coordinates legal aspects of internal audits and Trade Control Compliance Reviews;
• Provides and assists with legal and compliance training for operations, other functions and Management;
• Ensures the “integrity” of SpringRock Group’s corporate structure, entities and records;
• Owns and leads the process of setting up new entities in Nigeria and all Countries of interest to SpringRock Group.
• Provides overall legal advice to Management and is actively involved in SpringRock business plans, growth strategies and operations as part of the Management;
• Manages and supervises Law Firms and Outside Counsel being responsible for litigation strategies, resolution and follow up in coordination with Management;
• Manages and strictly controls all external costs (e.g. legal fees and expenditures) and internal costs related to the Legal function’s impact on the business group’s P&L;
• Drafts and implements specific procedures, guidelines and templates and maintains and updates content on the SpringRock Intranet Legal webpage;
• Provides support, coaching and guidance to Administrative Assistants, Contract Managers. Legal Counsels, Attorneys, where applicable, and assists with their career development;
• Assists with the development of Legal Department Strategic Initiatives and is actively involved with their deployment and implementation.
• Develops and maintains standards documents such as SpringRock Contract Standards
• Leads the development of the Legal Department training and development initiatives and completes all assigned training.
• Conducts training for all employees, consultants and third-party contractors on legal compliance, applicable laws and corporate policies.
• Supports the Human Resources department on elements of employment and labour laws and practices and takes part in certain employee decisions that may have legal implications.
General Behaviour
• Principled leadership: Ability to demonstrate principled leadership with sound business ethics and consistency with principles, values, and behaviour.
• Leading by example: Strongly protects and acts as guardian to our Values, Policies and Compliance Principles and encourages all managers and employees to do the same.
• Results oriented: Delivers the right thing, on time, with quality and accuracy.
• Proactive: Identifies, assesses and addresses potential legal issues. Actively promotes continuous improvement of Legal and Compliance Policies and Standards.
Competencies to be kept current:
• Strong knowledge of corporate law and practices and new legislations that impacts businesses.
• Knowledge of Nigerian labor legislation and Laws including all new laws and regulations.
• Knowledge of labor legislation and Laws in all countries we operate in.
• Knowledge of International Compliance and Regulatory Requirements including but not limited to FCPA, EU Anti-Corruption Action and similar regulations.
