Commercial Attorney - Project Based (Cape Town)

Cognia Law; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 240,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading legal services provider in Cape Town is seeking a Commercial Attorney for project-based opportunities. The role involves drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial contracts, ensuring compliance, and identifying risks. Candidates must have an appropriate legal degree and relevant experience in commercial contracts. This position offers flexibility in work arrangements and collaboration with in-house legal teams, requiring prompt availability for project commencement.

Qualifications

• Experience in commercial contract drafting, review, and negotiation.
• Understanding of contract lifecycle management processes.
• Familiarity with data privacy laws relevant to commercial contracts.

Responsibilities

• Reviewing, drafting, and negotiating various commercial agreements.
• Conducting contract analysis for compliance with legal requirements.
• Identifying risks and advising on mitigation strategies.
• Supporting contract lifecycle management (CLM) processes, including template optimisation, workflow improvements, and document consistency.
• Leveraging AI and legal tech tools to enhance the speed and accuracy of contract review and analysis.
• Collaborating closely with in-house legal teams, procurement, and other stakeholders to ensure contracts meet operational and strategic needs.
• Assisting with large-scale contract remediation, repapering, or regulatory compliance projects as required.
• Providing clear and concise contract abstraction and summarisation, highlighting key obligations, risks, and opportunities.

Skills

Commercial contracts

Contract negotiation

Attention to detail

Analytical skills

Strong communication

Communication skills

Education

BA Law, LLB, LLM, or BCom Law

LLB

LLM

BCom Law

Tools

AI/Legal tech tools

Job description

Overview

Commercial Attorney - Project Based Opportunity in Cape Town

3 weeks ago Be among the first 25 applicants

Are you a legal professional seeking dynamic, project-based opportunities with an international reach? Cognia Law invites you to register your interest in joining our Contract Bench—a curated talent pool of skilled individuals ready to step into short-term, project-based assignments as they become available. Project durations may range from 2 weeks to 3 months, depending on client needs.

We're particularly interested in individuals with a solid background in commercial contracts who thrive in fast-paced, tech-enabled legal environments and are seeking flexible, contract-based work.

We aim to ensure the best match between your skills and our future project needs. As part of our recruitment process, you\'ll go through an initial screening where we\'ll get a better understanding of your experience, current availability, and interest. Candidates who pass the selection process successfully will be notified that they are on our approved bench of contractors, and we will reach out in the future should any suitable projects arise that match your skills.

PLEASE NOTE: If you have already been screened by Cognia and informed that you are on the bench of Contractors, there is no need to re-apply. Just pop us an email to let us know you\'re available again.

Company Profile

Cognia seamlessly extends corporates, banks and law firms\' legal capability to deliver sustainable outcomes. Our goal is to connect the legal sector, moving it from a siloed approach to integrated partnerships. We help in-house legal teams by bringing simplicity to complex matters and replacing broken procedures with efficient processes. Cognia is a Chambers-ranked law company which integrates how legal services are provided so our team, partners, clients and communities thrive together with people at the heart of what we do. We encourage our people to bring their whole self to work and focus on enabling them to realise their full potential.

For more information, please visit www.cognialaw.com

Job Responsibilities

• Reviewing, drafting, and/or negotiating a wide range of commercial agreements such as NDAs, MSAs, SOWs, procurement and vendor contracts, service agreements, and licensing arrangements.
• Conducting contract analysis to ensure compliance with legal requirements, internal policies, and industry best practices.
• Identifying legal and commercial risks, advising on mitigation strategies, and ensuring alignment with business goals.
• Supporting contract lifecycle management (CLM) processes, including template optimisation, workflow improvements, and document consistency.
• Leveraging AI and legal tech tools to enhance the speed and accuracy of contract review and analysis.
• Collaborating closely with in-house legal teams, procurement, and other stakeholders to ensure contracts meet operational and strategic needs.
• Assisting with large-scale contract remediation, repapering, or regulatory compliance projects as required.
• Providing clear and concise contract abstraction and summarisation, highlighting key obligations, risks, and opportunities.

Requirements

• BA Law, LLB, LLM, or BCom Law or an equivalent degree from a reputable institution is required.
• Experience in commercial contract drafting, review, and negotiation (within a law firm, in-house legal team, or ALSP).
• Understanding of contract lifecycle management (CLM) processes and best practices.
• Identify potential legal and commercial risks within contracts and collaborate with stakeholders to develop strategies for risk mitigation and compliance.
• Strong attention to detail, analytical skills, and ability to work in high-volume, fast-paced environments.
• Attention to detail for accurate tagging, redaction, and review
• Familiarity with data privacy and other relevant laws as applicable in the commercial contract landscape.
• Ability to follow detailed project protocols and workflows.
• Strong communication skills to liaise with team leads, project managers, and occasionally, clients.
• Proven track record of working under tight deadlines with a high degree of accuracy.
• Team player with an adaptive mindset to handle shifting project scope.

Contractor Engagement Details

• Project engagements usually require full-time dedication for the specified duration and cannot be undertaken alongside other full-time roles, unless explicitly permitted.
• You will be expected to work as an extension of our clients\' legal teams, requiring seamless collaboration and professionalism.
• Due to the rapid nature of project deployment, Cognia cannot guarantee that it can accommodate notice periods, and your inability to start a project within a day or two after being contacted may exclude you from the opportunity.
• Successful contractors must be based in Cape Town, as our hybrid model combines remote and on-site work based on client requirements.

Details

• Seniority level: Entry level
• Employment type: Contract
• Job function: Legal
• Industries: IT Services and IT Consulting

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