Legal Advisor

Discovery Limited; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 750,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

A financial services company in Johannesburg is looking for a Legal Advisor. The successful candidate will deliver high-quality legal advice, conduct research, and support compliance with legislation. Candidates should have at least 5 years of experience in financial services law and a Bachelor of Laws degree. Exceptional communication skills and attention to detail are essential. This role offers opportunities for professional growth within a dynamic team.

Qualifications

• 5 years of legal experience in the financial services sector
• Knowledge of Long-term and Short-term Insurance Acts
• Experience in drafting legal instruments

Responsibilities

• Provide legal advice and opinions to stakeholders
• Conduct legal research and analysis
• Draft and negotiate legal documentation

Skills

Analytical thinking

Excellent written and verbal communication

Time management

Attention to detail

Client engagement skills

Resilience under pressure

Education

Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree

Admitted Attorney / Advocate

Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning

Job description

Discovery – Discovery Life

Legal Advisor

About Discovery

Discovery’s core purpose is to make people healthier and to enhance and protect their lives. We seek out and invest in exceptional individuals who understand and support our core purpose, and whose own values align with those of Discovery. Our fast-paced and dynamic environment enables smart, self-driven people to be their best. As global thought leaders, Discovery is passionate about innovating in order to not only achieve financial success, but to ignite positive and meaningful change within our society.

About Discovery Life

Discovery Life is an ever growing fast-paced and dynamic environment that provides innovative risk assurance to individual clients. This environment thrives on customer engagement and customer experience as well as mutually beneficial relationships with our brokers and other stakeholders. It is important for our employees to provide a world class service to our internal and external clients, thereby ensuring long and sustainable relationships.

Key Purpose

We are looking for a seasoned legal professional to join our Legal team. The successful candidate will provide precise, practical and high-quality legal advice and formal legal opinions to both internal and external stakeholders. The role demands sound judgement, a strong grasp of insurance and financial services law and the ability to identify, assess and mitigate legal risk across complex matters affecting the business. This role is suited to someone who can think clearly, write persuasively and operate independently in a high-stakes environment.

Areas of responsibility may include but not limited to

• Represent Discovery in resolving legal disputes, ensuring commercially sound and legally defensible outcomes
• Conduct legal research and analysis across a wide range of matters, offering clear and actionable insights
• Provide proactive legal guidance in line with applicable legislation and regulatory frameworks, with a view to minimising risk and ensuring compliance
• Draft, review and refine legal documentation, including formal opinions, correspondence and internal advisory notes, often under time-sensitive conditions
• Prepare, review and negotiate a broad range of contracts, ensuring alignment with business objectives and legal standards

Personal Attributes and Skills

• Sharp analytical thinking with a structured, solutions-driven approach to complex legal and business problems
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey legal concepts clearly to both legal and non-legal audiences
• Strong time management and organisational discipline, with the ability to prioritise effectively in a high-volume, deadline-driven environment
• Exceptional attention to detail, with a commitment to accuracy and quality in all work produced
• Confident interpersonal and client engagement skills, with the ability to build trust and influence stakeholders at all levels
• Resilience under pressure, with a proven ability to deliver high-quality work within tight timeframes and competing demands

Essential Technical Competencies

• At least 5 years of demonstrable legal experience within the financial services sector, with direct exposure to operational and regulatory matters in Life and Non-Life Insurance.
• Sound working knowledge of applicable legislation, including the Long-term and Short-term Insurance Acts, FAIS, PPR, LTIA and related frameworks
• Practical experience advising on both long-term and short-term insurance products, structures and distribution arrangements
• Proficiency in drafting and interpreting a wide range of legal instruments, including contracts, commercial agreements, policy wording and formal legal opinions
• Proven ability to operate effectively in a high-demand environment, managing multiple priorities and engaging with stakeholders across varying levels of complexity

Education and Experience

Qualifications:

• Matric
• Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree (Required)
• Admitted Attorney / Advocate (Required)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning (Advantageous)

Essential Experience:

• 5 to 7 years post-articles experience in the Financial Services Industry
• Solid grounding in insurance law, financial regulation and commercial legal work, gained through direct industry exposure.

EMPLOYMENT EQUITY

The Company’s approved Employment Equity Plan and Targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process. As an Equal Opportunities employer, we actively encourage and welcome people with various disabilities to apply.