Legal Counsel

Air Liquide; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 300 000 - 600 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading gases and services company in South Africa seeks a legal assistant to support the Head of Legal on various legal matters, including contract negotiation and compliance. The successful candidate will have an LLB degree, be an admitted attorney, and possess a strong understanding of corporate governance, labour law, and regulatory compliance. This role offers an opportunity to work across multiple areas in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• Admitted Attorney or equivalent required.
• Experience in corporate governance and compliance is essential.
• Ability to manage competing priorities effectively.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal support on various corporate matters.
• Draft, review, and negotiate contracts.
• Advise on labour relations and compliance issues.
• Support debt recovery efforts and litigation.
• Conduct legal research and prepare reports.

Skills

Legal advice

Contract negotiation

Labour law expertise

Regulatory compliance

Debt recovery

Education

LLB or equivalent

Job description

How will you CONTRIBUTE and GROW?

In this position, the incumbent is accountable to provide assistance to the Head of Legal - Southern Africa, on legal matters relating to the company and its affiliated companies within Southern Africa, including but not limited to:

• pre‑litigation and litigious claims (commercial, contractual or civil disputes)
• labour and employment law
• interpretation and/ or negotiation of a wide range of commercial, operational and supply chain contracts
• provision of legal support to the various functions of the organisation in the areas of business development, sales and marketing, finance, procurement, human resources, engineering, operations and maintenance
• assist in the management of corporate governance, legal and regulatory compliance, and statutory secretarial duties

Main Accountabilities

1. Corporate Governance & Company Secretariat

   Assist in preparing and reviewing board and shareholder documentation, including agendas, resolutions, board packs, and minutes.

   Support compliance with the Companies Act, King IV Principles of Corporate Governance, and Group frameworks.

   Maintain statutory registers and ensure timely submissions to the CIPC.

   Prepare and file amendments to company records (e.g., changes in directors, officers, share registers, resolutions).

   Facilitate board, statutory committee, and shareholder meetings, including drafting agendas, minutes, and resolutions.

   Provide governance training to directors, prescribed officers, information officers, and statutory committee members.

   Liaise with regulators such as the B-BBEE Commission, Competition Commission, Information Regulator, and others.

2. Commercial & Contractual Work

   Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of contracts including supply, procurement, distribution, partnership, and services agreements.

   Support the contract lifecycle (renewals, amendments, terminations).

   Advise business stakeholders on risk allocation, obligations, and rights.

   Provide legal input in tenders, bids, and procurement processes.

   Maintain proper management of executed contracts.

3. Labour & Employment Law

   Provide day‑to‑day advice to HR on labour relations and employment law.

   Draft and review employment contracts, HR policies, and procedures.

   Advise on misconduct, disciplinary, grievance, and incapacity matters.

   Support restructuring, retrenchment, and collective bargaining processes.

   Represent the company in CCMA proceedings and liaise with external labour attorneys.

   Ensure compliance with South African labour laws, including the Labour Relations Act, Basic Conditions of Employment Act, Employment Equity Act, and Occupational Health and Safety Act.

4. Debt Recovery & Litigation Support

   Draft and issue letters of demand, acknowledgements of debt, breach notices, and other legal correspondence.

   Manage external debt collection attorneys and business rescue practitioners.

   Lodge claims in business rescue, liquidation, or sequestration proceedings.

   Attend creditors' meetings and liaise with liquidators and curators.

   Support litigation, arbitration, and mediation, including briefing and managing external counsel.

5. Compliance & Regulatory Matters

   Monitor developments in laws and regulations across Southern Africa, with focus on corporate, commercial, labour, safety, consumer, data privacy, and competition law.

   Assist with compliance programs including ethics, anti‑corruption, data protection, and Code of Conduct initiatives.

   Support internal and external compliance audits and regulatory inspections.

   Contribute to updating the compliance risk management plan.

   Provide compliance and ethics training across the organisation.

6. Advisory & Business Partnering

   Provide legal advice to Sales, Commercial, Operations, Finance, HR, and other functions.

   Conduct legal research and prepare memoranda on emerging risks.

   Ensure legal pragmatic, business‑oriented, and aligned with Group strategy.

   Act as a legal partner in strategic projects and business development.

   Handle Ethical Alerts in coordination with the Head of Legal.

7. Departmental Administration & Knowledge Management

   Maintain departmental records, templates, and precedents.

   Prepare regular legal reports and updates for management.

   Support the monitoring of legal spend and external counsel performance.

   Develop internal training materials, guidance notes, and tools.

Are you a MATCH?

Educational requirements

LLB, or Bachelor of Laws / Bcom of Laws with LLB degree or equivalent.

Experience

Admitted Attorney (or equivalent).

Other Competencies

• Initiating Action – Taking prompt action to accomplish work goals; taking action to achieve results beyond what is required; being proactive.
• Managing personal efficiency – manage competing priorities in a challenging environment, minimizing non‑value‑added complexity or paradox.
• Promoting and Achieving Safety – responsibility to ensure that Safety and Security are seen as imperatives for the Group.
• Performance and Responsibility – action to manage all changes or to mitigate the uncertainties occurring as a result of change to achieve the Group's objectives.
• Decision Making – analyze and summarize information including value‑added suggestions from others to develop optimal solutions.
• Customer Orientation – recognize and analyze the customers' needs, expectations and priorities and propose valuable, reliable, and competitive solutions.
• Adaptable – maintaining effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work responsibilities or environment (e.g. people, processes, structure, or culture); adjusting effectively to change by exploring the benefits, trying new approaches, and collaborating with others to make the change successful.

Our Diversity Commitment

We welcome and consider applications from all qualified applicants, regardless of their background.