Legal Counsel

Geely Auto South Africa; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,000,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Geely Auto South Africa is seeking an in-house counsel to manage a wide range of legal matters, including drafting, reviewing, and negotiating contracts for dealers, suppliers, and after-sales operations. You will collaborate with internal teams and external counsel to ensure compliance and mitigate risk.

The role requires an SA-credentialed attorney with 4+ years post-qualification experience, ideally from automotive or distribution environments, and strong communication and negotiation skills.

Qualifications

• LLB or LLM from a reputable South African law school or equivalent.
• Admitted Attorney of the High Court.
• Minimum 4 years’ post-admission legal experience, ideally in a large firm, corporate or automotive environment.
• Strong drafting and negotiation skills.
• Minimum 4 years post-qualification experience in corporate general and dispute resolution, preferably within automotive or distribution networks.
• Demonstrated knowledge of legal principles and ability to provide practical, business-focused advice.
• Mature, proactive attitude with integrity and ability to work autonomously under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review and negotiate various legal documents and agreements for business operations (NDA, dealer/supplier/after-sales contracts, etc.).
• Qualify potential business partners (dealers, suppliers) and conduct compliance reviews.
• Provide legal support on regulatory issues including trade, data protection, and anti-bribery matters.
• Support HR legal matters including employee disputes and legal opinions under SA law.
• Lead the litigation strategy and manage disputes with external counsel when needed.

Skills

Drafting

Negotiation

Communication

Legal research

Education

LLB/LLM (SA law school)

Job description

The ideal candidate will be responsible for in-house legal matters including drafting agreements, addressing compliance issues, and participating in negotiation discussions. In order to succeed, this candidate should feel comfortable working with in-house and outside counsels on a variety of legal matters.

Job description:

• Draft, review and negotiate various legal documents, contracts and agreements for all kinds of business operations, such as NDA, contracts (including but not limited to dealer, supplier and after-sales agreements), purchase agreements, cooperation agreement, memorandum; maintain and update contract templates/precedents from time to time to improve the contract management process constantly.
• Participate in the qualification review of potential business partner(s), including but not limited to the qualification of dealer, supplier and compliance review and etc.
• Legal support on the regulatory compliance issues, such as trade compliance, data protection, anti-bribery and etc.
• Human resource related legal support, including but not limited to dealing with employee disputes and providing a legal opinion based on South African law.
• Lead the company’s litigation strategy, manage disputes, and handle intellectual property rights issues, leveraging external counsel when necessary.
• Anticipate, mitigate, and manage legal risks by providing proactive legal strategies and monitoring emerging legal trends that may impact the business.
• Select, manage and supervises external lawyers and legal representation, ensures high quality of external legal support in an effective and efficient manner (including cost-efficiency).
• Perform legal analysis and provide legal advice on dispute resolution.
• Work closely with the operations/internal business teams to proactively support a wide range of transactions.
• Collaborate with global legal teams to deliver consistent, high-quality legal advice.
• Partner with business leaders to identify and mitigate legal and commercial risks.
• Other legal responsibilities as assigned.

Requirements:

• LLB or LLM from a reputable South African law school or equivalent.
• Admitted Attorney of the High Court.
• Minimum of 4 years’ post-admission legal experience, ideally within a large law firm, corporate or automotive environment.
• Strong drafting and negotiation skills
• Minimum of 4 years post qualification experience in corporate general and dispute resolution, preferably working experience in the automotive industry or experiences dealing with distribution network or consumer complaint.
• Demonstrated excellent legal knowledge and business understanding for detailed and results orientated solutions, and strong communication & negotiation skills with clients, colleagues, and stakeholders.
• Mature personality with proactive attitude, high integrity and self-motivation, and ability to work and judge efficiently and autonomously under pressure.