Paralegal : Commercial and Affiliates (Durban North)

Aspen Pharma Group; Durban; On-site; ZAR 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A major pharmaceuticals company in Durban is seeking a Paralegal to provide essential administrative and paralegal support to its legal team. The successful candidate will have extensive experience in managing legal documentation, drafting agreements, and ensuring compliance with legal protocols. Strong MS Office skills and an understanding of the pharmaceutical sector are preferred. This role offers an opportunity to work within a proactive legal environment and contribute to critical projects.

Qualifications

• 5 years experience as a legal secretary/paralegal in an in-house legal department.
• Experience with complex legal agreements is essential.
• Registration with appropriate qualification body required.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative and paralegal support to lawyers in the Legal Team.
• Draft and review standard agreements under guidance.
• Manage workflow of legal matters through electronic systems.

Skills

Advanced MS Word proficiency

Project management skills

Legal terminology familiarity

Above average accuracy

Verbal and written English proficiency

Education

Matric / Grade 12

Professional paralegal qualification or university degree

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Job description

Job title: Paralegal: Commercial and Affiliates (Durban North)

Job Location: KwaZulu-Natal, Durban

Deadline: October 24, 2025

Overview

JOB PURPOSE

To take responsibility for and ensure efficient and effective secretarial, administrative and paralegal support to the allocated lawyers in the legal team ("Legal Team") for maximum output in the delivery of quality business aligned legal services by the Legal Team, including facilitating and acting as an intermediary between the Legal Team and internal / external stakeholders including law firms. To undertake substantive legal work including preparation of first drafts and first legal review of standard agreements for the Legal Counsel, documenting and taking responsibility for workflow of legal matters generally through the electronic Legal practice management system ("FMS"). To take responsibility for and manage allocated matters from inception to resolution under supervision from the Legal Counsel. Preparing and managing efficient and accurate reporting.

Key Responsibilities

• Specialised Aspen and Business Unit ("BU") aligned general legal work in the Legal Team under guidance of the responsible Aspen Lawyer.
• Efficient and accurate paralegal expertise including drafting, first comments, file management, project and matter co-ordination, management of deliverables and reporting.
• Efficient and accurate Legal practice management, electronic file creation and management, electronic document retention, contract management via the electronic Aspen Contract Library (ACL), electronic reporting and certain general administration including processing invoices.
• Meaningfully contribute and deliver ancillary legal work in Group Legal cross – swim lane projects, as allocated by the Group Executive : Legal.
• Group Legal BU Allocated Responsibility, including: template creation, improvement and management; from time-to-time BU administration allocated by the Group Executive : Legal.
• Meet (or exceed) and manage Group Legal BU KPI.
• Adopt and comply with the ways of working within the Aspen Group Legal BU, including Aspen Values and application of personal Insights Profile to enhance interpersonal effectiveness.

Qualifications and Requirements

Education:

• Matric / Grade 12 and recognised professional paralegal qualification, or university degree or sound progress towards a university degree, which is preferable

Certifications / Registrations:

• Registration with appropriate qualification body

Overall Experience:

• 5 years demonstrated experience in performing a senior legal secretary and/or paralegal function, some of which has ideally been at an in-house legal department

Specific Experience, Knowledge and Registrations:

• Exposure to working with long, complex legal agreements essential
• Familiarity with legal terminology essential
• Relevant experience in a legal practice or corporate environment essential
• General commercial understanding and exposure
• Advanced legal sense; systems; pharma product knowledge and industry understanding an advantage

Work-Specific Skills & Exposure:

• Expertise in Microsoft Office, particularly advanced MS Word (automatic numbering & cross-referencing, table of contents, bookmarking, track changes, comments in multiple formats, document security & protection, comparisons), digital signatures, advanced Excel (formatting, headings, filters, linking between sheets/workbooks, conversions), and advanced PowerPoint
• Database establishment and management, including transaction virtual data rooms ("VDRs")
• Project management / coordination of deliverables and trackers

Skills and Attributes:

• Above average accuracy
• Advanced PC literacy on MS Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and Excel
• Ability to decide, action and assess priorities
• Minimum typing speed of 75 wpm
• Verbal and written proficiency in English
• Methodical implementation skills; administrative and organizational skills
• Electronic database establishment and management
• Positive, diligent and hard worker; ability to prioritise and co-ordinate work
• Flexible, outcomes-based, self-motivated and proactive
• Project management / coordination / monitoring of deliverables and trackers
• Ability to monitor and manage spend against a financial budget

Competencies

• Ability to plan & organize independently and deliver, including securing input and guiding others
• Initiating action, follow up and time management
• Stakeholder focus and outcomes-based approach
• Quality orientation
• Decision-making
• Stress tolerance and conflict resolution
• Problem-solving and analytical skills
• Service-oriented
• Extreme accuracy and attention to detail
• High integrity, ethical values and confidentiality
• Law / Legal jobs