Senior Foreclosures Attorney

Pillangó Placements; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 1,000,000 - 1,350,000; Full time

Job summary

Pillangó Placements seeks a seasoned legal professional admitted as Attorney in the High Court of South Africa. The role requires extensive senior experience in undefended and defended banking litigation, with a proven track record in complex, high-value secured recoveries.

The ideal candidate will lead High Court matters from inception to finalisation, including defended trials, with strong expertise in foreclosure, insolvency, and related acts.

Qualifications

• Admitted Attorney with 15+ years post-admission experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead undefended and defended banking litigation from inception to finalisation.
• Attend case management conferences and settlement negotiations.
• Oversee execution processes including warrants of attachment and sales in execution.
• Provide leadership, mentorship, and performance management for the team.
• Report litigation strategy, risk exposure, and recovery prospects to banking clients.

Skills

Admitted Attorney

Banking litigation

High Court litigation

Litigation strategy

Communication

Education

Admitted Attorney (SA)

Tools

DM1

CACS

Excalibur

OCS

Lexpro

Job description

Minimum Requirements:

• Admitted Attorney of the High Court of South Africa with no less than 15 years’ post-admission experience.
• Extensive senior-level experience in undefended and defended banking litigation within the High Court, with a proven track record in complex, high-value secured recoveries.
• Proven experience leading High Court litigation from inception to finalisation, including defended trials and opposed applications.
• Demonstrated expertise in foreclosure, insolvency, deceased estates, business rescue, and liquidation matters where financial institutions are secured or preferent creditors.
• Strong command of the National Credit Act, Insolvency Act, Administration of Estates Act, Companies Act, Uniform Rules of Court, and Superior Courts Act.
• Established experience engaging directly with banking executives and credit risk stakeholders on litigation strategy and recovery planning.

Experience Required:

• Strategic management of an undefended and defended foreclosure and secured asset litigation portfolio, including strategy formulation and risk assessment.
• Drafting and settling of complex pleadings, including Particulars of Claim, Declarations, Opposing Affidavits, Replying Affidavits, Heads of Argument, Practice Notes, and Appeal documentation.
• Advanced experience in Rule 46A applications, reserve price determinations, and judicial oversight processes.
• Comfortable in attending case management conferences, judicial case management proceedings, and settlement negotiations.
• Engagement with bank clients at management level, including reporting on litigation strategy, risk exposure, provisioning considerations, and recovery prospects.
• Oversight of execution processes, including warrants of attachment (movable and immovable), sales in execution, and interaction with sheriffs and conveyancers.
• Ability to manage a high-volume defended portfolio while maintaining strict turnaround times and quality control.
• Full leadership responsibility for a team, including performance management, mentoring, workflow allocation, and quality assurance.
• Strong commercial awareness and ability to balance legal risk with business objectives.
• Accountability for portfolio performance, recovery outcomes, turnaround times, and reporting metrics.

Skills Required:

• Advanced drafting and analytical skills.
• Ability to balance legal risk, reputational considerations, and financial recovery objectives.
• Strong negotiation and settlement skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• High level of accountability, decisiveness, and attention to detail.
• Resilience under pressure and ability to manage strict court-driven timelines.
• Leadership ability with a collaborative and solution-driven approach.
• Strong interpersonal presence with the ability to build and maintain trusted relationships with banking stakeholders, counsel, and internal team members.
• High emotional intelligence and professional maturity, with the ability to manage difficult conversations, sensitive matters, and opposing parties with composure.
• Client-facing confidence — capable of engaging at executive and credit committee level while remaining approachable and solutions-focused.

Computer Literacy/Technical Skills:

• Proficient in Microsoft Word (advanced drafting), Excel (reporting and analysis), and Outlook.
• Strong working knowledge of legal case management systems (e.g., DM1, CACS, Excalibur, OCS, Lexpro or similar).
• Comfortable with digital court platforms, online case tracking systems, and electronic document management systems.
• Ability to prepare detailed management and recovery reports for banking clients

Salary Package:

• The salary is open for discussion. It will be market related based on qualifications, skills, and experience.