Senior Legal Advisor: Litigation | Johannesburg | Permanent

Edge Executive Search Group; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 650 000 - 900 000; Full time

Job summary

A respected organisation in the finance sector seeks a Senior Legal Advisor: Litigation to lead legal recovery activities, guide litigation processes, and support restructuring efforts for a diverse investment portfolio. The role requires a balance of strategic thinking and hands-on litigation execution with a strong focus on stakeholder engagement. Candidates must possess an LLB, extensive litigation experience, and strong legal reasoning skills.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years’ post-articles experience in DFI, banks, private equity, or legal practice.
• At least 5 years’ litigation, business rescue, and court experience.
• Strong exposure to insolvency, commercial, corporate, and tax law.

Responsibilities

• Maximise legal recoveries through negotiation and litigation.
• Provide legal support to post-investment teams.
• Participate in restructuring and turnaround initiatives.

Skills

Legal negotiation

Litigation execution

Stakeholder engagement

Business report writing

Education

LLB and admission as an Attorney

Tools

MS Office

Job description

This is a high-impact opportunity for an experienced litigation specialist who thrives in complex, commercial legal environments. If you are driven to safeguard organisational interests while shaping recovery strategies, this role offers challenge, autonomy, and influence.

As Senior Legal Advisor: Litigation, you will lead legal recovery activities, guide litigation processes, and support restructuring efforts across a diverse investment portfolio. You will work closely with post-investment teams to identify emerging defaults, drive legal interventions, and provide expert commercial insight to support business rescue, turnarounds, and debt recovery. The role requires a balance of strategic thinking, hands‑on litigation execution, and strong stakeholder engagement.

Our client is a respected organisation within the developmental finance sector, entrusted with advancing economic participation and overseeing complex investment portfolios. They operate in a highly regulated environment and require a legal professional who can navigate commercial, corporate, insolvency, and tax matters with precision and sound judgement.

What You’ll Do

• Maximise legal recoveries through negotiation and litigation.
• Provide legal support to post‑investment teams where loan servicing challenges arise.
• Participate in restructuring and turnaround initiatives, including drafting and reviewing legal agreements.
• Advise on commercial, corporate, insolvency, tax, and contractual matters.
• Manage relationships and budgets with external legal counsel.
• Oversee all litigation, debt recovery, liquidation, and court processes.
• Support committees by preparing legal inputs and implementing resolutions.
• Pursue fraud‑related legal action where required.
• Mentor and guide Legal Advisors.

What You Bring

• LLB and admission as an Attorney.
• Minimum 5 years’ post‑articles experience within DFIs, banks, private equity, or legal practice.
• At least 5 years’ litigation, business rescue, and court experience.
• Strong exposure to insolvency, commercial, corporate, and tax law.
• Ability to draft, analyse, and negotiate complex legal instruments.
• Skilled in business report writing and MS Office.
• Experience in turnarounds, workouts, or restructuring is advantageous.
• Professionalism, accuracy, and strong legal reasoning.

What Success Looks Like

• Effective recovery of outstanding funds and protection of organisational rights.
• Timely, commercially sound legal advice that strengthens investment outcomes.
• Well‑managed litigation portfolios and external counsel relationships.
• Strong internal partnerships, trusted counsel, and high‑quality legal outputs.
• Measurable contribution to turnarounds, restructures, and risk mitigation.
  Closes: 28 November 2025