Senior Legal Counsel

Robert Walters; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 800 000 - 1 200 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading international recruitment firm in Johannesburg is seeking an experienced Senior Legal Counsel to focus on commercial law and support strategic legal issues. The ideal candidate will draft and negotiate high-value contracts, advise on regulatory matters, and assist in the adoption of innovative technology in recruitment. With a minimum of 5 years PQE, candidates will gain exposure to significant transactions while mentoring junior lawyers in a dynamic global business environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years PQE, maximum of 8 years PQE.
• Experience preferably from a recognized law firm or corporate environment.
• Ability to advise on strategic legal issues.

Responsibilities

• Draft and negotiate complex commercial contracts.
• Support the evaluation and introduction of new technology products.
• Advise on strategic legal issues and regulatory matters.

Skills

Drafting and negotiating commercial contracts

Identifying legal risks

Building relationships with stakeholders

Education

Qualified lawyer with a minimum of 5 years PQE

Job description

About

Our client is looking for an experienced Senior Legal Counsel with significant expertise in commercial law, contractual negotiations and technology adoption.

This role will have a strong commercial law focus involving a variety of transactional work across the UK and EMEA regions. The successful candidate will draft and negotiate a wide range of large, complex and high-value outsourcing and other commercial contracts, often involving service delivery across multiple jurisdictions. In due course, the successful candidate will be expected to lead on these transactions, liaising with key internal stakeholders and negotiating with client counsel.

The role will include supporting the business with the evaluation and introduction of innovative new technology products and platforms. This will include supporting the adoption of applications that utilise AI within the recruitment process and assessing the data protection compliance of these tools.

Although there is an emphasis on transactional contractual work, the successful candidate will also advise on strategic legal issues, including providing clear and constructive advice on the development of new service lines, business challenges and regulatory matters. Additional project work can be expected, which may involve assisting with the setting up of new entities in overseas territories and other international work, various regulatory and licencing matters and delivering training on relevant legal developments.

This is a real opportunity for a senior lawyer with strong commercial law experience to gain exposure to big ticket transactions with the support necessary to develop and hone their skills. It is also an exciting chance to get involved with a dynamic recruitment business with a global presence and work in a fast-paced environment.

Desired Skills & Experience

• Is an experienced legal counsel and qualified lawyer with a minimum of 5 years PQE and a maximum of 8 years PQE*
• Some of the experience must have been gained from a recognised law firm or a relevant globally recognised corporate environment. Previous in-house experience is preferred but not required.
• Has significant experience in drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a range of complex commercial contracts and can provide clear, commercial and practical advice to business leaders regarding the full range of commercial matters and strategic projects.
• Has the ability to identify key legal risks in transactions.
• Can manage, develop and supervise a junior lawyer who will report in.
• Has the ability to frequently field queries from the business, who have a varying degree of understanding of legal process/terminology and deliver robust yet clear practical advice to a diverse group of individuals, with confidence.
• Can proactively build effective relationships with legal colleagues and business stakeholders across a global business.