Purpose:

To provide consistent and reliable legal services to the Organization by ensuring compliance with statutory requirements as well as principles and other stakeholder requirements, with due regard to risk management. The role is responsible for providing an innovative solution on compliance, communication, training and drafting, review and proper execution of contracts running with various legal projects that may arise from time to time, and continuously managing external relationships, as they relate to the role.

Key Responsibilities

Compliance Management

• Review all relevant statutory laws and regulations applicable to the Company and ensure compliance in line with best practices.
• Ensure that business activities are conducted in conformity with all applicable laws, regulations, internal policies, and procedures.
• Ensure that all regulatory permits, licenses, and approvals remain current and appropriate for business needs.
• Continual compliance risk assessment of company practices and ensure update of internal policies and procedures, compliance training, and protocols, as required. Keep abreast of regulatory developments and industry initiatives with regular reports and recommendations on initiatives to the Line Manager.
• Provide reporting with respect to regulatory requirements and developments.
• Develop compliance checklists and prepare compliance reports, as and when due.
• Inform the Internal Audit unit of any findings as regards non-compliance that may require investigation.
• Participate in Business Process Re-engineering exercises to ensure adequate controls therein.
• Carry out a review of SLA Manuals to ensure applicable regulatory laws are incorporated.
• Preparation of compliance documentation with relevant constitutive documents for statutory, legal, and regulatory purposes.
• Work with Legal Manager in the development and implementation of annual training and communications calendar focused on effective compliance.
• Review contracts, legal documents, and key business relationships and ensure compliance by the Company with agreed terms.
• Monitoring of the Kenya Gazette and other regulatory publications on matters affecting the business with regular reports to the Legal manager and communication to the Business.
• Undertake business partner due diligence with reports on any material risks.
• Registration of business-critical brand names and other IPRs.

Advisory

• Provide accurate and timely legal advice and guidance on various matters affecting the Company relating to amongst others, obligations, rights, risks, labor and employment, and regulatory developments in order to limit legal exposure for the Organization.
• Carry out research on various legal issues and questions as they may arise.
• Contracts, Leases, and Other Legal Documents Management
• Negotiation, drafting, review, and execution of legal documents (contracts, non- disclosure agreements, MoUs, term papers, leases, licenses, etc).
• Ensure all legal agreements and contracts entered by the Organisation are legally sound and minimize risks and other exposure.
• Report to Line Manager on contract status, legal risks, and business terms of various deals.
• Maintain a record of all contracts and develop a compliance matrix for the agreements.
• Lead discussions on renewal and/or variation of terms, and implementation in liaison with end-users.
• Liaise with external counsel to ensure engrossment, execution, and registration of all leases and licenses.
• End-to-end management of legal documents including execution, dating, signing off and ensuring safe custody.
• Maintain, monitor, and update the index of all legal documents and files to ensure the integrity of legal files, contracts, and records management and archiving system.

Litigation

• Primary contact person for all motor-related litigation.
• Receive court documents, and open, and maintain files for motor vehicle litigation.
• Liaise with Leasing and AFMS in preparing briefs, issuing instructions, providing statements and documentation to insurer, and ensuring court attendance by witnesses.
• Maintain and update litigation status reports.
• Respond to queries and issues raised by the insurer and external counsel on litigation.
• Court attendance as required.
• Maintain an updated schedule of all litigious matters.
• Maintain a diary of all litigation and liaise with external counsel in getting the updates, ensure pre-trial briefings, and ensure court attendance by witnesses.
• Maintain and update litigation status report for all litigation involving the business

Stakeholder Management

• Establish working contacts with legal service providers, and regulatory and governmental bodies such as Business Registration Service, Lands Ministry, Competition Authority, Communication Authority, County Governments, NTSA, and Kenya Police Service.
• Manage external relationships and legal partners as they relate to the role.
• Ensure service levels agreed with internal customers are met and maintained.
• Continuously monitor and review agreed service levels with external counsel with monthly reports to GM Legal, Compliance, and HR with recommendations on

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Coordinate Law Society Kenya training calendar, Membership, and Library Cards for the Legal Team.
• Coordinate monthly subscriptions to and circulation of Kenya Gazette and KIPI Journal.
• Bachelor of Laws, LLB from a recognized University.
• Diploma from the Kenya School of Law.
• An advocate of the High Court of Kenya.
• Current practicing certificate.
• 3 to 5 years’ experience in a busy legal environment.

Apply for Legal Counsel

Applicants should forward their applications to vacancies@simbacolt.com on or before COB 21/11/2023. Applicants should indicate the job title in the subject line of their email.