Legal Counsel (Personal and Private Banking): Home Loans

Empowering Africa’s tomorrow, together…one story at a time.

With over 100 years of rich history and strongly positioned as a local bank with regional and international expertise, a career with our family offers the opportunity to be part of this exciting growth journey, to reset our future and shape our destiny as a proudly African group.

Job Summary

To be a member of the legal team by managing Legal Key Risk in Absa Africa and to contribute to the development of the Legal Function. The role will primarily focus on providing legal support and advice to the business generally, including taking responsibility for transaction documentation, assisting with product development, and providing specific advice in response to business queries as well as queries from other businesses. The candidate will also have the opportunity to work on significant firm-wide projects which are often run in the team.

Job Description

Key Accountabilities

Accountability: Management of Legal Risk

• Ensure the bank’s legal and regulatory position is managed effectively and legal risks mitigated at all times
• Safeguarding Absa’s reputation.
• Increase awareness of the Legal Key Risk Policies and report any breaches.
• Identify and articulate risks associated with proposed transactions, projects and activities that the business intends to undertake.
• Attend necessary training sessions to ensure commerciality and continued legal professional development.
• Develop and sustain effective risk and control frameworks.
  
  

Accountability: Negotiate, draft and review agreements

• Assist in structuring, negotiating & drafting legal agreements and documentation relating to standard agreements, transactions and new products.
• Provide legal support to the Personal and Private Bank Cluster with key focus on the Home loan business , and working closely with product, recovery and litigation specialists, on various types of accounts
• Help to develop working structures and best practice guides for use within business.
• Address all probable risks by seeing to it that they are sufficiently addressed in legal agreements drafted.
• Give legal advice on projects, documents and transactions concluded or to be concluded.
• Provide legal advice on various types of security with particular focus on mortgages.
  
  

Accountability: Supplier Management

• Support Business, Procurement and Commercial Legal during Supplier contracting and on-boarding process
• Support Business with their assigned suppliers, where required.
• Deliver compliance to all Procurement Policies
• Obtain and cascade relevant information and analytics to conduct reviews that manage legal risk, , where necessary
• Participate in formal supplier performance reviews, where necessary
  
  

Accountability: Stakeholder Management

• Determine needs of stakeholders by regular interaction with the stakeholders in order to discuss legal developments and matters with them
• Provide stakeholders with legal advice, support and legal and commercial solutions
• Provide specialist product support to Africa Regional Office
• Manage external counsel where required
• Distil and communicate legal concepts in a simple, concise way that is easily understood by business stakeholders.
• Evaluate, manage and prioritize tasks in accordance with business need
  
  

Accountability: Reporting

• Provide reports as required to support the assessment of the legal risk management framework.
• Attend to ad hoc reports as requested by the Legal Head/ Team Leader, such as reports required by Absa/ Legal Executive Committee (LEXCO).
  
  

Role/Person Specification

Professional/technical Experience

• Junior lawyer, ideally 2-5years’ PQE
• Experience of working in a highly regulated, fast paced environment, where there are often competing demands
• Banking and Finance experience would be advantageous
• Understanding of the National Credit Act and Consumer Protection Act,
• Some in house experience would be beneficial
  
  

Academic And Professional Qualifications

• Law degree: LLB or B Proc
• Admitted attorney or advocate in RSA
  
  

Personal attributes

• Ability to work as part of a team
• Very strong interpersonal skills, especially communication skills
• Well organized and efficient
• Excellent negotiating and influencing skills
• Excellent attention to detail
• Integrity and reliability
• Business awareness, prioritization of risk and strong commercial focus
• Ability to take a commercial view within legal constraints
• Ability to manage a large (and often fluid) workload with effective prioritization as well as deliver accurately under pressure and at speed
  
  

Education

Bachelor Honours Degree: Law, Military Science and Security (Required)

Absa Bank Limited is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. In compliance with the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, preference will be given to suitable candidates from designated groups whose appointments will contribute towards achievement of equitable demographic representation of our workforce profile and add to the diversity of the Bank.

Absa Bank Limited reserves the right not to make an appointment to the post as advertised