Senior Legal Counsel

Litigation, Claims & Dispute Resolutions

• Lead the strategy and
  handling of active lawsuits, pre-litigation claims, regulatory claims, and
  regulatory inquiries.
  
• Proffer and implement legal,
  practicable and workable solutions to mitigate legal risks, disputes/public
  complaints while upholding the Company’s legal position and reputation
  consistent with the values and ethics of Huaxin Group.
  
• Assist in obtaining necessary
  permits and requisite licenses to operate Plants at different locations; Review
  and advise on all Court Processes and Summons.
  
•  Attend Court proceedings and
  advise prosecutors as the case may be.
  
• Proactively prevent
  litigation and initiate conciliation proceedings and/or litigation when
  required.
  
• Draft, Review and advise on
  contract agreements and ensure they are compliant with all statutory and legal
  requirements.
  
• Claims Management: Investigate and evaluate incoming claims, customer disputes and vendor
  disagreements before they escalate into formal lawsuits.
  
• Assist the Legal Director to
  hire, direct and manage external law firms, setting case strategies,
  controlling budgets.
  
• Litigation Strategy: Coordinate document collection, witness preparation and fact-finding internally
  to support active legal proceedings.
  
• Risk Advisory: Counsel
  senior executives and business units on litigation risks tied to corporate
  operations and new policies.
  
• Settlement Negotiations: Lead negotiations,
  mediations and arbitration to achieve favourable out-of-court resolutions.
  

Legal Business Partner

• To provide legal advisory to
  the Cement, A&C and HBM Eco operations of the Company.
  
• Ensure compliance with all
  relevant laws and any other statutes that may come into effect.
  
• Assist in providing legal
  advisory and opinions to the business operations.
  
• Provide legal support to
  ensure good and solid relationships with all stakeholders.
  
• Conduct regular legal risk
  assessment of the Cement, A&C and HBM Eco operations and proffer legal
  recommendations.
  
• Keep abreast of all relevant
  laws and any other statutes that may come into effect and to formulate
  strategies/action plans to communicate and ensure compliance by the organization.
  
• Provide proactive legal
  counsel on compliance, corporate governance and other relevant
  information/matters.
  
•  Assist in obtaining necessary
  permits and requisite licenses to operate Plants at different locations;
  
• Render legal opinion and
  give advice to other departments whenever required.
  
• Understand and manage
  community issues that may have legal implications for the company and advise the
  Plant Managers or Public Affairs department accordingly.
  
•  Support departments by
  attending meetings in which legal opinion will be required.
  
• Provide legal advice to
  the whole spectrum of the business in procurement, supply, distribution,
  agency, production, marketing, logistics, finance and commercial, employment
  matters, compliance, innovation, etc.
  
• Liaise with relevant
  departments to ensure that where legal risks have been identified, appropriate
  courses of action have been taken.
  
• Provide timely legal advice
  on competition, labour and all other commercial law.
  

Commercial & Procurement Contracts

• To structure transactions to
  achieve the Company’s objectives; Develop structured contractual frameworks.
  
• Assist in creating standard
  templates for contracts relevant to the manufacturing sector: technical
  services, contracts with foreign partners, engineering works, tenancy/lease
  Agreements, supply of mechanical parts for plants, supplies, consultancies, maintenance
  agreements, service contracts, warranties, Insurance, Performance Bonds. This
  would improve our turnaround time for delivering contracts. Also include
  Safety, determination and commencement clauses, country of arbitration best for
  the company in all cases etc.
  
• Prepare, draft and vet all
  agreements and liaise with the Group Legal, when necessary.
  
• Manage and liaise with
  external legal counsel for legal opinion and external representation where need
  be.
  
• Draft Lease/Tenancy
  Agreements and Confirm Performance Bonds.
  
• Review all Mortgage,
  Debenture and Contractual Agreements.
  
• Provide legal protection and
  risk management advice to management, especially on contract management.
  
• Assist with negotiation and
  finalization of all agreements; Ensure appropriate contracts are in place for
  all business relationships in line with the Contracts Management policy and
  procedures.
  
• Manage the end-to-end
  Contract Management System.
  
• Conduct quarterly risk legal
  assessment of the Company and proffer legal recommendations.
  
• Conduct due diligence in
  structuring commercial transactions. 
  

Compliance

• Conduct Legal Risk,
  Compliance and Code of Business Conduct trainings among others.
  
• Liaise with the Legal
  Director to ensure that the Cement, A&C and HBM Eco Operations comply with Internal control processes and procedures in accordance with the Huaxin
  Control Standards, International Legal Reporting Process, as well as the Nigerian
  corporate governance rules.
  
• Closely follow up on
  antitrust and competition law issues and keep the Company constantly informed.
  
• Annually cascade HBM Code of
  Business Conduct and Competition Compliance Programs to existing and new
  employees.
  
• Initiate and implement the
  Document Retention Policy for filing and archiving documents.
  
• This list of responsibilities is not exhaustive,
  and the job holder may be required to perform duties outside of this as
  operationally required
  

Requirements

• Minimum of 5 years of post-call experience dedicated to litigation gained at a top law firm.
  
• Work experience in a multinational business environment or commercial law firm will be an added advantage.
  

• Advisory and legal support to the business units
  
• Vetting and drafting of contracts.
  
• Compliance, risk, contract and legal management
  
• Legal and business
  negotiation