Legal Counsel at Standard Chartered Bank Kenya

The Role Responsibilities

Leadership

• Works with country head of legal, Kenya and east Africa and other team members to ensure coverage of all legal work which is not specifically aligned to one business, material disputes, hr legal matters, commercial contracts, acquisitions and projects undertaken at country level.
• Proactively engages with the regulators to keep ahead of the regulatory and legislative agenda affecting the business and to effectively appraise the business of any material changes and risks identified as well as conduct training for relevant departments. 

Business partnering

• Drives the development and maintenance of good relationships with internal and external business stakeholders at appropriate levels ensuring an open and cooperative environment.
• Executes and provides advisory for transactions and cases in a timely and effective manner.
• Effectively manages the process of engaging external counsel, including providing effective instructions to external counsel and negotiating appropriate fee structures for the specific transactions / cases in question.
• Uses technical knowledge of all business products undertaken in Kenya to provide sound, technical product, legal and transactional advice to the business and to anticipate the impact of legal developments on the business and communicate such impact to the business.

Legal and product risk

• Leads in the proactive and strategic identification of material legal risks in the business, including those related to products - both existing products and those under development - and customer segments. To provide legal input during product design and drafting of product documentation.
• Influences stakeholders and staff to improve the management of legal risk.
• Contributes to the legal team’s risk governance process through providing a holistic perspective on legal risk policies and procedures and ensuring consistency in the country approach to legal risk management.
• Works with country head of legal, Kenya and east Africa to manage the process of engaging external counsel, including providing effective instructions to external counsel and when required, negotiating appropriate fee structures for the transactions / cases in question.
• Promote alternative dispute resolution as a means of quick settlement of disputes.
• Establish and maintain relationships with external lawyers agreeing fee structures, billing procedures and levels of service.
• To provide, where appropriate, periodic reports to management on  claims, disputes   and relevant legal developments
• Drafting, negotiating, amending and reviewing agreements and other documents to ensure that the bank’s interest is protected.

Litigation management:

• Attend to legal correspondence, pleadings or orders promptly and proactively ensure all the required documentation is in place. 
• Proactively discuss all new litigation with business and agree appropriate action.
• Review progress of outstanding disputes and liaise with and manage external lawyers to ensure effective representation of the company in legal proceedings. 

Our Ideal Candidate

• Advocate of the high court of Kenya
• Ability to combine strategic perspective with quick execution
• Ability to deliver high quality of work consistently
• Demonstrated track record of creativity, problem solving and follow through
• Effective stakeholder management skills
• Excellent communication skills.

Apply now to join the Bank for those with big career ambitions.