Legal Counsel, UTKL at Unilever

Purpose of Role

To assist the General Counsel - Plantations to provide, provide legal services to the company; business partner management; handle legal related queries on communications, industrial relations, tax, finance and operating subsidiaries. Provide support on company secretarial matters.

Stakeholders:

Internal – Interface with all the functions at all levels (receive and understand the nature of legal requests and provide legal solutions to them)

External - External Advocates, Court officials, State and local government officials, State law press (provide support to in terms of documentation and witnesses, attend pre-trial briefing sessions and legal meetings, liaise with state and local government officials on rates billed, deal with court officials during attendance at court sessions)

Accountabilities

Legal

• Identify legal risks and helps the business navigate them, providing legally compliant creative solutions which deliver competitive advantage to the business objectives taking into account compliance, reputation, cost, risk and other consequences.
• Advise various functions: General Management, operations, HR, finance, engineering and R&D on statutory obligations under the relevant legal Acts and associated legislation and regulations relating to matters such as governance frameworks.
• Development and maintenance of relationships with relevant external contacts (e.g. external lawyers, registrars, regulators, external bodies etc);
• Review legal contracts and other legal documents generally.
• Manage records of contracts, land documents, litigation files & other legal documents deposited with Legal department for safekeeping.
• Litigation support - representation of Unilever at court sessions and follow up of external advocates to deliver value for legal fees paid.
• Facilitate appropriate legal documentation and witnesses for the litigation process responsible for litigation update reports.
• Facilitate the availability of laws and regulations relevant to company operations research and review laws and regulations regulating the company advisor on all changes to laws and regulations.
• Manage the company’s lease portfolio alert the relevant functions on expiry of leases and facilitate renewal and termination of leases facilitate payment of rent and rates.

Company Secretary

• Provide company secretarial services to the Company and ensure proper governance of all entities.
• Ensuring compliance with statutory obligations, reporting requirements and disclosures for listed companies.
• Preparing Board resolutions and minutes of Board meetings and Annual General Meetings. 
• Advising the finance team on the reporting requirements and disclosures required under the Companies Act and other relevant laws.
• Organizing the company and subsidiary’s Board meetings as well as Board Committee Meetings.
• Ensure filing of Annual Returns, and resolutions relating to appointment and resignation of Directors and Secretaries.
• Update Company Registers and manage the use of the Company Seal

Business Integrity support from time to time

• Cascade and awareness of COBP and COBP Policies and ensure specific structured awareness and training.
• Ensure visibility and/or access to the COBP and the various reporting channels to employees, contractors and suppliers.
• Enforcing COBP between Unilever employees, its customers, contractors, and suppliers.
• Management of cases on the case management system- logging, updating and closure of cases.
• Attend specific disciplinary hearings.
• Ensure implementation of the Code Sanctions Standard when making decisions on Code cases.
• End-to-end responsibility for all Code investigations, which includes preparation of investigation plans, sanction proposal and closure of cases with the BI Committee.
• Support the local Business Integrity Committee Chair with agendas, minutes, reports and follow-up.
• Engagement with (local) procurement and high-risk 3rd parties to ensure 3rd Party compliance with relevant policies and standards; and
• Provide other ad hoc legal and compliance services as may be required from time to time.

Qualifications & Experience Required

• A graduate of Law (LLB)
• Call to Bar (Member of Law Society of Kenya & current practicing certificate)
• Five (5)   years post- call experience in Corporate/commercial Law practice or related job experience
• Above average communication skills (oral & written)
• Above average analytical skills
• Good interpersonal skills
• Attention to details
• Above average team skills
• Appetite for learning
• Good working knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite
• Certified Company Secretary is an added advantage

Travel

• As per job/site requirements, local travel likely.

Leadership Behavior

• Should meet expectations on the Unilever Standards of Leadership behaviors relevant to this work level.