NCBA Group Job Vacancy Application Details

Job Purpose Statement

A Legal Officer is tasked with the following duties/ responsibilities:

• Providing concise legal support, advice and opinion(s) relating to the conduct of the business and support units of the Bank based on sound legal principles;
• Reviewing, drafting and providing legal advice on the adequacy of the legal documents for the Bank in relation to third party contracts;
• Providing instructions for various litigation matters affecting the Group and ensure the best strategy is employed by external service providers in handling the litigation;
• Protecting the overall Bank’s interests vis a vis the emerging and prevailing laws and regulations of Kenya and minimising legal risk to the Bank.

Key Accountabilities (Duties and Responsibilities)

Financial 

• Ensure all debt recovery through legal processes is handled in the best interest of the bank and its customers and that the recovery process is well effected and supported;
• Review and vet all legal costs and settling the same in a timely manner
• Ensuring service providers serve the bank in the most cost effective manner
• Suggest innovative ways of reducing costs within the department

Internal business processes 

Contracting and Review of Legal documents for business and support units

• Attend, engage and participate in contract negotiations on engagements/transactions that the business and support units are getting involved in.
• Ensure up to standard review and drafting and if in order recommend for signing all contracts and other legal documents on behalf of the Bank in a timely manner.
• Provide concise and practical legal solutions to all business and support units of the Bank engaging in any Legal Officer Advisory, legal awareness and training
• Assist in ensuring the Bank’s conformity to both internal and external legal and regulatory framework.
• Provide well-researched and concise legal opinion(s) that is useful and guides the business and support units to achieve desired goals within 48 hours of receipt of request.
• Offer trainings to business and support units on all arising laws and regulations affecting their business.

Litigation Management and Recoveries Support

• Assist the Senior Legal Counsel in managing external lawyers and agents as may be allocated from time to time to ensure Group non-debt and debt recovery cases in Court are well attended to.
• Issue prompt and clear instructions to advocates on non-debt and debt recovery cases litigation matters, providing advocates with relevant documents in support of the Bank’s cases.
• Ensure attendance of witnesses and Lawyers in all cases when required and participate in forming the best strategy for handling each case.
• Mitigate on legal costs, speedy conclusion of non-debt and debt recovery court cases and prompt monitoring of court cases.
• Ensure efficient and effective communication channels between the department, the bank and external legal service providers
• Monthly review of all non-debt and debt recovery cases and ensure summary sheet is updated accordingly.
• Provide an update and detailed report on all non-debt and debt recovery cases legal litigation matters on a regular basis in accordance with the Debt Recovery Process Flow and the Litigation Process Flow;

Internal Legal Administration

• Handle all internal legal administrative tasks as may be allocated from time to time.
• Maintain the Department’s Court Attendance Diary and effect timely and concise communication to the rest of the team and to the appointed witnesses. Ensure every matter has a witness and all documents required are procured
• Negotiation and Settlement of fee notes
• Update and Maintain a Register of Contracts for the whole Bank
• Ensure custody of all of the Bank’s Contracts in an easy to retrieve manner and in keeping with the Contracts Register

Ideal Job Specifications

Academic:

A Bachelor’s Degree Law (LLB)

Post Graduate Diploma in Law

Professional:

Advocate of the High Court of Kenya of at least 2 years post-admission

Desired work experience:

At least 4 years’ experience in a legal department of a busy organization, banking operations, with sound exposure to credit or lending and debt recovery.