Legal Specialist: Corporate Legal Services (Corporate Law and Litigation) at Auditor-General of South Africa

Roles & Responsibilities

Strategic Function

• Contributes to the achievement of the BU balanced score card initiatives.
• Contributes to the preparation of AGSA accountability reports.
• Contributes to the compilation of management information on corporate law and litigation services and assist with analysis on trends in performance.

Product Management

• Assists in the provision of authoritative corporate law and litigation legal advice through:

Resolution of legal disputes on audits and material irregularity processes

• Consults with stakeholder upon receipt of request for assistance.
• Assists with conducting research on the subject matter of the audit and material irregularity process dispute.
• Assists with technical audit support, when required.
• Drafts replies for review by the manager.

Litigation on audits and material irregularities

• Assists with the analysing court papers received.
• Conducts research on regulatory, policy and precedents related to the court case.
• Drafts advisory memorandum to leadership on cases.
• Instructs attorney to defend the interest of the AGSA.
• Assists with ensuring that pleadings drafted by counsel is legally and factually correct.
• Ensures that pleadings are timeously submitted.
• Attends court, when necessary.
• Supports BU efforts to contain legal costs.
• Legal assessments in respect of complaints and ethical breaches
• Assists with reviewing draft replies in response to complaints received.
• Conducts research on subject matter of complaints and ethical breaches.

Environmental scanning

• Actively scans the legal environment for matters of interest related to corporate law and impact on the AGSA.
• Conducts local and international research to identify best practice.
• Developing and drafting enabling law and regulations
• Assists with review of enabling law and regulation

Legal advice and opinions

• Critically analyses instructions for legal opinion on corporate law and litigation.
• Consults with stakeholders on instruction.
• Conducts research and draft memoranda setting out opinion.

Stakeholder Management

• Assists with establishing, building and maintaining collaborative working relationships with relevant internal stakeholders.
• Assists in building and maintaining positive and value-adding relationships with relevant external stakeholders.
• Co-ordinates stakeholder engagements/meetings for the management team and ensure proper record keeping.
• Scans the environment to ensure a clear understanding of stakeholder needs.
• Proactively interacts with internal stakeholders to determine their needs and delivers on them accordingly.
• Works in collaboration with colleagues in the centre to ensure timeous delivery of the work.

People Management

• Manages own performance to drive productivity.
• Participates in the business unit transformation/culture plans.
• Provides support to the management team with regard to centre management and other business unit tasks.

Financial management and operational management

• Contributes to the compilation of centre budget and manage project expenditure related to functional area.
• Ensures compliance to AGSA policies and procedures.
• Manages supply chain processes within scope of work.

Other responsibilities (Applicable to All JD’s)

• Performs and/or manages other projects, tasks and assignments not stipulated on the Job description as and when required.

Skills, Experience & Education

• LLB
• Admitted as attorney or advocate of the High Court of South Africa
• Added Advantage
• Post graduate qualification in commercial law

Experience

• 3 years post admission work experience in commercial legal environment
• Experience in commercial constitutional and administrative law litigation
• The knowledge of relevant legislation and statutory requirements i.e. to monitor, evaluate, analyse and interpret statutory requirements and compliance