Senior Legal Business Partner at Guardrisk

Role Purpose
Act as first line of defense by providing legal advisory and administrative support to internal and external stakeholders. Provide specialist senior legal advice to ensure legal soundness of operations and effective execution of commercial transactions across the business. This includes providing support on interpretation of legislation, drafting and reviewing legal agreements to effectively manage legal risks, provide strategic legal guidance and integrate legal services within the business.

Requirements

• LLB
• Admitted Attorney of the High Court of South Africa.
• Post graduate qualification
• Advanced MS Office
• At least 10 years of insurance experience post
• Experience in insurance / financial service industry specifically life - and non-life
• Solid knowledge about the laws applicable in the financial services
• Sound experience in contract drafting and working knowledge about the litigation process

Duties & Responsibilities 

• Provide expert advice to business on various legal and related insurance technical matters in line with the legal framework and best practice
• Ensure that the legal operating environment is structured and up to Thus, all client structures and legal agreements are up to date, signed off and complete
• Manage litigation related matters to enable a consistent approach and mitigate
• Provide the business, as well as business senior and executive leadership with a view of legal issues and status of legal risks as well as provide expert opinion on any matters arising
• Ensure that all legal agreements are executed in accordance with relevant industry legislation 
• Provide legal advice to all stakeholders on any legal related matters to ensure soundness of commercial operations enabling business to achieve its objectives
• Advise and lead on legal negotiations, including the reviewing and drafting of all legal documentation
• Provide legal advice on client and supplier contractual matters to business
• Review and ensure that all relevant client and supplier contractual documents are in line with business and legal
• Review, anticipate and guard against legal risks facing the company in projects 
• Update and educate the business on changes or amendments to business laws and advise how this may affect the business and provide plans to address changes
• Act as the custodian of the contract management system, and administration in relation to all legal agreements
• Assisting the Compliance Department with complaints and enquiries from the regulatory authorities as well as coordination of the gathering of relevant information that is necessary to respond
• Assist Portfolio Managers in respective allocated area with all legal matters, including but not limited to
• Attending operational meetings with clients
• Assisting clients with legal queries
• Conducting reviews of client documentation
• Conduct research on various adhoc legal aspects
• Drafting of various internal legal reports to committee and operational meetings
• Consideration of, recording and circulation of legal opinions obtained from external legal firms
• Assisting the third-party assurance team and Portfolio Managers in engaging and following up with clients on any outstanding legal findings
• Taking responsibility for decisions taken and provide sign-off on legal due diligences according to authorized mandate
• Attending various internal forums and committees and reporting on the legal function therein
• Ability to work in a team but also work independently, as well as work with clients and build relationships with those
• Maintain and manage positive relationships with internal and external
• Effectively communicate at all management levels with internal and external stakeholders
• Interpret case law regarding common law applicable to disputes, mistakes and misstatements, misrepresentations and other common law doctrines that could arise during the lifetime of a legal and/or insurance product matter
• Deliver on service level agreements made with internal and external stakeholders and suppliers, to ensure that related expectations are managed
• Develop and maintain productive and collaborative working relationships with peers 
• Positively influence and participate in change
• Continuously develop own expertise in terms of professional, industry and legislative
• Contribute to continuous innovation through the development, sharing and implementation of new
• Take ownership for driving career
• Collaborate with and provide guidance and assistance to Legal Advisors from an advisory and guidance perspective
• Collaborate with other Senior Legal Advisors to improve on overall operations related to the delivery of legal services
• Collaborate with other departments and technical support departments across the Guardrisk Group to ensure efficiency
• Identify solutions to enhance cost effectiveness and increase operational
• Manage financial and other company resources under your control with due

Competencies

• Business acumen 
• Collaborative 
• Leads and Innovation 
• Client/Stakeholder Commitment