Legal Counsel – Litigation Job Opportunity at NBC Bank

 Legal Counsel – Litigation

Bank: NBC (Tanzania’s oldest serving bank)

📌 Job Summary

The Legal Counsel – Litigation provides expert legal leadership in managing litigation, legal risks, and compliance matters across the bank. The role is responsible for the effective implementation of the Legal Risk Management Policy, strategic management of litigation (including civil, commercial, labour, and regulatory disputes), managing external counsel, and providing timely legal advisory services. The Counsel acts as a key partner in embedding a strong risk and compliance culture and collaborating with Business and Credit Teams on strategic legal recovery and collection measures.

Key Accountabilities & Responsibilities

The Legal Counsel supports the Head of Legal across the following areas:

1. Legal Risk Management (50%)

• Litigation Management: Manage the bank’s litigation portfolio (civil, commercial, labour, insurance, regulatory disputes).
  • Develop and implement litigation strategies and maintain a litigation system for periodic reporting.
  • Ensure all aspects of legal risk are identified and controlled in the conduct of litigation and recovery/collection of bad debts.
  • Prepare and/or vet pleadings, applications, and other court documents.
• Risk Control Framework: Implement effective Legal risk control frameworks and processes in accordance with Legal, Regulatory, and NBC Governance requirements.
  • Ensure legal risks are managed and mitigated, presenting periodic reports to Senior Management and relevant Committees.
  • Develop and deliver strategic legal risk management initiatives.
• Policy & Knowledge: Embed Legal Policies within the business by creating awareness through training and circulars, acting as a champion for the Legal Risk Management Policy and Standards.
  • Invest in institutional knowledge and training to upskill colleagues and increase awareness of legal/regulatory requirements.
  • Analyse, evaluate, and report on changes and developments in legislation and regulations.
• Contract Management: Draft, review, and negotiate contracts to protect the bank’s interests and develop standard templates/guidelines.
• Intellectual Property (IP): Safeguard the Bank’s intellectual property rights (patent, trade/service marks, branding), monitor potential infringements, and coordinate enforcement actions.

2. Service Management & Advisory (30%)

• Advisory: Provide timely and accurate legal advice to branches and business units, acting as a key legal point of contact.
• Strategy Contribution: Contribute to business strategy development by providing innovative solutions to legal risk management.
• Efficiency: Identify opportunities to increase efficiency by creating standardized legal templates and legal documents tailored to business needs.
• Reporting: Prepare regular legal risk and litigation reports to senior management and regulators.

3. Compliance & Risk Control (5%)

• Ensure all activities are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, the Enterprise-Wide Risk Management Framework, and internal NBC policies.
• Maintain a satisfactory control environment.
• Review the risk and Legal profiles of the business unit regularly and provide consultative support on required changes to rebalance risk and reward.

4. Management & Financial Information (5%)

• Recovery & Collection: Support business in recovery and collection from bad debts through strategic legal processes, negotiation, and other alternatives.
• External Counsel: Manage and control external legal resources in terms of cost and performance, and manage the legal budgets for the business.
• Process Improvement: Streamline and automate Legal processes using digital tools to improve efficiency and mitigate risks.
• Measurement: Identify and meet management information requirements for measuring legal risk exposure, performance, and productivity.

5. Team Leadership & Education (10%)

• Provide education, training, and support to the business on relevant legal risk issues and developments.
• Ensure an up-to-date knowledge of principal areas of law and practice in Tanzania.

📚 Education and Experience Required

• Education: Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB) from a recognized university.
• Professional: Advocate of the High Court of Tanzania and other subordinate courts.
• Experience: 5+ years Post Qualification Experience in legal risk management, specifically in the banking/financial services sector or from a law firm specializing in banking/financial services.

💡 Knowledge & Skills

• Legal Acumen: Strong technical legal ability.
• Commercial Focus: Analytical, problem-solving skills with a pragmatic approach in balancing business needs versus legal risk mitigation, with a strong commercial focus.
• Communication: Effective communication (written and spoken English) and ability to communicate in an impactful manner.
• Industry Knowledge: Experience in banking operation and commercial law. Strong knowledge and understanding of banking/financial business strategy, markets, and products.
• Strategic Skills: Strategic planning and negotiation skills, project, and resource management.
• Stakeholder Management: Strong stakeholder management and networking skills, with the ability to build constructive professional relationships.

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