Legal Officer, Security Documentation & Management at First Bank

Duties & Responsibilities

• Conducts searches (directly or through external counsel) on corporate entities to determine, amongst other things, whether or not the assets of company are suitable as security for lending.
• Conducts searches on title documents for the premises that the Bank proposes to acquire for its own business and utilization processes.
• Scrutinizes title deeds offered by customers to determine whether they are suitable for the Bank’s purpose and thereafter conducting search and verification exercises on such title documents at the various lands and chattels registries with a view to confirming whether the title is good and/or genuine.
• Prepares and reviews various types of security documentation such as Direct Legal mortgages, Tripartite Legal Mortgages, All Asset Debentures, Specific Asset Debentures, Chattel Mortgages, Ship Mortgages, Loan Agreements, Negative Pledges etc.
• Prepares of deed of release/surrender upon the liquidation of facility by Customers.
• Prepares, reviews and vets a wide range of documentation, including but not limited to Deeds of Assignment. Deeds of Lease with respect to QSPs and Branch Premises.
• Liaises with external solicitors in respect of perfection of the bank’s title in Branch premises and other real estate owned by the Bank.
• Advises Business units on the documents and costs required for perfection of security interest in different asset classes.
• Reviews documents submitted by Relationship Managers for completeness and confirmation of adequacy of such documents to Credit Risk Management and relevant business units.
• Corresponds with and monitors perfection/upstamping exercises, including obtaining regular updates from External Solicitors, procuring Bank Cheques for statutory payments, attends to requests from External Solicitors, provides regular updates on perfection status to Credit Risk Management and relevant business units and generally facilitates the perfection process with the aim of ensuring same is concluded promptly and within stipulated timelines.
• Reviews concluded perfection/upstamping exercises to ensure that same are properly carried out, review of Solicitor’s bill and thereafter forwards the perfected security documents to the appropriate Branch/Department for safekeeping.
• Collates data on search, verification, perfection and upstamping exercises for record keeping purposes.
• Provides legal advisory services to the various units of the Bank on day-to-day issues relating to security documentation.
• Provides legal advisory services in respect of syndicated lendings, including review of Inter-lenders Agreements and Security Trust Deeds as well as joining the Team Lead to attend syndication meetings.
• Attends meetings with Relationship Managers and customers on issues relating to security documentation as the Team Lead, Unit Head or Head, Legal Services may request from time to time.
• Assists the Team Lead, Unit Head and Head, Legal Services with research towards the achievement of robust legal opinions and generating first level draft legal opinions for further review.
• Prepares the drafts of all species of local and cross-border Bonds and Guarantees and vets/reviews drafts of same prepared by counterparties to ensure there are no adverse clauses and that the interest of the Bank is adequately protected and understudies the Team Lead and Guarantee Supervisors in the Department in the art of Bonds and Guarantee drafting and reviews.
• Creates and manages the database of all activities of the Unit for purposes of storage, confidentiality, seamless retrieval, etc.
• Maintains the security of all Information entrusted to staff.
• Ensuring compliance with the principles and policies contained in the Information Security Handbook.
• Ensuring compliance with the principles and policies contained in the Business Continuity Management Handbook.
• Assists the Team Lead and Unit Head in the Unit’s involvement in, and compliance with the Bank’s Information Security Management Policies, Business Continuity Management, BS25999, ISO 27001, and initiatives, internal audit outcomes and compliance with recommendations, ICAFAS, Business Performance Management, PSQA etc.
• Performs any other duties as may be assigned by the Unit Head and/or Head, Legal Services.

Qualifications
Education:

• Minimum Education: First degree in Law and Professional Certificate of Barrister At Law (compulsory)

Experience:

• Minimum experience: Two years post call, legal practice in chambers