Litigation Lawyer at Hamilton Lloyd and Associates

Job Summary

• The role of a litigation lawyer will come with active hands-on experience in cases done in various state and federal trial courts, including specialized courts, tribunals and appellate courts across Nigeria.
• He /she is expected to be comfortable in the areas of constitutional, commercial, shipping and aviation, oil and gas, trade, labour and industrial disputes etc.
• Litigation is the resolution of disputes falling in the corporate and commercial sectors, such as banking transactions, civil fraud, corporate governance, asset and venture capital projects, financial services regulation, mergers and acquisitions, share capital re-organizations and professional negligence.

Key Accountabilities

• The candidate would be part of drafting and negotiating a wide range of commercial agreements
• He /she would be actively involved in dispute resolution for companies, from both a commercial and legal perspective
• Candidate would be part of the initial case investigation/assessment
• He / she will be in charge of drafting pleas and motions on behalf of the plaintiff or defendant.
• As part of his responsibilities, candidate will be part of depositions and interrogations. Candidate would also draft and argue discovery-related motions including motions to compel, protective orders and summary judgment motions.
• Will consult with and advise clients; retain expert witnesses; attend pre-trial conferences and develop a trial strategy based on the facts and evidence. Will also conduct pre-trial depositions of experts and key witnesses; prepare demonstrative to be used as trial exhibits; and draft and argue pre-trial motions.
• Will collaborate with experts and clients to craft a trial theme, identify strengths and weaknesses in a case; develop persuasive arguments; prepare witnesses for testimony and draft and argue trial motions.
• The candidate will be expected to present opening and closing statements, examine and cross-examine witnesses and craft a persuasive story for the fact-finder (judge or jury) through testimony and evidence. Litigation attorneys also prepare jury instructions and conduct post-trial interviews of the jury.
• If a case is settled out of court, candidate should be able to engage in negotiations with opposing parties; participate in mediations and settlement conferences with the parties and the judge; and create settlement brochures, agreements, releases and other settlement materials.
• Candidate should be able to draft post-trial motions; identify and preserve issues for appeal; develop appellate strategies; gather evidence for the appellate record; research procedural issues; draft appellate documents; and present oral arguments before appellate courts. If the case is particularly significant or complex, litigators may retain the assistance of attorneys who specialize in appellate practice.
• Any other responsibility as assigned by the Partners.

Degree and Qualifications/ Skills required

• 3 - 5 years experience post call to bar.
• Candidate should have worked in an SAN firm consistently after NYSC.
• Candidate should have continuous experience in litigation.
• Good communication skills.
• Excellent mastery of oral and written English.
• Candidate should be able to work under pressure.
• Candidate should be able to work with no supervision.
• Attention to detail is a definite requirement.
• A second class upper degree would be acceptable but a Masters degree is an added advantage.