Asst. Legal Counsel, Nigeria at Unilever

JOB PURPOSE

• Unilever is the place where you can bring your purpose to life with the work that you do – creating a better business and a better world. 
• If you are willing to support the site SHE Coordinator to implement systems to reduce Occupational Health and Safety risk by the creation and maintenance of an effective SHE management system to identify and adequately control all significant occupational health, safety and environment risks, ensure compliance with Unilever policy and standards and all applicable regulatory requirements and drive continuous improvement., then this role is for you!

WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE

• To support the Legal Counsel as business partner to the national Leadership Team and functional Teams with responsibility for delivering timely, competent and efficient legal services.
• To provide legal counsel and advice to the Business in an integrated service, to pro-actively scan for legal risks to identify, avoid, mitigate or manage them and drive proactive response to legal trends which may affect the business.
• To act as the local legal point of contact to the Nigeria Legal and Category Legal teams in respect of all national issues and any incidental matters thereto.
• To support and work effectively in conjunction with all applicable elements of the regional legal function, including category, corporate and trademark counsels.
• To manage all local corporate and category legal issues in an efficient and effective manner and deliver an integrated service to Unilever Nigeria’s business, meeting their legal business needs in a competitive and demanding environment.
• To provide effective interaction with, and management of external counsel and other third parties as relevant in Unilever Nigeria.
• To organize and attend statutory meetings of the Company, the Board Of Directors and its Committees, rendering all necessary legal/ Secretarial services and advising on compliance by the meetings with applicable laws and regulations.
• To maintain Company Registers and other records prescribed by law.
• To render proper returns and give notification to the Corporate Affairs Commission under the Companies Act.
• To carry out such administrative and other secretarial duties as directed by the Directors or the Company.
• To facilitate the Board and Management to implement the Code of Corporate Governance and develop good corporate governance practices and culture 
• To co-ordinate the orientation and training of directors
• To compile Board papers and ensure that the Board’s discussions and decisions are clearly and properly recorded and communicated to the relevant persons
• To notify Board members of matters that warrant their attention and action

Main Accountabilities

Legal Advisory

• In consultation with the General Counsel, to provide legal advice to Functional and category teams as required from time to time.
• Provide guidance on the appropriate steps to take when issues arise which have legal implications on the business. 

Commercial contracts and documentation

• Participate in the negotiation, drafting/review, and approval of all material contracts.
• Ensure that all key Unilever contracts are legally compliant and Unilever interests are adequately safeguarded.
• Ensure that contracts are properly documented, executed, and recorded for safekeeping.

Category support

• Be the one stop single point of contact for collation of information and advice for competitor’s challenges in Unilever Nigeria.
• Support all brand building activities work for the category in Unilever Nigeria, including advising on all local advertising copy/scripts, etc.

Legal compliance

• Monitor changes to law and promptly inform all relevant Teams of the changes and provide suggestions on how to meet any change in the legal requirements.
• Ensure that all permits, licences and the like are valid and that conditions are complied with.

Litigation support

• Be actively involved in potential litigation and ensure that Unilever’s interest is protected.

General Legal duties

• Assist, coordinate and be involved in mergers, disposals, strategic alliances, acquisitions of Unilever companies or joint ventures.
• Participate, assist and liase with national and corporate functional departments on merger, disposal, acquisition matters, technical service fee agreements, brand development matters, licensing, and assignments as well as in dealing with third parties in matters of conflict and settlement.
• Maintain good relationships with central and local government authorities and agencies that are relevant to Unilever business interests, and which are within the remit of the legal department.
• Manage legal implications of consumer complaints.

WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED

Essential, Experiences & Qualifications

• LLB BL
• At least 3-5 years relevant post-call experience.
• Proven knowledge and experience in commercial law & practice.
• Good understanding and working knowledge of corporate law, competition law, intellectual property law, Nigeria laws and regulations, company secretary experience and related disciplines.
• Ability to co-ordinate transactional work.
• Good team player having ability to work as a business Partner within an opco and with other sub-regional and regional lawyers.
• Excellent communication skills (oral & written)
• Negotiation skills.
• Good Analytical skills
• Attention to details

Key Interface

• Functional Teams
• Category Teams
• External Counsel
• Securities & Exchange Commission
• Nigeria Stock Exchange
• Corporate Affairs Commission
• Registrars.
• Unilever Nigeria Board of Directors
• Unilever Nigeria Audit Committee Members
• Unilever Nigeria Shareholders