General Counsel at Ernst and Young

This is a fantastic opportunity for you to join our legal team made up of dedicated professionals who are focused on delivering and maintaining high-level legal services to enable EY to deliver its strategy. 

The opportunity

As a valued member of the legal team, you will have the opportunity to ensure high standards of legal expertise whilst serving as a Legal Adviser to EY. We desire someone like you to manage a part of the legal team and to operate as a business partner with senior service line management to help develop a strong culture of legal awareness, commerciality and accountability whilst maintaining independence and objectivity.  It is a forward thinking, very engaging and yet challenging role that guarantees continuous improvement in providing legal services.

Your key responsibilities

You will spend the most of your time drafting and negotiating various agreements across service lines.  You will assist in the coordination of litigation matters in close relationship with Africa Region General Counsel. You will be responsible for negotiating clients’ requests for amendments to our standard terms of business and escalating deviations to the relevant persons within the firm for sign off. You will be involved in data privacy matters and/or any other compliance function. Furthermore, you will act as an ambassador of Legal team, embodying the EY culture and reputation. 

Skills and attributes for success

• Able to manage, coach and motivate teams 
• Strong analytical and numeracy skills, with a high degree of accuracy and attention to details 
• Excellent communicator – both written and oral; with the ability to deliver effective training sessions and present at management meetings 
• Proactive, organized and self-sufficient working style with ability to prioritize and multitask by considering risk, importance and level of urgency 
• Able to express their opinions on issues, with a proven ability to challenge and ensure adherence to policies 
• Strong team player with ability to build strong relationships with Partners/Engagement Managers and other key stakeholders 

To qualify for the role, you must have

• Bachelor of Laws degree (Master of Laws is an added advantage)
• Must have been called to Bar and therefore qualified to practice law in Nigeria. 
• Solid commercial drafting, reviewing and negotiating skills
• Business acumen
•  Experience within a similar industry sector and/or financial services will be an added advantage
•  Exposure across the African continent would be beneficial
• Top administration skills with a high proficiency in the use of Microsoft office programmes
• Excellent relationship skills which sometimes may be tested when dealing with pressure     
• Assertive, proactive and energetic
• Willingness to work overtime when necessary
• Strong team player
• Strong organizational and project management skills
• Well-rounded corporate and commercial experience
• Experience in an auditing firm and with compliance and company secretarial matters will be an advantage
• Adaptive and ability to think on your feet
• Decision making capabilities
• Ability to manage matters with little or no assistance
• Flexibility to travel, if required

Ideally, you’ll also have

• Innovative, confident and creative thinking with ability to make quick decisions 
• The ability to think on your feet, use initiative and judgement to make informed decisions 

What we look for

You will be an experienced supervisor or have managed a small team previously with a passion for developing and coaching people. You will ensure we are providing exceptional client service to our stakeholders.  You will work closely with many stakeholders across the business so the ability to build strong and effective relationships, delivering at times difficult messages, will also be key.