Associate, Corporate & Commercial

JOB TITLE

An exciting opportunity exists in the Corporate & Commercial Department for an Associate to join the team in our Nairobi office.

Job Purpose

As an Associate in our Corporate and Commercial practice, you will take day-to-day responsibility for your own workstreams across a broad range of corporate transactions, public and private M&A, including schemes of arrangement and takeovers, cross-border deals, and the full spread of commercial contracting.

You will draft and negotiate transaction documents, conduct legal due diligence and identify the legal and commercial risks that matter, advise on the legislation that governs the deal, and carry matters through closing and implementation, coordinating lawyers within and beyond the Corporate and Commercial team as you go.

This is a client-facing, fee-earning role. You will attend consultations, agree and meet deadlines, report progress to your Partner and to the client, and build the kind of relationships that lead clients to come back. Alongside that, you will help develop the juniors coming up behind you and contribute to the firm's profile through publication and participation in the market.

We are looking for an advocate ready to own matters. 

Key Responsibilities:

Legal Services and support to clients

• Work across a range of corporate transactions including public and private M&A deals (including schemes of arrangement and takeovers), and cross border transactions.
• Advising on various aspects of applicable legislation in an M&A context• Drafting documents that are accurate, concise and require minimal to no substantive changes before submission to clients. 
• Negotiating/reviewing of constitutional documents, shareholders agreements and general company secretarial attendances (for instance, the preparation of notices and minutes of meetings and company board and shareholder resolutions)
• Drafting/review of an assortment of commercial contracts (for example, non-disclosure agreements, service level agreements and lease agreements) and providing legal advice thereon
• Conduct thorough research and comprehensive legal research and analysis, providing advise that is legally and factually accurate without errors
• Conducting legal due diligence investigations and preparing due diligence reports. In this regard, particular emphasis will be placed on your ability to identify legal and commercial risks
• Drafting/negotiating/reviewing of a host of transaction documents (including term sheets, subscription agreements, sale of shares agreements, shareholder agreements, distribution agreements, supply agreements and sale of business agreements); and
• Managing workstreams and various teams (including lawyers within and outside of the Corporate & Commercial Practice Area) on transactions and facilitating the closing and implementation procedures

Financial and Practice Management

• Actively tracking and meeting of monthly budget as set by Partner
• Record all billable and non - billable time with appropriate narrations to facilitate efficient billing and invoicing
• Complying with billing procedures, manage risks and ensure adherence to engagement letters, business terms and conflict checks requirements.
• Manage debtors to ensure outstanding balances are collected within the set timelines
• Maintaining an efficient diary management system thereby ensuring timeous attention to matters and effective reporting to clients and Partner

Client Management

• Attending consultations with clients
• Agree deadline with Partner and/or client (where relevant) and ensure deadlines are met, and expectations are managed by reporting progress to Partner and client
• Consistently delivering high a quality work product in keeping with the standards set by the firm
• Establishing strong relationships with existing clients by delivering on expectations and anticipating their immediate and future needs
• Managing and growing client relationships, seeking cross-selling opportunities to introduce other practice areas to clients

Development

• Actively participate in the integration and induction of juniors into practice areas by being available to answer queries or provide guidance on team practices and processes
• Promoting productivity of the junior members of the team through effective delegation and utilization of their skills

Profile Building

• Actively promote the profile of the firm by participation in internal and external activities such as conferences, seminars, and other industry events
• Writing of articles for internal and external publication under the guidance of the Partner
• Collaborating with colleagues in other teams or practice areas for the firm related or client development activities.

Required Experience

Qualification: 

• Bachelor of Laws (LLB) with strong academic record
• Postgraduate Diploma in Law, Kenya School of Law.
• Admitted as an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, holding a current practicing certificate.

Experience

• 4 Years post-admission experience gained in a commercial law firm
  
• Experience in transactional M&A, financing transactions, commercial contracting, Legal due diligence and regulatory advice in Kenya. 

Technical Knowledge

• Experience in transactional M&A, financing transactions, and regulatory advice in Kenya.
• Cross-border or multi-jurisdictional transaction experience, particularly within East Africa or on Africa-wide mandates.