Legal Associate

Key Responsibilities

Legal Advisory & Business Support

• Provide timely practical and commercially sound legal advice to business teams on day-to-day operational commercial and strategic matters.
• Partner with teams including Product Operations Marketing and Technology to identify legal considerations and provide appropriate guidance.
• Advise on legal risks arising from new products services partnerships business initiatives and operational processes.
• Conduct legal research and provide clear recommendations on applicable laws regulations and emerging legal developments.
• Support the development and implementation of internal policies processes and contractual frameworks.
• Support corporate governance activities including assisting with corporate filings statutory documentation and the maintenance of accurate corporate records for the Company and its related entities.
• Assist with corporate restructuring new entity establishment investments and other strategic corporate transactions as required.

Commercial Contracts

• Draft review negotiate and manage a broad range of commercial agreements including vendor agreements partnership agreements service agreements NDAs and other business contracts.
• Identify key legal and commercial risks in contracts and recommend appropriate positions and mitigations.
• Support contract negotiations with external parties and work with internal stakeholders to ensure agreements align with business objectives.
• Maintain appropriate records of executed agreements contractual obligations renewals and key dates.
• Support the development and maintenance of standard contractual templates.

Fintech & Regulatory Advisory

• Monitor developments in laws and regulations relevant to the Companys fintech payments financial services and technology operations and assess the legal and regulatory implications on existing and proposed products and services.
• Provide legal support on regulatory enquiries filings correspondence and engagements with relevant regulatory bodies as required.
• Work closely with the Risk and Compliance team to identify assess and address regulatory and legal risks.
• Support regulatory licensing renewals applications and related legal documentation where applicable.
• Track emerging regulatory trends and communicate relevant changes and their potential impact on the business.

Legal Risk & Dispute Management

• Identify assess and escalate material legal risks and recommend appropriate mitigation strategies.
• Support the management of disputes claims complaints and pre-litigation matters.
• Liaise with external counsel where necessary and coordinate instructions documentation and follow-up.
• Maintain appropriate records of ongoing legal matters and provide updates to relevant stakeholders.
• Support the review and management of legal issues arising from customer employee and third-party relations.

Legal Operations

• Maintain an organised repository of legal documents contracts legal opinions and corporate records.
• Support the development of legal processes templates and knowledge resources that improve the efficiency of the legal function.
• Track legal requests deliverables deadlines and regulatory obligations.
• Contribute to initiatives aimed at improving the Legal teams effectiveness responsiveness and service delivery.

• Bachelors degree in Law (LL.B) from a recognised institution.
• Called to the Nigerian Bar and in good standing.
• 2-4 years post-qualification experience (PQE) preferably with experience working in a commercial law firm.
• Experience in fintech financial services payments technology or a highly regulated industry is an advantage.
• Good experience drafting reviewing and negotiating commercial contracts.
• Good understanding of Nigerian corporate commercial and regulatory law.
• Familiarity with the legal and regulatory environment applicable to fintech and financial services businesses is an advantage.
• Good legal research analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to translate complex legal issues into clear practical business advice.
• Good attention to detail without losing sight of commercial priorities.
• Ability to manage multiple matters and competing deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Sound judgment discretion and a strong sense of professional ethics.
• Ability to work effectively with senior stakeholders and cross-functional teams.