Legal Officer at Matrix Energy Group

Job Description

The role involves ensuring legal compliance, providing legal counsel, and offering support on legal dispute and litigation matters. Responsibilities amongst other in providing legal advice and guidance on company -wide legal affairs as it affects its business operations in the oil and gas sector.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Provide legal support and advisory services to the Legal Head on diverse issues, ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations on both local and international laws.
• Ability to carry out in-depth study and interpretation of laws, contracts and legal documents, in galvanizing independent legal opinions. 
• Stay updated with changes in laws and regulations related to the oil and gas industry.
• Provide support to the Legal Head in handling legal disputes, litigation, and settlements in collaboration with external legal counsel when necessary.
• Represent the company in legal proceedings or coordinate external representation as required.
• Adept in preparing and follow-up on petitions to all law enforcement agencies - (Nigerian Police &EFCC, ICPC, DSS etc); provide support in follow up visits and report periodically on traction and progress on any petition.
• Maintain a litigation portfolio (initiated against or by the Company) by providing legal opinions and liaising with external lawyers and reviewing of court (Civil or Criminal) processes/proceedings to ensure it captures company’s intent with periodic status updates on every litigation matter companywide.
• Maintaining updated records of letters and correspondence routed via the Legal unit, preparing responses to demand notices, archiving legal records, and managing the contract repository across the organization. 
• Maintaining all original copies of tittle document company wide and CAC records (COI, Memart, Yearly Annual Return and Status Updates) In addition processing of CAC new incorporation registrations, annual fillings and Board and shareholding changes.
• Manage contracts to ensure that executed copies are received and provide further legal interpretation where necessary during the lifecycle of such contracts, including renewal and termination processes.
•  Liaise with external lawyers to conduct legal search on interested properties/lands and generate a legal report to advise the company on findings and legal purchase advisory.
• Reviewing intended title documents (deed of assignment, power of attorney, sales agreement, personal guarantee and other documents) required to close sale as received from external lawyers. 
• Prepare reports on legal matters, compliance, and contract status for management as required by the Legal Head.
• Contract drafting and reviewing; ability to spot out onerous clauses in both local and international contracts /agreements. 
• Sound knowledge on specialized banking facility agreements and ground in understanding of the cycle from execution of the mandate letter, information memorandum, to meeting CPs till close of signing term sheets and finance documents on execution. 
• Land acquisition and purchases; coordinating with external lawyers to verify and confirm all original title documents from the seller are obtained to ease perfection of the company’s interests after purchasing as well as conducting legal search on interest properties/lands and generate a legal report to advice the company through the Legal Head on findings.
• Maintain a debt recovery portfolio of the company and give periodic updates on every recovery.

Requirements

• A degree in Law (LLB) with a minimum of second class lower.
• B. Law with a minimum of second class lower. 
• Any relevant professional qualification is an added advantage.
• Minimum of 4 years post call to bar experience. 
• Must have previous work experience with a Nigerian Law Firm.
• Experience in handling Police, DSS and EFCC related matters.
• Excellent critical thinking skills.
• Ability to multitask and manage time efficiently to meet deadlines.
• Ability to pay attention to details, give independent legal opinions and must be solution and result driven.
• Must possess excellent negotiation, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Good knowledge of relevant regulations and laws, and industry best practices.