Senior Associate - General Counsel's Office

Job Purpose

Responsible for assisting to drive legal projects and activities relating to the General Counsel’s Office function, servicing Ghana - with special emphasis on reviewing and negotiating various contracts and providing internal legal advice to other teams across service lines while adhering to EY’s internal policies (both locally and internationally).

The candidate will report to the General Counsel, Ghana.

Duties and responsibilities will include the following:  

General Counsel's Office (GCO):

The Senior Associate will assist the GCO with the following tasks:

• General - Drafting and negotiating various agreements across audit and advisory service lines, including global framework agreements, local implementation agreements, service level agreements, technology agreements, intellectual property agreements, procurement agreements, confidentiality agreements and data usage agreements
• Ability to advise engagement teams on all current commercial contracts (e.g. Structuring, development of templates)
• Reviewing and contributing to drafting firm policies including authority and delegations framework
• Acquisitions – current legal work on local acquisitions including working with external counsel on deal structure and acquisition agreements, coordination with other members of Legal for cross-border acquisitions
• Litigation – Coordination of litigation matters in close relationship with General Counsel and relevant Quality Service Line Leader (including risks and prospects analysis and briefing external legal counsel)
• Providing advice to business units on potential claims as well as forming part of special ad hoc panels to manage the risk of potential claims
• Providing input/reporting to legal risk committee
• Assist the GCO in the rendering of the following services to the Firm's Service Lines:

• • Reviewing and negotiating Engagement letters, including proposed client amendments to EY’s standard terms and conditions.
  • Terms of Business, Reviewing, negotiating and drafting various agreements across various service lines (including Advisory, Tax, Transactions, and Assurance) including but not limited to – Hold harmless letters, Confidentiality and Request for Tenders, Bid submissions or Request for Proposals

• Reviewing various agreements inclusive of the following type of agreements:

• •  Sponsorship agreements
  •  Non-disclosure agreements
  •  Service level agreements
  •  Global framework agreements
  •  Responses to requests for proposals/bids
  •  Teaming agreements
  •  Consortium agreements
  •  Subcontractor agreements
  •  Service provider agreements
  •  Secondment agreements
  •  Memorandum of Understanding
  •  Any other bespoke agreement required by the service lines

• Consider legal risks in agreements, including limitation of liability provisions and requests to exceed standard liability limits.
• Provision of internal legal opinions as requested by the Service Lines or the General Counsel, including the negotiation, drafting, and review of agreements and other legal documentation.
• Provide support in the management of commercial disputes and litigation, and advising on compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements, at the request of the General Counsel
• Provision of legal consultation and drafting services for all types of contracts and agreements, particularly those relating to business relationships, consortia, subcontracting arrangements, alliances, and secondments.
• Dealing with subpoenas and claims brought against the firm
• Manage the Master Template Database of contract and other legal precedents
• Assist in the maintenance of a register of legal work done
• Assist in the maintenance of register of deviations from standard contract terms
• Drafting and research for legal opinions. Research on matters as required by the General Counsel
• Assistance with Projects as undertaken by the General Counsel's Office
• Assistance with the notification of claims and circumstances project (which happens twice a year)
• Liaison with external legal practitioners, and Ernst & Young (EMEIA) and Global (EYG), where appropriate

• • Attending to data privacy review of EY applications
  • Assistance with selected areas of compliance issues 
  • Assist with legal support to the Africa EY practices on various legal matters

Qualifications

• Bachelor of laws degree and Qualifying Certificate in Law      
• Solid commercial drafting, reviewing and negotiating skills
• Business acumen
• Experience within a similar industry sector and/or financial services
• 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 organisational 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
  
  

 Key Requirements 

•  Qualified to practice law in Ghana
• 4 – 6 years of post-qualification legal experience, preferably with an international law firm

and/or multi-national corporation with at least a significant portion of such experience occurring in Ghana

•  Ideally, in-depth experience of the professional services industry
•  Developed commercial awareness with an outcome orientated approach and the ability to apply legal principles pragmatically

Other Personal Characteristics

•  Unquestioned ethics and integrity
•  High level of self-confidence and energy
•  High level of intellectual agility, initiative, self-motivation, resourcefulness, and patience
•  Pragmatic with strong business acumen
•  Strong analytical skills
•  Strong organizational skills with attention to detail

 Who we are

At EY we support you in achieving your unique potential both personally and professionally. We give you stretching and rewarding experiences that keep you motivated, working in an atmosphere of integrity and teaming with some of the world's most successful companies. And while we encourage you to take personal responsibility for your career, we support you in your professional development in every way we can. You enjoy the flexibility to devote time to what matters to you, in your business and personal lives. At EY you can be who you are and express your point of view, energy and enthusiasm, wherever you are in the world. It's how you make a difference.