In-House Legal Counsel Officer

The In-House Legal Counsel Officer serves as the company’s primary internal legal resource, providing corporate, commercial, and regulatory legal support across its operations. The role combines hands-on contract and SLA review, legal risk advisory, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, external counsel coordination, and strategic legal advice to the CEO and senior leadership Responsibilities - Provide legal advice on corporate, commercial, and regulatory matters across the company’s business operations. - Advise the CEO and senior leadership on the legal implications and risk profiles of business decisions, ventures, partnerships, and strategic initiatives. - Monitor developments in Nigerian corporate, commercial, tax, and labour law and advise the organization on required actions. - Interpret and apply relevant regulatory frameworks, including CAMA, FCCPA, tax laws, and sector-specific regulations. - Provide legal opinions and risk assessments for proposed transactions, new business lines, and market entries. Develop an understanding of each business unit to provide practical and commercially relevant legal guidance. - Draft, vet, and review contracts, MOUs, SLAs, NDAs, and other legal documents before execution. - Review SLAs for legal soundness, favourable terms, and potential risk exposure. Maintain a central register of executed contracts, obligations, renewals, and expiry timelines. - Monitor compliance with statutory and regulatory obligations, including CAC, FIRS, NSITF, ITF, PenCom, and other applicable regulators. - Maintain statutory registers and corporate records and ensure timely CAC filings and renewals. - Prepare and organize board and management meeting documentation, including minutes, resolutions, and legal follow-up trackers. - Work with HR & Administration on employment contracts, disciplinary matters, and labour-law compliance. Support Finance and Procurement with vendor contracts, negotiations, disputes, debt recovery, and payment defaults. - Ensure the company’s corporate structure and documentation remain compliant with regulatory requirements. Safeguard the company’s legal documents, seals, and corporate records. Requirements - Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree. Call to the Nigerian Bar (B.L). - Minimum of 5 years post-call experience in corporate/commercial law. Experience gained within a reputable law firm or an in-house legal function. - Demonstrable experience in contract review. - Experience with SLA management. - Understanding of corporate governance principles and statutory filing requirements. - Strong understanding of Nigerian corporate and commercial law. Knowledge of Nigerian labour law. - Experience with regulatory and corporate compliance. Experience with corporate governance. Required Skills Legal Drafting Contract Review, Contract Negotiation, Corporate & Commercial Law, Regulatory Compliance, Legal Research, Legal Risk Assessment, Corporate Governance, SLA Management, Stakeholder Management, Analytical Skills, Attention to Detail, Oral Communication, Confidentiality & Integrity