Legal Officer

Key Responsibilities1. Contract Management (Core Responsibility)

• Draft, review, revise, and negotiate a wide range of commercial contracts, including but not limited to distributor agreements, supplier contracts, procurement contracts, service agreements, lease agreements, MOUs, and LOIs.

• Pay particular attention to exclusivity clauses, territorial restrictions, minimum purchase obligations, termination notice periods, and penalty clauses in distributor agreements, ensuring they are enforceable under Ugandan law and compliant with the Competition Act, 2023, particularly regarding vertical agreements.

• Develop and maintain a standardized contract template library to reduce repetitive legal work and improve contract review efficiency.

• Maintain a contract register and track key contractual obligations, including expiry, renewal, and termination dates, to ensure full traceability.

2. Compliance Management and Policy Monitoring

• Monitor changes in Ugandan laws and regulations, especially those relevant to the company’s operations, including the Competition Act, 2023, Companies Act, 2012, Contracts Act, 2010, and the Employment Act and its amendments. Provide timely compliance alerts and recommended responses to management.

• Assist in developing and improving internal compliance policies and promote compliance training, covering key areas such as anti-corruption, anti-bribery, and antitrust.

• Assist with routine administrative compliance matters, including company registration, business licence renewals, and tax registration, and liaise with regulators such as the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB).

3. Labour Law and Employee Relations Support

• Provide legal support to the HR department on labour law matters, including review of employment contracts, disciplinary procedures, termination, and redundancy processes.

• Monitor developments under the Ugandan Employment Act and its amendments, particularly regarding unfair dismissal compensation, severance pay calculations, and termination notice procedures, to ensure lawful employment practices across the company.

• Assist in handling employee disputes, labour arbitration, and matters before the Industrial Court.

4. Legal Disputes and Conflict Resolution

• Assist in handling commercial disputes, debt recovery, consumer complaints, and other matters. Assess litigation risks and propose dispute resolution strategies.

• Manage relationships with external law firms, coordinate litigation, arbitration, and other legal proceedings, and control external legal costs.

• Issue legal opinion letters, demand letters, and participate in pre-trial negotiations regarding distributor breaches, accounts receivable recovery, and related matters.

5. Legal Advisory and Daily Support

• Provide timely and practical legal advice to various departments, including procurement, sales, finance, HR, and warehouse logistics, helping business teams identify and mitigate legal risks.

• Provide legal opinions on product liability, consumer protection, and intellectual property infringement, including brand and trademark protection.

• Participate in legal risk assessments for important business decisions, including new channel expansion and new brand introduction.

6. Other Duties

• Maintain and update the company’s legal files, ensuring all legal documents and contracts are properly archived.

• Complete other legal-related tasks assigned by supervisors.

Requirements: Basic Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or above from a recognized university. Holders of a Ugandan legal practising certificate (Advocate of the High Court of Uganda) or an equivalent Commonwealth legal qualification are preferred.

• Experience: Approximately 3 years of experience in a law firm or corporate legal department. Practical experience in commercial law, contract law, or corporate law is preferred.

• Language: Fluent in English, with strong legal drafting and business negotiation skills. Proficiency in Kiswahili or Chinese is an advantage.

  
  

  How to Apply:
  All applications will be received and Reviewed through BrighterMonday Portal by Clicking on the 'Apply Here' section