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With over 100 years of rich history and strongly positioned as a local bank with regional and international expertise, a career with our family offers the opportunity to be part of this exciting growth journey, to reset our future and shape our destiny as a proudly African group.
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Job Summary
The Senior Legal Officer will serve as a legal adviser to First Assurance and will report to the Legal Manager. Responsible for offering legal counsel, liaising with external advocates and insured persons, negotiations to ensure settlement of third-party claims, and recovery on behalf of the company.
Job Description
Litigation Management
- Receiving summons and determining whether liability attaches on the part of the Company.
- Appointment of service providers to handle company matters as per policy and maintenance of a register for such appointments.
- Reviewing legal claims lodged against our insured’s and engaging third parties in out-of-court negotiations in line with past precedents and set parameters. Always ensuring that adequate reserves are maintained.
- Instructions to external lawyers on how the cases are to be handled.
- Reviewing correspondence and opinions from external lawyers and advising management.
- Engage in pre-trial briefings & in conjunction with external lawyers prepare witnesses for court attendance.
- Responding to advocates correspondence and ensuring up to date information is in each file.
- Reviewing judgments and recommending settlement or appeals. Making sure that adequate reserves are maintained.
- Receiving summons to enter appearance and plaint from our insured’s and distributing the same to our panel of external advocates.
- Negotiating matters out of court and keeping registers of such matters.
- Periodically review legal files to ensure accurate reserves are maintained and to ensure the files are up to date.
- Handling the Company’s recoveries from third parties and other insurance companies by instituting suits or out of Court negotiations and follow up thereof.
- Ensuring payments are raised in good time, authorized, and forwarded to Finance Department. Follow up on judgment payments to avoid executions.
- Pursue Third Party recoveries for the Company.
- Distributing the work coming into the claims legal department ensuring that all mails are actioned.
- Approving all discharge vouchers and judgments as per the approval limits
- Reviewing the external advocates fees to ensure that the fee notes are raised as per remuneration order.
- Providing legal advice, opinion and assistance on all legal claims matters to the management.
- Attending court hearing on behalf of the organization as and when required.
- Ensure Status Reports from service providers are received as per the guidelines.
- Prepare monthly reports and any other report that may be requested
Operations
- Ensure maintenance of documentation and legal databases.
- Ensure biannual review of all outstanding liability claims.
Education and Experience Required
- Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB) from a recognized institution.
- Must be an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with a valid and current practicing certificate.
- A registered member of the Law Society of Kenya in good standing.
- At least 4 years’ experience legal practice in Insurance/financial institution with experience in Commercial Law, Litigation and Conveyance ·
Education
Higher Diplomas: Law, Military Science and Security (Required)