First Bank of Nigeria Limited (FirstBank) is Nigeria’s largest financial services institution by total assets and gross earnings. With more than 10 million customer accounts, FirstBank has over 750 branches providing a comprehensive range of retail and corporate financial services. The Bank has international presence through its subsidiaries, FBN Bank (UK) Limited in London and Paris, FBNBank DRC, FBNBank Ghana, FBNBank Gambia, FBNBank Guinea, FBNBank Sierra-Leone and FBNBank Senegal, as well as its Representative Offices in Johannesburg, Beijing and Abu Dhabi.
We are recruiting to fill the position below:
Job Title: Legal Officer, Litigation
Ref No: 20000014
Location: Lagos
Job: FBN GEN. Job Family
Organization: MD/CE Directorate
Schedule: Regular
Shift: Standard
Job Type: Full-time
Grade Range – From : Senior Banking Officer Grade Range – To : Deputy Manager
Duties & Responsibilities
- Verifies Wills and Letters of Administration and renders advice on all probate-related matters.
- Reviews Writs of Summon and Statements of Claim/Defence and other court processes, involving the Bank; proffers first level drafts thereon and/or responses thereto; makes first level evaluations thereof as well recommendation of likely strategies for the prosecution and/or defence of same for the Team Lead’s and Unit Head’s further review.
- Responds to enquiries/demands from, and interfaces with, Law Enforcement Agencies with respect to a wide range of the Bank’s activities, including the Nigeria Police, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, Economic & Financial Crimes Commission; accompanies staff members of the bank to honour official invitations by these bodies and provides external counsel support, including arrangement for bail in deserving cases.
- Represents the Team Lead, and sometimes, the Unit Head in meetings with customers and/ or branches.
- Initiates, at the request of the SBUs, Recovery Business Unit and/or Classified Asset Management Unit and in liaison with External counsel, the review and initiation of debt recovery processes through litigation against defaulting customers of the Bank.
- Attends to garnishee and other injunctive court processes/orders involving the Bank in liaison with Internal Control, SBUs and the External solicitors.
- Manages and monitors pending cases in liaison with External Solicitors till conclusion.
- Prepares the drafts of all species of local and cross-border Bonds and Guarantees and vets/reviews drafts of same prepared by counterparties to ensure there are no adverse clauses and that the interest of the Bank is adequately protected and understudies the Team Lead and Guarantee Supervisors in the Department in the art of Bonds and Guarantee drafting and reviews.
- Conducts searches on Case files in various Court Registries which outcomes are used to support the Bank’s position in litigations and other tussle for interest.
- Responds to complaints sent in by External Lawyers on behalf of their clients and convene meetings to resolve issues raised to avoid litigation and mitigate loss by the Bank.
- Provides the legal framework for recovery action and/or the realization of the securities by issuing demand letters, appointment and formalization of appointment of Receiver/Managers, Auctioneers at the instance of Classified Assets Management Department, Credit Risk Management Department and Business units.
- Initiates, attends and participates in meetings with defaulting customers and/or meetings on credit matters which have resulted or may result in litigation with the primary aim of ensuring recovery at minimal or no cost
- Represents the Bank at meetings with the Public Defender, Consumer Protection Agencies and other quasi-judicial bodies that defend the rights of customers.
- Attends to Branches’ requests in respect of matter arising from day-to-day operations which require legal advice/guidance.
- Maintains the security of all information entrusted to Staff.
- Ensures compliance with the principles and policies contained in the Information Security Handbook.
- Ensures compliance with the principles and policies contained in the Business Continuity Management Handbook.
- Assists the Team Lead and Unit Head in the Unit’s involvement in, and compliance with the Bank’s Information Security Management Policies, Business Continuity Management, BS25999, ISO 27001, and initiatives, Internal Audit outcomes and compliance with recommendations, ICAFAS, Business Performance Management, PSQA etc.
- Performs any other duties as may be assigned by the Unit Head and/or Head, Legal Services.
Qualifications
- Minimum Education: First degree in Law and Professional Certificate of Barrister At Law (compulsory)
- Experience: Minimum experience: Two years post call, legal practice in chambers
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online
Job Title: Legal Officer, Corporate & Contracts
Ref No: 20000016
Location: Lagos
Job: FBN GEN. Job Family
Organization: MD/CE Directorate
Schedule: Regular
Shift: Standard
Job Type: Full-time
Grade Range – From : Senior Banking Officer Grade Range – To : Deputy Manager
Duties & Responsibilities
- Provides, under the guidance of the Team Lead, legal advisory services in respect of various contracts to SBUs, SRFs and the Bank’s subsidiaries with respect to structured finance, project finance, international trade, oil & gas financing, derivatives, telecommunications financing (operators, service providers and dealers) highlighting the Bank’s attendant obligations, privileges and rights and consequences of breach of such contracts
- Researches and prepares legal opinions on basic day-to-day issues bothering on the Unit’s activities.
- Attending meetings with SBUs and other SRFs for purposes of negotiating terms and conditions of commercial transaction to be entered into by the Bank.
- Prepares the drafts of all species of local and cross-border Bonds and Guarantees and vets/reviews drafts of same prepared by counterparties to ensure there are no adverse clauses and that the interest of the Bank is adequately protected and understudies the Team Lead and Guarantee Supervisors in the Department in the art of Bonds and Guarantee drafting and reviews.
- Supports the Team Lead in the actualization of numerous product and service offerings, alliances, partnerships and other synergistic relationships created by the Products & Channels Unit.
- Prepares, reviews and vets a wide range of documentation, including but not limited to letter of domiciliation, Indemnities, Irrevocable Remittance Undertakings, Irrevocable Standard Payment Orders, Letters of Comfort, Letters of Support, Letters of Intent, etc.
- Prepare Loan Agreements, Corporate Guarantees, Sales & Collection Agreements, Letters of Hypothecation, Equipment Leases, Deeds of Release etc.
- Conducts, analyzes, and interprets searches on Certificates of Registration/Incorporation of corporate entities.
- Supports the Team Lead and Unit Head in the provision of general advisory services to the Bank’s subsidiaries.
- Ensures compliance with the principles and policies contained in the Information Security Handbook.
- Works with External Solicitors to verify genuineness of Letters of Administration and probate documents
- Follows up on External Counsel on briefs assigned to them, including but not limited to the processes involved in the preparation and filing of legal pleadings, motions, etc
- Ensures compliance with the principles and policies contained in the Business Continuity Management Handbook.
- Assists the Team Lead and Unit Head in the Unit’s involvement in, and compliance with the Bank’s Information Security Management Policies, Business Continuity Management, BS25999, ISO 27001, and initiatives, internal audit outcomes and compliance with recommendations, ICAFAS, Business Performance Management, PSQA etc.
Qualifications
Education:
- Minimum Education: First degree in Law and Professional Certificate of Barrister At Law (compulsory)
Experience:
- Minimum experience: Two years post call, legal practice in chambers
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online
Job Title: Legal Officer, Security Documentation & Management
Ref No: 20000015
Location: Lagos
Job: FBN GEN. Job Family
Organization: MD/CE Directorate
Schedule: Regular
Shift: Standard
Job Type: Full-time
Grade Range – From : Senior Banking Officer Grade Range – To : Deputy Manager
Duties & Responsibilities
- Conducts searches (directly or through external counsel) on corporate entities to determine, amongst other things, whether or not the assets of company are suitable as security for lending.
- Conducts searches on title documents for the premises that the Bank proposes to acquire for its own business and utilization processes.
- Scrutinizes title deeds offered by customers to determine whether they are suitable for the Bank’s purpose and thereafter conducting search and verification exercises on such title documents at the various lands and chattels registries with a view to confirming whether the title is good and/or genuine.
- Prepares and reviews various types of security documentation such as Direct Legal mortgages, Tripartite Legal Mortgages, All Asset Debentures, Specific Asset Debentures, Chattel Mortgages, Ship Mortgages, Loan Agreements, Negative Pledges etc.
- Prepares of deed of release/surrender upon the liquidation of facility by Customers.
- Prepares, reviews and vets a wide range of documentation, including but not limited to Deeds of Assignment. Deeds of Lease with respect to QSPs and Branch Premises.
- Liaises with external solicitors in respect of perfection of the bank’s title in Branch premises and other real estate owned by the Bank.
- Advises Business units on the documents and costs required for perfection of security interest in different asset classes.
- Reviews documents submitted by Relationship Managers for completeness and confirmation of adequacy of such documents to Credit Risk Management and relevant business units.
- Corresponds with and monitors perfection/upstamping exercises, including obtaining regular updates from External Solicitors, procuring Bank Cheques for statutory payments, attends to requests from External Solicitors, provides regular updates on perfection status to Credit Risk Management and relevant business units and generally facilitates the perfection process with the aim of ensuring same is concluded promptly and within stipulated timelines.
- Reviews concluded perfection/upstamping exercises to ensure that same are properly carried out, review of Solicitor’s bill and thereafter forwards the perfected security documents to the appropriate Branch/Department for safekeeping.
- Collates data on search, verification, perfection and upstamping exercises for record keeping purposes.
- Provides legal advisory services to the various units of the Bank on day-to-day issues relating to security documentation.
- Provides legal advisory services in respect of syndicated lendings, including review of Inter-lenders Agreements and Security Trust Deeds as well as joining the Team Lead to attend syndication meetings.
- Attends meetings with Relationship Managers and customers on issues relating to security documentation as the Team Lead, Unit Head or Head, Legal Services may request from time to time.
- Assists the Team Lead, Unit Head and Head, Legal Services with research towards the achievement of robust legal opinions and generating first level draft legal opinions for further review.
- Prepares the drafts of all species of local and cross-border Bonds and Guarantees and vets/reviews drafts of same prepared by counterparties to ensure there are no adverse clauses and that the interest of the Bank is adequately protected and understudies the Team Lead and Guarantee Supervisors in the Department in the art of Bonds and Guarantee drafting and reviews.
- Creates and manages the database of all activities of the Unit for purposes of storage, confidentiality, seamless retrieval, etc.
- Maintains the security of all Information entrusted to staff.
- Ensuring compliance with the principles and policies contained in the Information Security Handbook.
- Ensuring compliance with the principles and policies contained in the Business Continuity Management Handbook.
- Assists the Team Lead and Unit Head in the Unit’s involvement in, and compliance with the Bank’s Information Security Management Policies, Business Continuity Management, BS25999, ISO 27001, and initiatives, internal audit outcomes and compliance with recommendations, ICAFAS, Business Performance Management, PSQA etc.
- Performs any other duties as may be assigned by the Unit Head and/or Head, Legal Services.
Qualifications
Education:
- Minimum Education: First degree in Law and Professional Certificate of Barrister At Law (compulsory)
Experience:
- Minimum experience: Two years post call, legal practice in chambers
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online
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