Associate

An opportunity has become available for a commercial lawyer to join the Corporate & Commercial Practice Area at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Inc ("CDH") in team Hayes. The successful candidate will have direct exposure to clients and transactional work, including large and complex private equity and public transactions.

The ideal candidate should be commercially minded, have corporate and transactional experience coupled with strong verbal and written communication skills and excellent drafting competence. A good work ethic, an ability to conceive strategy, exercise initiative and take responsibility together with the capacity to work under pressure in a fast paced environment are essential.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• advising on various aspects of applicable legislation in an M&A context, including, but not limited to, the Companies Act, 2008;

• drafting/negotiating/reviewing of constitutional documents, memoranda of incorporation, shareholders agreements and general company secretarial attendances (for instance, the preparation of notices and minutes of meetings and company board and shareholder resolutions);

• drafting/review of an assortment of commercial contracts (for example, non-disclosure agreements, service level agreements and lease agreements) and providing legal advice thereon;

• research and furnishing legal opinions and advice on a wide range of legal issues (first-hand experience with the energy and infrastructure sector is preferable); and

• involvement in the corporate and commercial side of renewable energy transactions (e.g. drafting shareholders agreement, shareholder funding agreements and memoranda of incorporation).

Involvement in all aspects of mergers and acquisitions ("M&As"), joint venture and private equity transactions, such as:

• conducting legal due diligence investigations and preparing due diligence reports. In this regard, particular emphasis will be placed on your ability to identify legal and commercial risks;

• forming new business entities and structuring businesses and their corporate affairs;

• drafting/negotiating/reviewing of a host of transaction documents (including term sheets, subscription agreements, sale of shares agreements, shareholder agreements, distribution agreements, supply agreements and sale of business agreements); and

• managing workstreams and various teams (including lawyers within and outside of the Corporate & Commercial Practice Area) on transactions and facilitating the closing and implementation procedures;

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• An LLB or equivalent qualification

• Admission as an Attorney in South Africa

• A relevant post graduate legal qualification will be advantageous

• At least 2-3 years post admission experience practising in a general corporate and commercial practice.

• Experience in M&A would be advantageous

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

The ideal candidate should also meet the following requirements:

• excellent interpersonal, drafting and written communication skills;

• strong technical skills needed to support the client work of the Practice Area

• ability to administer and execute instructions, from receipt to conclusion, with minimal professional supervision;

• strong organisational skills, meticulous and high attention to detail;

• ability to prioritise and co-ordinate work in order to meet deadlines in a highly pressurised environment;

• ability to work well in both a team and individually;

• a client service orientation, being able to engage with clients who will interrogate your reasoning and require you to justify your legal arguments and commercial input;

• show interest and an appreciation of what is happening around you, i.e. understand that political and economic events may have an impact on your clients and your practice; and

• ability to take initiative and assume responsibility for monitoring the expeditious progress of transactions.