Vacancy for a litigation counsel

One of the leading legal practitioners and arbitrators in the Nigerian legal sector is looking to hire a Litigation Counsel immediately.

Job Location: Victoria Island, Lagos (The ideal candidate MUST reside on the Island i.e. Lagos Island, Lekki, Ajah and immediate locality).

Job summary:
To contribute to the smooth and efficient conduct of litigation and outside counsel including coordinating and directing case strategy, discovery, drafting/editing pleadings and interviewing and preparing witnesses and negotiations.

Description of Duties:
(a) All administrative tasks required for the post.
(b) Drafting applications to the Courts and having conduct of the case through to judgment being obtained.
(c) Clarifying with client officers any difficult areas and dealing with and responding to any defenses and/or counter claims lodged.
(d) Drafting summonses, complaints and indictments in connection with prosecutions by the Council
(e) Attending the Court and other Tribunals and advocating on behalf of the Council in litigation actions.
(f) Providing litigation support to the solicitors in the Litigation Team, including without limitation, preparing witness statements, dealing with discovery and attending court with Counsel.
(g) Deal with enquiries from solicitors and other external agencies and advice the client of the next step accordingly.
(h) Attending possession action hearings, negotiating with representatives and preparing and advising of witnesses prior to hearings.
(i) Attending Defendants’ applications to set aside Judgments and suspended Warrants of Possession.
(j) Responsible for maintaining the central register of Judgments and Charging Orders and dealing with related enquiries, applications and cancellations.
(k) Responsible for the preparation of documentation and conduct of emergency injunction proceedings on behalf of the Local Authority in accordance with any relevant legislation.
(l) Any other duties relevant for the work of the Section as determined by the post holder’s line manager.

Desired Skills:

• Candidate must be a graduate of Law with minimum of six (6) years at the Bar
• Active litigation Arbitration experience
• Ability to work well under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Ability to write, and speak English fluently
• The ideal candidate must be organized and pay attention to detail. Small errors or omissions can lose or derail a case.
• Excellent writing skills with little or no review needed.
• The candidate needs to be able to work with a variety of people and have coping skills to handle difficult personalities, ranging from co-workers to clients.
• The litigation applicant must have knowledge of the court systems and how they work.
• Experience working in drafting motions, briefs and preparing for trials is necessary.

Application:
Qualified candidates should forward CVs to ‘[email protected]’ using ‘LITIGATION COUNSEL’ as the subject of your application.
Salary is between N180, 000 - N200, 000/ m (Depending on experience).
Application closes 20th September, 2015. Only experienced candidates will be shortlisted and invited for interviews.