Legal Assistant

UP Professional and Support

LEGAL DEPARTMENT

POST LEVEL 11

In pursuit of the ideals of excellence and diversity, the University of Pretoria wishes to invite applications for the following vacancy. The University of Pretoria's commitment to quality makes us one of the top research Universities in the country and gives us a competitive advantage in international science and technology development.

To provide the University with cost-effective quality support in respect of student discipline, litigation, contracts, labour matters, governance and compliance, trademarks, training and to provide general legal advice within the institution.

Under the supervision of the relevant Deputy-Director:

• Student Discipline
  • Ensuring that all reported cases of student misconduct are dealt with in accordance with the Disciplinary Code:
    Students;
  • Negotiating and finalising plea and penalty agreements with students who wish to plead guilty in accordance with the formal plea and penalty procedure in the Code;
  • Seeing to it that the formal disciplinary procedure is followed in respect of cases which are referred to the Disciplinary Committee (Students);
  • Managing the process administratively by seeing to it that the outcome of student disciplinary proceedings is communicated to all relevant stakeholders;
  • Ensuring that students who face disciplinary action and require support are referred to the relevant support services;
  • Providing administrative support to other legal advisors as and when requested.
• Legal Advice
  • Providing legal advice and draft legal opinions as and when requested;
  • Reviewing of and advising on the impact of proposed and/or new legislation / regulations / statutory and policy frameworks applicable to the University;
  • Drafting letters of demand and engaging in debt collection measures on behalf of the University and other clients, as instructed;
  • Assisting with the drafting, vetting, and evaluation of tender documents to ensure that all procurement processes comply with applicable legislation, University policies, and contractual best practices;
• Litigation
  • Assisting with University litigation as when necessary;
  • Assisting with and furnishing Attorney and Counsel with any relevant documentation or information as requested;
  • Attending court proceedings on behalf of the University;
  • Drafting comprehensive letters of instruction and compiling briefs to external attorneys representing the University in litigation;
  • Drafting settlement agreements;
  • Compiling bundles of documents including indexing and paginating;
  • Updating relevant University stakeholders on the status of litigation relevant to their respective portfolios;
  • Assisting the relevant Deputy Director with any strategic components involving litigation as requested.
• Contracts
  • Assisting with reviewing and drafting of wide variety of different agreements which include, but is not limited to, the following agreements:
    • Memorandum of Agreements;
    • Memorandum of Understandings;
    • Service Level and Services Agreements;
    • Donation, Grants and Funding Agreements;
    • Sponsorship Agreements;
    • Employment Agreements and Consultant Agreements;
    • License Agreements;
    • Settlement Agreements;
    • Non-Disclosure Agreements;
    • Various Faculty and Department related Agreements;
    • Bursary and Scholarship Agreements;
    • Barter Exchange Agreements;
    • Sub-contractor Agreements;
    • Various Sport Academy Agreements;
    • Purchase and Sale Agreements;
  • Researching, preparing and drafting of contract law related legal opinions;
  • Updating of standard contract templates in line with statutory and policy framework of the University.
• Labour Relations and Training
  • Compiling and/or providing advice on the drafting of disciplinary charges.
  • Providing advice and opinions on case law, collective labour law, employee policies, interpretation of legislation, regulations and directives;
  • Provide advice on and assist with drafting of employment contracts, independent contractor agreements, termination agreements, settlement agreements, secondment agreements, retention agreements etc;
  • Assisting with providing advice on Alternative Dispute Resolution processes.
  • Assisting with providing advice on restructuring and retrenchment processes.
  • Assisting with Union related matters, including the drafting and reviewing of recognition agreements, collective agreements, picketing rules, HR policies, grievance matters, strike management, etc;
  • Overseeing employment litigation matters in various courts, the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) and other forums;
  • Providing legal opinions on employment matters.
  • Providing general training to internal and external stakeholders in terms of the University policy legislation, disciplinary processes for staff and students, labour law and contracts.
  • Provide any other training based on development needs identified by the Director and the Deputy Directors.

• LLB degree;
• One year’s experience in the following areas:
  • Experience in a law practice or an environment in which legal…