Job Summary
Legal Officer is expected to be knowledgeable and experienced in all Insurance legal matters namely Motor Third Party Property and Injury cases, Employer’s liability/Common Law, Breach of contract of insurance, Tort, Employment Matters and legal disputes in commercial law.
Roles And Responsibilities
Handling of Recoveries
- Prompt pursuance and recovery of all amounts due to the Company from third parties through knock-for-knock and litigation in court.
- Prepare demand letters for all matters referred for recovery from the claims department.
- Conduct tracing where necessary.
- Maintain a register for all recovery matters with properly marked status
- Prepare matters for filing in court before they are time-barred
- Arrange for witnesses to attend court
- Attend court on behalf of the company to give evidence
- Ensure advocates forward all recovered monies to the company promptly.
- Process filing fees and advocates fees in recovery matters
- Report on all successful recoveries on a monthly basis.
- Conduct recoveries for motor and non-motor, GIT, Marine, and Carrier liability
Handling of Judgements
- Maintain judgment register and appeals registers
- Review all judgements within 7 days of delivery
- Initiate negotiations and conclude within the stay period
- Ensure all judgements are paid or appeals lodged within the stay period
- Issue notice to insureds for judgements above the policy limit
- Review all outstanding appeals
- Negotiate the appeals with guidance from the supervisor.
- Ensure we recover in appeals any money due to the company
- Raise payments for judgements and advocate final fees
Hearings – Ensure all files coming up for hearing are reviewed before the hearing date and instructions issued to dealing advocates.
- Maintain a Hearing diary
- Aggressively initiate out-of-court negotiations in order to reduce claims outlay.
- Opinions – All opinions by our advocates are reviewed and instructions are given to the lawyers.
- Attend to advocate queries on matters pending in court.
- Secure attendance of witnesses in court.
- Refer claimants for re-examination by our doctors
- Call for any outstanding excess, especially in Employer’s liability matters
- Ensure the company’s interest is safeguarded at all times for matters pending in court.
- Where instructions are given to settle, ensure consents are duly recorded in court or consents filed with a stay period of 30 days.
Requirements
Academic and Professional Qualifications Core Technical competencies Required
- Bachelor of Law degree (LLB)
- Legal Diploma (Dip. in Law, KSL)
- An advocate of the High Court
- Knowledge of insurance products, services, principles and practice
- Claims management and handling process in a legal section
- Excellent verbal and written communication
- Cumulative 5 Years post admission experience in a legal department in an insurance company
- High-level interpersonal and cross-cultural skills, including the ability to build alliances and collaborative relationships with sensitivity to diversity.
- Must be a self-starter, highly organized, and able to work well with people at all levels in the organization.
- High levels of integrity.
- Strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Analytical and creative thinking skills.
- Good customer relationship management skills (internal and external customers).
- Good communication skills, both written and verbal.
- Self-motivated but able to work as part of a team.
- Good organizational and time-management skills.
- Positive attitude, self-motivated, self-driven and able to work with minimal supervision.
- Good negotiation skills and persuasiveness.
- Confidence in presenting to large groups of people.
- Trustworthiness and discretion when handling confidential information.
- A smart appearance and professional manner.
- Proficient knowledge in IT.
- Conflict resolution skills.
