Senior Legal Advisor

As a Senior Legal Advisor at Forvis Mazars, Nigeria, you will play a critical role in safeguarding the firm’s legal, regulatory, and governance integrity. This multifaceted position spans company secretarial responsibilities, immigration support, corporate services, M&A advisory, and data protection compliance, while also ensuring excellence in legal documentation and internal quality assurance.

You are right for this role if:

• You are a detail-oriented legal professional with strong advisory instincts and a passion for governance, compliance, and cross-border business operations.
• You possess a solid understanding of Nigerian corporate law, regulatory frameworks, and immigration protocols, and can effectively translate legal requirements into practical guidance.
• You are comfortable engaging with regulators, managing complex filings, and representing clients across sectors.
• You can move seamlessly between strategic thinking and hands-on execution, whether drafting legal agreements, managing stakeholder relationships, or ensuring data privacy compliance.
• You bring a proactive, solutions-driven mindset to every challenge, and you value collaboration and professional excellence.

Key responsibilities

Company Secretary & Administrative Roles

• Organising board and shareholders meetings, including preparing agendas, circulating board papers, taking accurate minutes, and ensuring follow-up on action points.
• Maintaining meticulous statutory registers and records, such as the register of members, directors, and charges, and ensuring all company filings with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) are timely and accurate.
• Facilitating effective communication between the company and its shareholders, including managing annual general meetings (AGMs), extraordinary general meetings (EGMs), and handling shareholder queries.
• Providing expert advice to the board on corporate governance best practices, legal compliance, and the implications of regulatory changes.
• Monitoring and ensuring the company’s adherence to relevant laws, regulations, and internal policies, thereby minimizing legal and reputational risks. This includes active liaison with external stakeholders such as auditors, solicitors, consultants, and other external professionals, as well as regulatory bodies including the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Nigeria Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), and others pertinent to the company’s operations.

Immigration Services

• Assisting companies with the preparation and submission of applications for expatriate quotas, ensuring all necessary documentation is in order and aligned with immigration policies.
• Guiding clients through the process of obtaining and renewing business permits, essential for foreign participation in Nigerian business.
• Handling all aspects of Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card (CERPAC) applications and renewals, from initial submission to collection.
• Assisting expatriates with their emigration registration processes, ensuring compliance with exit formalities.
• Assisting with the preparation and compilation of necessary documentation for various applications abroad, including but not limited to Subject to Regularization (STR) visa applications.

Corporate Services

• Guiding clients through the entire company registration process with the CAC, from name search to incorporation.
• Managing all post-incorporation filings with the CAC, including changes in directors, increase in share capital, and other statutory updates.
• Providing expert advice and hands-on assistance with applications for a wide array of regulatory licenses relevant to specific sectors, such as NAFDAC applications, Export licenses, Trustee licenses, NXP applications and cancellations, NEPC registrations, SONCAP certifications, and other necessary business permits.
• Providing comprehensive advice and document preparation for Certificate of Capital Importation (CCI), guiding clients on expatriation of capital, profit repatriation, and payment of dividends, ensuring compliance with foreign exchange regulations.

Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Advisory

• Assisting with the due diligence process to identify potential risks and opportunities.
• Advising on cross-border transactions.
• Providing legal and strategic support during negotiations.

Data Protection & Privacy

• Conducting comprehensive privacy audits for both internal departments and external client companies to identify compliance gaps and risks.
• Developing and implementing robust data protection and privacy policies tailored to organizational needs and regulatory requirements.
• Overseeing adherence to data protection regulations in Nigeria and ensuring ongoing compliance across all operations.
• Overseeing cross-border processing of personal data of employees, clients, and third parties.

Legal Documentation, Quality Assurance & Professional Development

• Drafting and reviewing a variety of legal agreements, including contracts, joint venture agreements, loan agreements, and other commercial instruments, ensuring legal soundness and alignment with business objectives. This also encompasses drafting legal articles and opinions on various legal and regulatory matters.
• Ensuring that all client documents and internal paperwork meet stringent legal, regulatory, and internal firm policies and standards.
• Ensuring the firm and its clients adhere to best practices in corporate governance.
• Continuously monitoring and staying updated with changes in laws, regulations, and industry best practices relevant to all areas of service delivery, ensuring proactive adaptation and compliance.
• Actively contributing to the firm’s business development efforts, including identifying new opportunities, preparing proposals, fostering client relationships, and representing the firm at networking events.

Qualifications & experience

Educational Background: A lawyer called to the Nigerian Bar with a minimum of 5 years post-call experience.

Core Expertise: The ideal candidate must have demonstrable experience in the following areas:

• Legal and compliance
• Data protection and privacy
• Immigration law
• Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) transactions
• Corporate governance and risk management

Certifications:

• Must be a certified Data Protection Officer (DPO) from a licensed organization.
• Having a certification from the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) or the Compliance Institute of Nigeria (CIN) would be a significant advantage.

Ready to grow your career in a role that combines technical excellence, strategic thinking, and leadership? Apply now.