Head of legal job description

The head of legal is responsible for providing guidance on corporate governance, negotiating and drafting contracts, risk management, and the development of plans and policies. They are also tasked with ensuring that the legal department – staff and resources – are managed effectively.

Head of legal department responsibilities

The head of legal is responsible for all members of the legal team. They manage all legal affairs related to the structure of the organisation, its commercial licenses, and commercial law compliance.

The head of legal acts as the main contact within the organisation’s legal team, and is expected to build strong and amicable relationships with vendors, housing authorities, landlords and external legal counsel.

Head of legal department responsibilities include:

  • Ensuring all members of the legal team work efficiently
  • Provide legal advice to the business and its leaders
  • Identifying and mitigating legal risks
  • Helping to draft, vet and negotiate contracts
  • Conducting legal training for staff
  • Advising on the legal implications of company policies and procedures
  • Ensuring all contracts, legal documents and templates are up-to-date and compliant with statutory laws
  • Reporting on legal activities, risks and litigation

Head of legal qualifications, skills and experience

To meet the head of legal job description, a professional should have a law degree and have a minimum of ten years’ experience in the core legal function. Senior management experience and post-qualified experience is usually preferable, too.

Soft skills needed for the role are as follows:

  • Excellent attention to detail
  • Good interpersonal skills
  • Ability to multitask
  • Strategic thinking

Professionals in a head of legal role should also have expert knowledge of the KSA legal system and will ideally be fluent in Arabic and English.

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