Legal Manager

Position Summary

The Legal Manager is responsible for the effective and efficient provision of legal advisory services, ensuring the effective management of legal and contractual risks for Vinda SEA’s (“Organization”) operations. This role also involves supporting the day-to-day legal operations of the Organization, including contract review, legal research, intellectual property, and compliance.

You will play an essential role to:

1) Manage IP Portfolio for the Organization

• IP Portfolio Management: Responsible for IP filings, renewals and enforcement including managing external counsel in all IP filings, clearance searches and monitoring competitor threats to the Organization’s IP. Update and maintain the Organization’s IP records in coordination with other group companies.
• IP Strategy: Work with commercial, marketing and product development teams to develop and implement strategies to protect trademarks, patents, copyright and designs, including overseeing external counsel to coordinate patent and design drafting, filing and prosecution.
• IP Litigation Management: manage all contentious IP-related matters including office actions, objections, cancellations and other disputes.
• Contracts & Legal Advice: Draft, review, negotiate and provide advice on IP related agreements including NDAs and licensing agreements. Provide sound advice on IP filings, risks and infringement issues.

2) Legal Risk Management, Business Risk and Trading Risk Management / Risk Mitigation

• Handle a broad range of general corporate commercial matters such as drafting, reviewing and negotiating various types of contracts (including sale and purchase trading terms, export sales contracts etc) with a view to provide sound legal advice in order to finalize contracts and protect the interests of the Organization.
• Update and develop standard templates, and forms with standard conditions of contract.
• Manage all sales and commercial transactions and provide advice on legal topics such as vendor registration process, Code of Conduct, sanctions, and distribution agreements.

3) Litigation Management

• Strategize and manage contentious/litigious matters with external counsel.
• Review and monitor closely progress of on-going arbitration and litigation matters, monitoring timelines and critical deadlines.
• Strategize any settlement negotiations with relevant business teams.
• Manage external counsel throughout process with eye on budget and bill overruns.

4) Corporate Governance, Compliance & Regulatory Affairs

• Provide legal advice and support on governance, regulatory, and compliance issues including licensing requirements and considering export and cross-border restrictions.
• Ensure compliance with corporate governance standards for the Organization and assist in regulatory filings and investigations.

5) Corporate Secretarial & Board Administration Matters

• Draft and review corporate secretarial documents including preparing and reviewing resolutions, minutes of meetings in compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Coordinate with the internal or external company secretary to ensure timely and accurate filing of corporate documents, including statutory returns.
• Ensure that internal statutory records and registers are updated and maintained.

6) Legal Operations & Training

• Ensure that internal legal policies and guidelines are understood and implemented.
• Provide legal updates, conduct legal training and disseminate internal legal policy information to appropriate staff.
• Lead and/or support Legal functional initiatives. Any ad hoc projects as assigned.

To be successful in this role, you will need to have:

• A law degree from a reputable university. Admitted to the Malaysian bar or another Commonwealth jurisdiction. Graduate Certificate in Intellectual Property (“IP”) Law, Postgraduate Diploma or Master of IP Law will be an advantage
• At least eight (8) years PQE, with solid prior experience gained either from a reputable international law firm, or in-house position in a multinational company.