Associate Counsel - NBA Africa & BAL

Provide legal, business affairs, compliance, and general corporate support for the NBA in Africa and for the Basketball Africa League (BAL) globally. This position will be based in Johannesburg, South Africa or Nairobi, Kenya, and it will work together with the NBA’s legal staff across its various offices, including the NBA’s HQ in New York.

Primary Responsibilities

• Provide timely and actionable legal and business affairs counsel for NBA Africa and the BAL business teams.
• Draft, review, and negotiate contracts across all business lines, in particular for NBA Africa and BAL basketball operations, fan events, marketing partnerships, merchandising, and service providers.
• Manage due diligence process for business partners and service providers.
• Advise on various regulatory issues and strategic initiatives in the region, and work with local counsel as needed.
• Drive general corporate and administrative legal matters for NBA Africa and the BAL.
• Implement organizational best-practices, controls and policies, and provide regular training of the same to existing and new business staff.

Required Skills/Knowledge

• Strong analytical, legal writing, communication, and organizational skills, as well as strong problem solving and collaborative skills.
• Experience with contract drafting and negotiation, with an exceptional level of attention to detail.
• Experience with compliance, due diligence, and legal research.
• Knowledge of FCPA, UK Bribery Act, OFAC, and African compliance-related regulations is preferred.
• In addition to English, speaking and written fluency in French or Arabic is preferred.

Experience Requirements

• Minimum 5 years’ PQE or post-admission experience, with experience gained at both (a) a top tier multinational law firm in Africa, US, UK, Europe, or the Middle East, and (b) a multinational company or other similar in-house experience in Africa, US, UK, Europe, or the Middle East.
• Cross-border transactional work experience is required.
• Commercial or corporate law background.

Educational Background Required

• Law degree from a top tier university in Africa, US, UK, or France.
• Admitted as an attorney in South Africa or a relevant African country, qualified as a Solicitor in England and Wales, admitted to the NY bar (or other US jurisdiction), and/or qualified as an attorney in a similar jurisdiction.