Legal Counsel, EPC Contracts Department (Legal Support Division)

Job description / Role

Legal support of EPC contracts of the LUKOIL Overseas Group of companies (Group) that fall within the competence of the Integrated Service Center (ISC) for all activity areas of the companies including additional agreements, their amendments and other documents establishing, changing or terminating the Group's rights and obligations with regard to EPC contracts (hereinafter the EPC contracts):
- Mitigation of legal risk when entering into EPC contracts.
- Compliance of the concluded EPC contracts with the applicable legislation, basic title documents under the projects and corporate standards.

Legal due diligence of draft EPC contracts and other materials required for tender and other procurement procedures under the EPC deals made by the Group companies:
- Mitigation of legal risks when performing procurement procedures, legal due diligence of potential contractors, preparing the contracts that are included in the procurement documentation packages, as well as negotiating with potential partners.

Providing advice, explanations, and opinions on the legislation application in the course of EPC contracts execution:
- Timely and full consultations and explanations, as well as their compliance with a customer's request.

Legal support of pre-claim and claim activities of the Groups companies; organizing and conducting court and arbitration proceedings:
- Timely and comprehensive consultations at the request of the customer in terms of pre-claims and claims handling; timely procedural actions within litigations and/or arbitrations.

Functions:
- Legal examination of EPC contracts, approval of draft EPC contracts, preparation of conclusions on the compliance of draft EPC contracts with the applicable law, basic title documents under the projects and with the activity goals.
- Assessment of legal risks for the EPC contracts and other agreements signed by the Group.
- Drafting of EPC and other contracts at the request of the Group companies and business units.
- Preparation of legal opinions, negotiating with contractors to ensure the fulfillment of obligations under the Groups EPC and other contracts by contractors, preparation of legal references for negotiations, engagement in shaping a position of the Group company.
- Development of proposals to improve contractual discipline, undertaking remedial actions.
- Ensuring the creation of the EPC contract originals archive, receipt, recording and safekeeping.
- Ensuring registration, recording and safekeeping of EPC contracts in the corporate information systems including SAP R3 and Unified Workflow System.
- Consulting the Company's employees and managers within his/her competency.
- Control over the compliance with the procedures of EPC contract preparation and approval by responsible persons and business units.
- Development and provision of assistance to the business units in the development of local regulatory documents governing the issues of commercial and business activities of the Group companies within his/her competency;
- Participation in expert committees for the evaluation of bidding proposals organized by the Group company to verify the authenticity of the presented documents based on external features;
- Participating in the evaluation of proposals and comments received from bidders together with the Operator business units..
- Participation in the development of the tender documents circulated among bidders within the competence of the Department.
- Provision of legal memos, conclusions and consultations in respect to the execution, variation and termination of the Group's EPC and other contracts.
- Provision of the legal memos, conclusions and consultations to the leading departments on the issues of the execution, variation and termination of the Group's EPC and other contracts in the course of negotiations.
- Provision of the legal memos, conclusions and consultations on the issues of the legislation applicable for the signing, execution, variation and termination of the EPC and other contracts.
- Organize legal work in the Group in respect of pre-claim and claim activities, court/arbitration proceedings as requested by clients, including protection of rights and legal interests of the Group through preparation of claims to contractors, replies to contractors' claims and legal actions, participate in court proceedings, organize legal risk mitigation activities.
- Represent and provide legal protection of the Group's legal interests in courts and arbitration bodies when required.

Requirements

Education:
- Higher legal education, Master's diploma issued by (western) higher education institution.

Relevant Professional Experience:
- Relevant professional background - 5+ years, including in the position of Chief Legal Counsel in a legal department - 2+ years, including work experience in an international law firm.

Professional Skills and Knowledge:
- Knowledge of specifics of contracts regulated by the English law.
- Knowledge of contract standards in oil and gas industry.
- Knowledge of specifics of the corporate legislation in the countries of the Group's and its contractors' presence.
- Knowledge of specifics of multi-jurisdictional and cross-border transactions.
- Knowledge of legislation of international and supra-national institutions, and also legislation with extra-territorial effect that is applicable to the oil and gas industry.
- Know how to draft contractual documents.
- Negotiation skills.
- Skills of legal audit of legal entities.
- Experience in handling claims, court and arbitration proceedings.

Language Skills:
- English - upper-intermediate.

About the Company

LUKOIL is one of the world’s leading vertically integrated oil & gas companies. Main activities of the Company are exploration and production of oil & gas, production of petroleum products and petrochemicals, and marketing of these outputs. Most of the Company's exploration and production activity is located in Russia, and its main resource base is in Western Siberia.

LUKOIL owns modern refineries, gas processing and petrochemical plants located in Russia, Eastern and Western Europe, near-abroad countries. Most of the Company's production is sold on the international market. LUKOIL petroleum products are sold in Russia, Eastern and Western Europe, near-abroad countries and the USA.