Paralegal

Job description / Role

Job Purpose

Assists the Legal Department in providing substantive legal and administrative work to ensure the protection of the Company’s legal and contractual rights, this includes but not limited to: contracts management, litigation and arbitration formalities, licensing, and projects coordinating.  He/she shall carry all responsibilities with utmost confidentiality and in alignment with law and regulations to ensure Company’s corporate image is positively reflected and maintained.

Key Result Responsibilities

* Drafts, initiates, proof checks and maintains contracts of different nature and templates including fuel supply contracts to be signed between Air Arabia/Subsidiaries and external parties according to agreed terms and conditions.
* Obtains necessary information, documents and signatures from both parties ensuring all legal aspects are being covered to minimize the risk on the company and its subsidiaries.
* Validates contracts in terms of clauses, signatories, expiry, and restrictions; arranges for necessary copies to be circulated to concerned parties ensuring an electronic copy is maintained on the In-House shared drive. 
* Creates, maintains, and regularly updates an organized electronic/manual archiving system and database of all contracts, documents, and various contacts to be retrieved by the Legal Team as needed.
* Assists the “Legal Counsel” in all licensing and entity formation related formalities pertaining to new registrations and renewal of company’s subsidiaries in all hubs, trade licenses and service level agreements, etc.
* Coordinates with Subsidiaries and Government Departments to ensure smooth processing; follows up on due payments and charges with Finance Division and concerned parties as needed to avoid any penalties or delays from company’s side.
* Pro-actively coordinates the In-house workflow of all litigation and arbitration formalities. 
* Establishes contact with external parties such as the General Counsels, Law Firms, Commercial Managers, Courts, etc., to ensure all legal cases and disputes are being addressed and managed effectively.
* Prepares all necessary official documentations and information needed for litigation and arbitration mechanisms; reviews notices, collates evidences and proofs from different sources to be considered for legal actions.
* Schedules hearings and communicates information to concerned parties, follows up on decrees and final decisions to ensure successful implementation.
* Prepares a monthly status report for all hubs covering information on disputes, complaints, and claims received, decrees, decisions and actions taken, as well as, a summary on final status of cases.
* Maintains an up-to-date database of documents such as complaints, correspondence, notices, decrees, and evidences related to official disputes and court cases to be referred to when needed.
* Establishes relationships with business partners, heads of departments and external parties to facilitate work-flow and operations pertaining to legal and contracting day-to-day activities.
* Assists the legal team in all projects and administrative work such as correspondence, e-mails, claims, researches, scanning, profiling, archiving, database and track tables creation, charts, circulations, mail, etc.
* Coordinates internal/external meetings and activities of the legal team, prepares agendas, minutes of meeting, distribution lists, Creates and maintains key contact and distribution lists.
* Generates function-related reports and follows up on all HR-related activities such as requisitions, leave, performance and training.

Requirements

Qualifications (Academic, training, languages)
* Bachelor degree in Law, Paralegal Studies or equivalent.
* Proficient in Microsoft Office (Advanced Excel and PowerPoint), Internet and Web Search.
* Very good business writing and reporting skills.
* Fluent in English & Arabic   

Work Experience
* 3+ years of working experience as a legal assistant or paralegal working closely with senior level attorneys in a law firm or corporate legal environment; preferably within Airline industry.
* UAE experience, knowledge of UAE regulations, litigation and arbitration mechanism is a must.
* Proven skills in managing court cases and disputes pertaining to formalities, documents, and follow up.
* Experience in initiating and drafting contracts of various nature.
* Highly organized with experience in developing and maintaining filing / archiving systems.
* Employs a balance of technical expertise, and interpersonal relations to interact with senior/ mid- level management and subordinates as well as execute new initiatives that support company’s objectives.
* Demonstrates the ability to contribute and successfully deliver against business strategy and set KPIs.

About the Company

Air Arabia (PJSC), listed on the Dubai Financial Market, is the Middle East and North Africa's first and leading low-cost carrier flying to over 100 destinations across the world. Air Arabia was the first airline to introduce the low-cost carrier concept in the region and is on a mission to serve all Arab countries and beyond, constantly undergoing aggressive route expansion, taking advantage of its ideally located hubs in the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Egypt and Jordan. Over the past thirteen years, Air Arabia, through continuous market research and customer feedback, provides a range of value added services to millions of passengers who chose to fly with Air Arabia's fleet of A320 aircraft. The airline commenced operations in October 2003 and achieved financial break-even from its very first year of services and has been profitable ever since.