The work of a lawyer is one of the most prestigious and highly paid on the modern labor market. There are a lot of specialists in this field. The "boom" of lawyers began about ten years ago and continues to this day. There are many people who have been educated in this field, but real professionals are not always enough.
All large organizations that have a need for their own corporate lawyers conduct fairly complex tests, carefully review the resumes of applicants and conduct conversations that help to screen out incompetent employees to the maximum. Such a tough selection is especially relevant for vacancies for managerial positions, for example, the head of a department.
This article will tell you what to expect for a specialist from the proposed position, what to prepare for at the interview, and also what the job description of the head of the legal department contains.
The main provisions of the instructions
The job description of the head of the legal department positions this position as a manager. Under this person is a whole department of lawyers. In turn, the head of the legal department reports directly to the director or general director of the organization. It is the director who should be issued and signed all the documents relating to the work of this employee: orders, orders, decisions on relocation, dismissal, bonus payments.
The job description of the head of the legal department prescribes the assignment of the functions of a particular employee to another official who has the appropriate knowledge and skills, in case the specialist leaves for vacation or on sick leave. Deputy must be approved by management.
Tasks and Functions
In the work process, any employee is guided in making decisions and completing tasks by prescribed instructions. The job description of the head of the legal department includes the following list of tasks and functions for this position:
- ensuring compliance by the organization, its divisions and employees with legal requirements;
- Representation of interests of a company in pre-trial disputes and litigation;
- expert examination of orders, contracts and other documents proposed for consideration intended for internal and external users;
- examination of incoming documents for compliance with legal requirements;
- participation in the development of agreements, inclusion of conditions favorable for the organization in them;
- taking measures to eliminate and abolish legal acts that are contrary to law;
- legal opinions;
- assistance to the management and employees of the organization in resolving legal issues;
- clarification of the nuances of the legislation to employees, management and departments;
- providing information and teaching materials to internal users;
- analysis and summarizing of work with claims, disputes, court cases;
- development of innovations that eliminate violations of contract terms;
- preparation of materials and documents on violations in the production process, illegal acts of employees;
- control over receivables, preparation of correspondence to counterparties, enforced collection;
- storage, maintenance and monitoring of the safety of regulatory legal acts and other legal documents published in the organization;
- providing access to internal and external users (having the right to this) to the archives of documents.
It should be noted that the job description of the head of the legal department of the organization also implies the fulfillment of the leading role in the assigned department. The head of the legal department should also monitor the work of his subordinates, notice and eliminate their mistakes on time. If necessary, must impose appropriate penalties. The most important function of the boss is to distribute and delegate tasks between department employees for productive and prompt resolution of problems and issues at the enterprise.
Education and work experience
The work of a lawyer requires higher specialized education. As a rule, in order to subsequently occupy a high position with a good salary, while having passed competitive selection for a place without any problems, people who plan their life in this prof. areas, while still students, go on internship or practice in large organizations.
Such work is not always paid, or paid very little, but it gives a huge store of knowledge and experience. If the specialist did not have this internship, he will have to work as an assistant for a long time. To become the head of a department, remarkable experience is required. As a rule, specialists with work experience of more than five years are taken for such a position, often they also require experience in a managerial position, in addition to the main one, in their specialty.
Knowledge and skills
The job description of the head of the legal department is a sample of the most extensive document according to the requirements for the applicant. Before getting a job in a managerial position, the applicant must learn a lot and learn a lot. The following items are required knowledge:
- legislative provisions and legal acts relating to the entrepreneurial activities of business entities;
- tax, civil, labor, administrative and criminal laws;
- methodological and regulatory documentation relating to the activities of the organization and the industry;
- the order and methods of conducting business, accounting and tax accounting;
- forms and details of documents used in the activities of the enterprise;
- procedure for processing transactions and concluding contracts;
- labor organization rules, organization routine, its documents and accounting policies;
- fire safety and workplace safety regulations.
Personal qualities of the applicant
Jurisprudence is a very complex industry in itself, requiring a certain mentality. The managerial position in this area adds a few more requirements to this list. So, in order to find the most profitable outcome of cases, contracts, deals, the applicant needs a dodgy mind with a well-developed ability to think logically, build models of people's behavior, and also handle several possible situations. A quick memory is needed to quickly resolve emerging issues. In some situations, the predominance of professionalism over human feelings and emotions may be required.
As for the position of boss, leadership is invariably important here. If a person cannot lead his subordinates, he should not go to the bosses.
Responsibilities of the head of the legal department
Any work implies the existence of a certain set of rights and obligations of the employee in relation to the company, as well as the company in relation to the worker. The job descriptions of the head of the legal department of the city administration or of a regular commercial organization imply a roughly similar set of responsibilities:
- actions based on the interests of the organization, choosing the best possible scenario;
- observance of trade secrets and secrecy status;
- timely completion of their work;
- performance of work of appropriate quality;
- notification of the management of all force majeure situations, illegal acts on the part of employees and contractors of the company;
- correct behavior in and out of the workplace.
Employee Rights
The Labor Code prescribes for employees and employees the existence and observance of the following rights:
- official registration at the workplace, social package, timely wages;
- the presence of paid leave and sick leave;
- workplace safety;
- equipping the workplace with everything necessary for the labor process;
- the opportunity to offer ideas to improve the work process and working conditions.
Employee responsibility
Sanctions may be imposed on the head of the legal department for violations of the country's legislation, the organization’s internal routine, carelessness and work errors. The following are situations in the work process for which the employee is personally responsible and can be fined, fired and even convicted by executive bodies:
- non-fulfillment, improper execution, absenteeism, systematic lateness, violation of labor discipline, abuse of authority;
- offenses against other employees, the organization as a whole, customers or suppliers, provided for by criminal, administrative and civil laws;
- causing material damage to the property of the organization and other employees.
Features of work in state and municipal institutions
The job description of the head of the legal department of housing and communal services provides for a wide range of responsibilities. The main work consists in processing claims, preparing documents for arbitration proceedings, as well as representing the management company in court. The lawyer also resolves controversial issues, prepares objections to complaints received, monitors compliance with the regulations at meetings of residents and company representatives.