Ministry of Trade and Industry
Port of Spain
Job Description
<div style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">The incumbent is expected to manage and direct the activities of the&nbsp;<span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Legal Services Unit of the Ministry of Trade and Industry and render&nbsp;</span><span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">legal services. Duties include planning, directing and coordinating&nbsp;</span><span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">the work of professional legal staff and legal support staff. Duties&nbsp;</span><span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">also include providing legal advice, representing the Ministry in</span></div><div style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Court, at Tribunals and meetings, drafting and reviewing legal&nbsp;<span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">agreements and other legal documents and participating in&nbsp;</span><span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">negotiations, mediation and arbitration.</span></div>
Key and Critical Responsibilities
<ul><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Plans, directs and co-ordinates the activities of the professional&nbsp;<span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">legal staff and other support staff engaged in the provision of&nbsp;</span><span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">legal services to a Ministry/Department.</span></li><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Plans, organises and directs the development of the work&nbsp;<span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">programme of the Legal Services Unit/Division.</span></li><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Directs, co-ordinates and reviews the work of professional legal&nbsp;<span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">staff performing duties such as :&nbsp;</span>appearing in court and before other tribunals;&nbsp;<span style="letter-spacing: 0.4px;">providing advice on legal issues related to the&nbsp;</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4px;">administration, interpretation and enforcement of laws&nbsp;</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4px;">pertinent to the Ministry/Departments operations;&nbsp;</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4px;">drafting legal documents such as contracts, leases and&nbsp;</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4px;">agreements;&nbsp;</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4px;">preparing draft pleadings for filing;&nbsp;</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4px;">reviewing legal/court documents for completeness and&nbsp;</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4px;">accuracy;&nbsp;</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4px;">preparing legal opinions; and&nbsp;</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4px;">researching and analysing legal matters/issues.</span></li></ul><ul><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Provides advice and interpretation to senior management and&nbsp;<span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">staff on very complex legal matters/issues.</span></li><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Drafts or leads the drafting of very complex legal documents/&nbsp;<span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">instruments.</span></li><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Directs and participates in the review of existing laws and&nbsp;<span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">regulations pertinent to the Ministry/Department and in&nbsp;</span><span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">the recommendation of or the formulation of appropriate&nbsp;</span><span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">amendments.</span></li><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Represents the Ministry/Department in court and before other&nbsp;<span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">tribunals in very complex legal matters.</span></li><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Plans, directs and co-ordinates the review of systems and&nbsp;<span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">procedures, and the development of strategies/mechanisms to&nbsp;</span><span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">improve the effectiveness of legal services delivery.</span></li><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Drafts budgetary estimates of the Legal Services Unit/Division.</li><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Identifies and makes recommendations for staff training and&nbsp;<span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">development.</span></li></ul><div style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;"><ul><li>Serves as a resource in the training and development of legal staff.</li><li>Leads or participates in consultations and negotiations with&nbsp;<span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">external parties.</span></li><li>Prepares Cabinet/Ministerial Notes, memoranda, letters and&nbsp;<span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">other documents.</span></li><li>Represents the Ministry/Department on committees, meetings&nbsp;<span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">and other fora.</span></li><li>Performs other related work as necessary.</li></ul></div>
Key Competency
<ul><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Extensive knowledge of the Laws of Trinidad and Tobago.</li><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Extensive knowledge of legal principles and practices.</li><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Extensive knowledge of the laws and regulations pertinent to&nbsp;<span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">the operations of the Ministry/Department.</span></li><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Extensive knowledge of court procedures and practices and of&nbsp;<span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">rules of evidence.</span></li><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Considerable knowledge of legal drafting principles and&nbsp;<span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">practices, legal research skills and techniques.</span></li><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office Suite.</li><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Skill in the use of personal computers.</li><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Ability to use e-Government technology platforms.</li><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Ability to use the internet for research purposes.</li><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Skill in drafting legal documents/instruments.</li><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Skill in negotiation, mediation and arbitration.</li><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Ability to plan, organize, direct and co-ordinate the activities of a&nbsp;<span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">division providing legal services.</span></li><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Ability to analyse and interpret laws and regulations.</li><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Ability to present and explain statements of fact and the law&nbsp;<span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">logically, orally and in writing.</span></li><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Ability to maintain confidentiality.</li><li style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships&nbsp;<span style="transition-property: all; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">with fellow employees, colleagues and members of the public.</span></li></ul>