Legal Assistant

Come and join the leading #avoexperts 🥑

Westfalia Fruit is a leading multinational supplier of fresh fruit and related value-added products to global markets. Through our vertically-integrated supply chain we grow, source, ripen, pack, process and market quality avocadoes & fresh produce – 365 days a year & across the globe.

With the largest avocado-growing footprint in the world, we are recognised as the leading #avoexperts and considered as the supplier of choice to both retail & wholesale customers whom we serve from sales offices in the UK, Europe, North America, Latin America & Southern Africa.

We’re looking for a Legal Assistant to join our team in Kings Hill, UK on a 12 month fixed term contract.

The Legal Assistant will support the in-house legal team by reviewing contracts, agreements, and other legal documents, conducting research, and managing the legal workload tracker. The role involves assisting with  legal queries, ensuring timely responses, and maintaining legal documentation.

Tasks include:

• Conduct initial reviews of legal documents, including NDAs, POAs, and Supplier Agreements, ensuring compliance with applicable legal standards.
• Draft and edit contracts and agreements, identifying risks and flagging issues for escalation to senior legal team members.
• Perform in-depth legal research, summarizing findings and providing recommendations based on current legislation and regulations.
• Maintain and update the legal workload tracker, ensuring accuracy and timely responses to internal legal requests.
• Organize and manage legal documentation and filing systems for easy access and reference.
• Coordinate with other departments to collect information required for legal matters and ensure smooth communication.
• Support cross-jurisdictional projects involving the UK, EU, and South Africa, collaborating with stakeholders as needed.
• Act as a liaison between the legal team and business units, facilitating effective communication and workflow.
• Participate in team meetings, contributing to discussions on legal processes, strategies, and improvements.
• Stay updated on relevant legislation and regulatory changes, ensuring compliance across applicable jurisdictions.

• Law degree is essential.
• Outstanding attention to detail, with the ability to spot and address issues proactively.
• Excellent English communication skills, both written and verbal.
• A positive and professional demeanour with the ability to interact effectively at all organizational levels.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines.
• Self-motivated and able to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Prior experience in a law firm or private in-house legal team is advantageous.
• Proven experience in contract drafting.
• LPC or CILEX in progress is highly advantageous.

• Hybrid working. 

• 23 days holiday, plus bank holidays. 

• State of the art office with fresh fruit, bean-to-cup coffee, freshly squeezed orange juice & avocado ice-cream. 

• Free on-site parking. 

• Company pension scheme with life insurance cover. 

• Employee Assistance Plan with Medicash. 

• Christmas hampers & a Christmas party. 

• Sausage roll Thursday & pizza lunch days. 

Please note that this position does not have a specific closing date. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible as we will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis and the advert may be removed at any time.

We’re an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to age, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family or parental status, national origin, or veteran, neurodiversity or disability status.