Job Description: Area Legal Manager – NBFC

Position Title: Area Legal Manager

Location: Hyderabad

Department: Collections - Retail Litigation

Reporting To: Regional Legal Manager

Role Purpose

The Area Legal Manager will be responsible for managing all legal activities for the assigned geography, including litigation management, collections-related legal actions, contract vetting, regulatory compliance support, and coordination with external law firms. The role ensures legal risk mitigation while supporting business growth across secured and unsecured lending products.

Key Responsibilities

1. Litigation & Legal Recovery

• Manage end-to-end litigation for retail, SME, and corporate loan portfolios.
• Oversee filing, tracking, and closure of legal cases under:
  • Section 138 (Cheque Bounce)
  • Arbitration
  • Sec 9/ Sec 17 proceedings
  • SARFAESI actions (where applicable)
  • Civil suits & criminal complaints
• Coordinate with external advocates for case strategy, court appearances, and timely filings.
• Review and approve legal notices, replies, and case drafts.
• Ensure timely execution of decrees, awards, and recovery orders.

2. Collections Legal Support

• Identify accounts requiring legal intervention in coordination with Collections and Business teams.
• Drive legal recoveries by initiating and monitoring:
  • Demand notices
  • Pre-litigation processes
  • Property possession and auction (for secured loans)
• Provide legal opinion on complex delinquent cases.

3. Documentation & Contract Management

• Vet and finalize loan-related documents, agreements, vendor contracts, and renewal documents.
• Support business in rolling out updated documentation aligned with regulatory changes.
• Conduct periodic audits to ensure compliance of branch-level documentation.

4. Regulatory & Compliance Support

• Monitor changes in NBFC regulatory framework and support internal implementation.
• Ensure legal processes comply with RBI guidelines, Arbitration Act, IBC, NI Act, and other relevant laws.
• Assist in internal and external audits from a legal standpoint.

5. Vendor & Advocate Management

• Empanel, evaluate, and monitor performance of external advocates and legal vendors.
• Ensure adherence to cost, quality, and compliance parameters.
• Negotiate and manage professional fee structures.

6. Stakeholder Management

• Work closely with Business, Credit, Collections, Risk, Operations, and Compliance teams.
• Provide legal opinions for business expansion, new products, major NPAs, and policy-level decisions.
• Conduct training for internal teams on legal processes and documentation.

Qualifications & Experience

• Education: LL.B or LL.M from a recognized university.
• Experience: 5–10 years of experience in legal functions within NBFC, Banking, or Financial Services.
• Strong experience handling litigation, arbitration, SARFAESI, and collection legal processes.
• Exposure to secured and unsecured lending portfolios preferred.