About the Role

The Junior Legal Counsel is the execution engine within Zeraki’s lean Legal, Risk & Compliance (LRC) function. The role exists to operationalise Zeraki’s Legal strategy by ensuring disciplined contract coverage, demonstrable compliance, professionalised governance and product-integrated legal controls. It provides day-to-day legal support across the business – drafting and reviewing agreements, guiding product teams, maintaining regulatory filings and tracking risks – while upholding the documentation discipline and confidentiality required in a high-growth, multi-jurisdictional environment.

Strategic Context

Zeraki is expanding into regulated sectors such as embedded finance, telecommunications and online learning. Each new market introduces its own legal frameworks (data protection, telecom licensing, consumer protection, education law, fintech regulations and employment regimes) and requires structured contracting with schools, vendors and partners. Without dedicated legal capacity, the company risks ad-hoc agreements, inconsistent compliance and reputational harm.

The Junior Legal Counsel will:

1. Translate the company’s growth aspirations into legally compliant, scalable processes for contracting and compliance.
2. Provide proactive product advisory so that privacy, consumer protection and licensing requirements are built into new features rather than retrofitted; and
3. Ensure documents, licenses and consents are accurate and retrievable so that the company can withstand regulatory scrutiny.

Requirements

Key Responsibilities

The Junior Legal Counsel will have end‑to‑end responsibility for:

• Contract lifecycle: intake, drafting, negotiation, execution and repository management for service agreements, partner agreements, vendor contracts, data processing agreements and click‑through terms. 100 % coverage is the baseline.
• Regulatory compliance: preparing and submitting routine filings (license renewals, ODPC registration, annual returns), maintaining the compliance tracker and managing photo/video releases and consent logs.
• Corporate governance: drafting board and shareholder meeting materials, minutes and resolutions; maintaining statutory registers and cap table; and ensuring beneficial ownership records are up to date.
• Product and commercial advisory: providing legal input at ideation, build and pre‑launch stages so that new products incorporate required consents, disclosures and age‑appropriate protections.
• Dispute management and external counsel coordination: conducting initial fact gathering for disputes, preserving evidence, summarizing exposure and interfacing with external counsel under the Legal Manager’s direction.
• Risk identification: monitoring regulatory developments across jurisdictions, logging risks under the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework, recommending mitigations and escalating existential issues.

Team Structure

• Manager – Legal (Reporting line): provides oversight, approves final positions and escalations.
• Junior Legal Counsel (this role).
• Risk & Compliance Officer (dotted): collaborates on compliance tracker and enterprise risk management.
• Support from intern or legal assistant (where budget allows).

Key Accountabilities

Contract Lifecycle & Coverage – ~40 %

• Conduct structured intake sessions with business leads to understand objectives, risk appetite and confidentiality considerations.
• Draft, review and negotiate commercial agreements using approved templates and maintain the clause library. Carefully redline counterparty forms and track versions.
• Ensure reciprocal protections (liability caps, indemnities, confidentiality, termination) are balanced and document all concessions.
• Obtain Legal Manager clearance before execution. Log executed contracts and click‑wrap consents in the central repository.
• Monitor expirations and renewals; report monthly coverage metrics.

Compliance & Data Protection – ~25 %

• Execute Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) with processors and controllers. Maintain consent logs showing when and how consent was obtained and ensure photo/video release forms are stored.
• Administer the compliance tracker of licenses and statutory filings; file returns within statutory deadlines and log proof of payment.
• Conduct legal research on licensing requirements in new jurisdictions and summaries obligations for the team.
• Assist in drafting brief guides and training materials on privacy‑by‑design, marketing regulations and other relevant laws for internal teams.

Governance & Corporate Secretariat – ~15 %

• Prepare notices and agendas at least seven days before meetings; circulate reminders.
• Draft accurate minutes capturing decisions, dissent and action items; circulate within five business days and file in statutory records.
• Update statutory registers, beneficial ownership filings, cap table and ESOP documentation; support due diligence by assembling data room materials.

Product & Commercial Advisory – ~10 %

• At ideation, frame regulatory hypotheses and licensing assumptions for new products or features.
• During build, review data flows, consent mechanisms and disclosures; advise on consumer protection and fintech laws.
• Prior to launch, confirm that the product aligns with the approved legal framework and that clickwrap terms and disclosures are integrated into the user experience.

Dispute Management & Risk Identification – ~10 %

• When disputes or potential breaches arise, gather facts, preserve evidence and stop further exposure.
• Draft preliminary summaries of exposure and settlement options for the Legal Manager.
• Coordinate document exchange and instructions with external counsel; review their advice for alignment with business objectives.
• Maintain a risk log for assigned matters, noting likelihood and impact and recommending mitigations.

Performance Metrics

Contract outcomes

• 70 % of partners, clients, suppliers and users have signed agreements or recorded acceptance.
• No contract is executed without legal clearance; all executed documents are stored in the central repository.
• Expirations and renewals are tracked with no unplanned lapses.

Compliance

• All statutory filings and license renewals across jurisdictions are submitted on time with proof of payment filed.
• DPAs and consent logs exist for every data processor or controller; no data breach notifications are delayed beyond statutory period.
• Zero fines or regulatory penalties arising from missed obligations.

Governance

• Board packs distributed at least seven days before meetings; minutes circulated within five business days.
• Statutory registers, cap table and ESOP documentation are up to date and audit‑ready.

Risk Management

• All identified risks in meetings and operations are logged, assigned and tracked in the ERM system.
• Material risks are escalated with recommendations for mitigation.

Contract Lifecycle & Coverage

• Intake, drafting, negotiation, execution and repository management for service agreements, partner agreements, vendor contracts, data processing agreements and click-through terms.
• Ensure 100 % contract coverage and central storage of signed documents.
• Monitor expirations and renewals.

Regulatory Compliance & Data Protection

• Maintain compliance tracker of licenses, returns and statutory obligations.
• Implement privacy-by-design practices, consent logs and breach response documentation.
• Prepare and submit routine regulatory filings.

Corporate Governance

• Draft board and shareholder meeting materials, minutes and resolutions.
• Maintain statutory registers and corporate records.
• Ensure beneficial ownership records are up to date.

Product & Commercial Advisory

• Provide legal input at ideation, build and pre-launch stages.
• Ens

• Contract lifecycle: intake, drafting, negotiation, execution and repository management for service agreements, partner agreements, vendor contracts, data processing agreements and click‑through terms. 100 % coverage is the baseline.
• Regulatory compliance: preparing and submitting routine filings (license renewals, ODPC registration, annual returns), maintaining the compliance tracker and managing photo/video releases and consent logs.
• Corporate governance: drafting board and shareholder meeting materials, minutes and resolutions; maintaining statutory registers and cap table; and ensuring beneficial ownership records are up to date.
• Product and commercial advisory: providing legal input at ideation, build and pre‑launch stages so that new products incorporate required consents, disclosures and age‑appropriate protections.
• Dispute management and external counsel coordination: conducting initial fact gathering for disputes, preserving evidence, summarizing exposure and interfacing with external counsel under the Legal Manager’s direction.
• Risk identification: monitoring regulatory developments across jurisdictions, logging risks under the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework, recommending mitigations and escalating existential issues.
• Conduct structured intake sessions with business leads to understand objectives, risk appetite and confidentiality considerations.
• Draft, review and negotiate commercial agreements using approved templates and maintain the clause library. Carefully redline counterparty forms and track versions.
• Ensure reciprocal protections (liability caps, indemnities, confidentiality, termination) are balanced and document all concessions.
• Obtain Legal Manager clearance before execution. Log executed contracts and click‑wrap consents in the central repository.
• Monitor expirations and renewals; report monthly coverage metrics.
• Execute Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) with processors and controllers. Maintain consent logs showing when and how consent was obtained and ensure photo/video release forms are stored.
• Administer the compliance tracker of licenses and statutory filings; file returns within statutory deadlines and log proof of payment.
• Conduct legal research on licensing requirements in new jurisdictions and summaries obligations for the team.
• Assist in drafting brief guides and training materials on privacy‑by‑design, marketing regulations and other relevant laws for internal teams.
• Prepare notices and agendas at least seven days before meetings; circulate reminders.
• Draft accurate minutes capturing decisions, dissent and action items; circulate within five business days and file in statutory records.
• Update statutory registers, beneficial ownership filings, cap table and ESOP documentation; support due diligence by assembling data room materials.
• At ideation, frame regulatory hypotheses and licensing assumptions for new products or features.
• During build, review data flows, consent mechanisms and disclosures; advise on consumer protection and fintech laws.
• Prior to launch, confirm that the product aligns with the approved legal framework and that clickwrap terms and disclosures are integrated into the user experience.
• When disputes or potential breaches arise, gather facts, preserve evidence and stop further exposure.
• Draft preliminary summaries of exposure and settlement options for the Legal Manager.
• Coordinate document exchange and instructions with external counsel; review their advice for alignment with business objectives.
• Maintain a risk log for assigned matters, noting likelihood and impact and recommending mitigations.
• Ensure 100 % contract coverage and central storage of signed documents.
• Monitor expirations and renewals.
• Maintain compliance tracker of licenses, returns and statutory obligations.
• Implement privacy-by-design practices, consent logs and breach response documentation.
• Prepare and submit routine regulatory filings.
• Draft board and shareholder meeting materials, minutes and resolutions.
• Maintain statutory registers and corporate records.
• Ensure beneficial ownership records are up to date.
• Provide legal input at ideation, build and pre-launch stages.

• Contract drafting and review
• Negotiation
• Regulatory compliance
• Corporate governance
• Product advisory
• Dispute management
• Risk identification
• Legal research
• Data protection
• Communication
• Attention to detail
• Organizational skills

• Law degree (LLB) or equivalent.
• Admission to the bar or equivalent professional qualification.
• Proficiency in contract law, corporate law, data protection law, and relevant regulatory frameworks.
• Experience in a legal or compliance role, preferably within a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• High level of integrity and professionalism.