Senior Associate / Head of Litigation

About the role

The Senior Associate / Head of Litigation will lead the Litigation & Dispute Resolution department of a global law firm operating in Kenya. The role combines strategic department leadership with hands‑on commercial litigation on high‑value, complex matters.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and manage the Litigation Department, overseeing legal delivery, people, client relationships and financial performance.
• Independently handle complex commercial litigation, including banking, financial services, contractual, shareholder, corporate, insolvency and judicial review disputes.
• Develop litigation strategies, review pleadings, submissions, witness statements and other legal documents for quality and consistency.
• Conduct or supervise hearings, trials, appeals, mediations and other dispute‑resolution proceedings, ensuring advocates are well prepared.
• Allocate matters across the team based on complexity, capacity and development needs while maintaining oversight of significant cases.
• Maintain rigorous matter management, including diarisation, court deadlines, hearing preparation, status reporting and compliance with firm SOPs.
• Own the client experience, providing proactive communication, timely status updates and early escalation of material risks.
• Drive client engagement, cross‑selling opportunities and measurable commercial outcomes.
• Take responsibility for department revenue targets, billing, collections and aged debt.
• Mentor and develop Associates, Junior Associates, Pupils and other junior staff.

Required profile

• Extensive experience in commercial litigation, particularly in banking, financial services, corporate and insolvency matters.
• Proven leadership of a litigation team or department.
• Strong client‑facing skills with a track record of building trusted relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to manage departmental budgets, revenue targets and profitability.
• Excellent written and oral communication, negotiation and advocacy skills.

Required skills

What we offer

• Competitive gross salary ranging from KES 180,000 to KES 200,000.
• Opportunity to lead a high‑performing litigation department within a global law firm.