Skip to content
CV Rocket
Get started
How it worksThe enginePricingBlogContactSign in

Open nowPosted 54 days ago

Commercial Lawyer (4-6 PQE)

Cognia Law6 open roles

Where
South Africa
Work mode
Hybrid
Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.

Your applicationOpen nowCommercial Lawyer (4-6 PQE)Cognia Law · South Africa

  1. YouYes, apply to this one.

  2. CV RocketCV written for this posting.

  3. 25 readersRecruiter, hiring manager, skeptic. Round after round.

  4. CV RocketApplied on Cognia Law's own form.

The reply lands in your private mailbox

3×more interviews than doing it yourself with ChatGPT.

The clock on this job

Early applications get read.

12.3% of postings close within 7 days. Measured by our own scanner across the market.

Share of postings closed within
  1. 2.1%1 day
  2. 4.5%3 days
  3. 12.3%7 days
  4. 19.3%14 days
  5. 35.6%30 days
  6. 58.1%60 days
This job: posted 54 days ago

The posting

Job description

We’re looking for a Commercial Attorney with hands-on contract negotiation and review experience, and a strong understanding of how commercial risk plays out in practice. This role is suited to someone who is comfortable stepping straight into active projects, quickly grasping the client’s risk profile, taking ownership of contract review and negotiation end-to-end, and prioritising workflows across competing deadlines while contributing to the smooth delivery of work across the team.

You’ll work at the intersection of commercial contracting, legal operations, and technology-enabled delivery, supporting corporates and financial institutions on fast-moving matters. This includes using legal technology and AI-enabled tools to enhance the speed, accuracy, and consistency of contracting, while working collaboratively with wider delivery teams and managing stakeholders and client relationships.

This role will involve supporting and motivating junior team members, taking on team lead and project management responsibilities, balancing conflicting priorities, ensuring quality and consistency of output, and helping to build a collaborative team culture while keeping delivery on track in a fast-paced environment.

There is limited ramp-up time on projects, so this role requires proven experience, not just theoretical exposure. If you enjoy doing the work - negotiating, spotting risk, shaping outcomes, and contributing to a strong, well-run delivery team and culture building while implementing, learning about and using legal tech to work smarter - this role is for you.

Company Profile Cognia seamlessly extends corporates, banks and law firms’ legal capability to deliver sustainable outcomes. Our goal is to connect the legal sector, moving it from a siloed approach to integrated partnerships. We help in-house legal teams by bringing simplicity to complex matters and replacing broken procedures with efficient processes. Cognia is a Chambers-ranked law company which integrates how legal services are provided so our team, partners, clients and communities thrive together with people at the heart of what we do. We encourage our people to bring their whole self to work and focus on enabling them to realise their full potential. For more information, please visit www.cognialaw.com

  • LLB or BCom Law Degree (or equivalent) from a recognised South African tertiary institution.
  • 4 – 6 years’ post-admission experience in commercial law, with demonstrable exposure to reviewing and negotiating contracts.
  • Previous experience supporting or leading small teams in a delivery-focused environment is beneficial.
  • Proven experience independently reviewing, drafting and negotiating commercial agreements in live, time-pressured environments.
  • Exposure to financial services, financial documentation, or regulated commercial environments is advantageous.
  • Practical experience using legal technology and AI-enabled contract review tools, or a strong ability to adapt to new tools quickly.
  • Familiarity with contract lifecycle management (CLM) systems, structured contract workflows, and playbook-driven negotiation.
  • Previous experience in an ALSP, alternative delivery model, or project-based legal environment is beneficial.
  • Strong analytical skills, sound commercial judgement, and the ability to manage high-volume, fast-moving contract work with minimal supervision.
  • Demonstrated ability to prioritise workflows, balance conflicting deadlines, manage stakeholder expectations, and maintain strong client relationships in a fast-moving delivery environment.
  • Strong interpersonal and leadership skills, with the ability to motivate others, support team cohesion, and contribute positively to team culture.
  • Clear and confident communicator, comfortable working with multidisciplinary delivery teams and stakeholders.
  • A proactive, delivery-focused lawyer who is comfortable stepping straight into active matters and contributing from day one.

Key responsibilities include the following:

  • Reviewing, drafting, and negotiating commercial agreements end-to-end, including NDA’s, MSAs, SOWs, vendor and supplier agreements, licensing agreements, and bespoke commercial agreements.
  • Taking primary responsibility for contract review and negotiation, rather than purely populating or administering templates.
  • Supporting team delivery on projects by guiding and motivating junior team members, assisting with task allocation, contributing to quality control and consistency of output, and helping to maintain a positive and collaborative team culture.
  • Supporting financial documentation-adjacent work or broader financial services-focused contracting, where applicable.
  • Identifying legal, regulatory, and commercial risks and proposing practical, commercially aware mitigation strategies.
  • Using AI-enabled contract review and legal tech tools to enhance accuracy, speed, and consistency of the contracting environment.
  • Contributing to contract playbooks, precedents, and workflow improvements within a CLM or structured contracting environment.
  • Assisting with contract remediation, repapering, or regulatory-driven review projects where required.
  • Producing clear, concise contract summaries and issue lists for legal and business stakeholders.
  • Collaborating closely with legal delivery teams, project managers, internal stakeholders, and clients in a fast-paced project environment, while managing stakeholder expectations and building strong client relationships.
  • Taking ownership of ad-hoc team lead and project management responsibilities, including workflow planning, task coordination, progress tracking, escalation management, and supporting delivery against agreed timelines.

Cognia Law is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace where all individuals feel valued, respected, and able to contribute meaningfully. We believe that diversity of thought, background, and experience strengthens our teams and enhances the quality of service we provide to our clients. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates and are dedicated to ensuring fair and equitable consideration, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We strive to create an environment where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, grow, and be their authentic selves at work. In accordance with our Employment Equity goals, preference may be given to candidates from designated group.

From $25, paid onceGet the CV for this job

What happens when you press

One press. We do the rest.

  1. A CV for this posting

    Written against Cognia Law's own wording, from every piece of relevant proof in your profile.

  2. 25 readers review it

    Recruiter, hiring manager, skeptic and more read every draft, round after round. You get the best round.

    The review screen in CV Rocket: how each CV was read, round by round.

  3. We apply on Cognia Law's form

    Our application engine gets through the hardest forms there are. Where a question needs you, AI suggests the best answer. Don't want us applying from our IP addresses? Use our Chrome extension: we apply straight from your own browser.

    An application in CV Rocket: every answer filled in on the employer's form.

  4. Every reply, sorted

    Cognia Law's answer lands in your private mailbox, and we classify it on arrival: interview, question, rejection.

    The CV Rocket inbox: each employer reply classified as an interview, an action or a rejection.

  5. Reply with AI

    AI helps you write the email, checks it and sends it. We show you whether the recruiter read it.

  6. The interview in your calendar

    Full integration with your calendar. The invitation goes straight in.

    An interview invitation in the CV Rocket inbox, added to the candidate's calendar.
Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.

Why it works

3×

more interviews than doing it yourself with ChatGPT.

ChatGPT writes a CV and never learns what happened to it. We see every reply. For each CV we know:

  • How it was written, and how the review scored it
  • When we applied, and how long after the posting went up
  • Which posting, which company, which city
  • Who got the interview, and who heard nothing

That is how we know which CVs get called.

Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.

The numbers game

More applications. More interviews.

Every application goes out with its own CV, written for that posting and paid once. Send enough of them and the law of large numbers finds you the job.

Get the CV for this job
By hand5–10
With CV Rocket100
applications a day

Nearby

Live postings like this one

Same employer first, then the same role elsewhere.

Before you press

Straight answers

Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.

What if my background isn't good enough?

We make the most of the background you have. The CV uses every piece of relevant proof your profile holds, and one of the 25 readers reads your whole profile and flags what the CV left out.

Do you really apply for me?

Yes, on the employer's own form, the hardest ones included. Where a question needs you, you answer it right there and AI suggests the best answer. Don't want us applying from our IP addresses? Use our Chrome extension: we apply straight from your own browser.

Is it a subscription?

No. You pay once per CV, from $25. Every application goes out with its own CV, written for that posting.

One job. One CV.
Paid once.

Pick the posting you want. We write for it, apply for you and catch the reply.

Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.