Lorato Tabona

Legal Affairs:

• Established and operationalized the institution's Legal Affairs Department, drafting policies and SOPs aligned with the Quality Management Framework, ensuring legal risk integration into institutional processes.
• Led negotiation, drafting, and enforcement of a wide range of commercial agreements, including service, lease, property, and M&A contracts, contributing to risk mitigation and operational efficiency.
• Developed and implemented a vetted panel of external attorneys, including negotiation of SLAs, standardization of legal fee tariffs, and creation of reporting frameworks, reducing external counsel costs and improving accountability.
• Provided strategic legal advisory services to all departments, delivering actionable legal opinions that supported operational decisions and risk minimization.
• Advised on complex transactions, including property acquisitions, share deals, and cross-border expansion, ensuring legal integrity and compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
• Guided organizational change management, including restructuring and employee consultation processes, ensuring compliance with labor laws and minimizing litigation risk.
• Delivered timely legal matter updates to Executive Management, enhancing transparency and informed decision-making.
• Managed litigation portfolios in collaboration with external attorneys, ensuring strategic case handling and favorable outcomes.
• Negotiated and finalized IT service SLAs, MSAs, and software agreements, securing favorable IP terms and service standards to support the College’s digital transformation initiatives.

Compliance and Risk Management

• Designed and implemented the institution’s Enterprise Risk Management framework, including development of a comprehensive legal risk register and dynamic heat maps for executive oversight.
• Advised on risk treatment strategies, including appropriate insurance coverage, contract structuring, and mitigation mechanisms across various departments.
• Authored and rolled out the College’s compliance program, including frameworks for transactional and ongoing compliance, improving regulatory alignment and audit readiness.
• Prepared and presented compliance reports to Board Committees, ensuring informed governance and improved compliance tracking.
• Engaged regulatory bodies, such as the Data Protection Commission, leading training sessions and regulatory dialogues that enhanced internal compliance culture and readiness.

Governance and Board Secretarial Function

• Acted as an independent legal advisor to the Board, offering expert legal guidance on governance matters, strategic decisions, and regulatory obligations.
• Drafted and implemented Board Charters and Committee Terms of Reference, strengthening governance structures and clarifying oversight responsibilities.
• Authored and cascaded Board-approved policies, aligning institutional operations with governance expectations and legislative mandates.
• Maintained statutory records and facilitated compliance with the Companies Act and Board Charter, ensuring legal and procedural integrity.
• Managed Board decision sign-offs, resolutions, and approvals, streamlining documentation and enhancing institutional accountability.
• Coordinated continuous director training, improving Board effectiveness and awareness of emerging legal and regulatory issues.
• Optimized governance reporting mechanisms, enabling efficient Board engagement and continuous governance improvement.
• Led the full lifecycle of management policy development, from drafting to implementation, ensuring cross-departmental compliance and operational coherence.

• Compiled and presented evidentiary summaries for court proceedings, ensuring clarity and admissibility.
• Conducted comprehensive legal research and case analysis to support prosecutorial strategies in complex criminal matters.
• Drafted high-quality legal documents, including charge sheets and witness statements, to enhance prosecution workflows.
• Led structured case planning processes, preparing legal opinions and prosecution recommendations for senior review.
• Represented State in criminal proceedings across lower and superior courts, managing appearances from arraignment to judgment.
• Ensured high rates of procedural compliance and achieved positive outcomes throughout legal processes.

• Specialized in complex commercial transactions and litigation, providing tailored legal solutions to corporate clients across sectors including finance, insurance, and property.
• Advised clients on AML/CFT and PF compliance obligations, including onboarding procedures, customer risk assessments, and regulatory disclosures in accordance with Financial Intelligence Act.
• Led client onboarding support, conducting legal review of KYC documentation and ensuring compliance with AML/CFT and PF regulatory requirements for both individual and corporate clients.
• Assessed customer risk profiles based on geographic exposure, industry, ownership structure, and transaction patterns, contributing to effective risk-based compliance frameworks.
• Flagged and escalated high-risk transactions involving suspicious payment structures, high risk jurisdictions, and prominent influential persons (PIPs), ensuring prompt review by Senior Management.
• Provided strategic legal consultation, translating complex client challenges into actionable legal remedies, resulting in successful dispute resolution and regulatory compliance.
• Conducted targeted legal research on statutes, case law, and precedents to inform legal opinions, litigation strategy, and contractual positioning.
• Developed litigation and negotiation strategies, achieving favorable outcomes in pre-litigation settlements, courtroom proceedings, and post-judgment negotiations.
• Interpreted legal frameworks and regulatory obligations for clients in highly regulated industries, particularly within the financial services and corporate sectors.
• Issued clear, risk-informed legal opinions to support decision-making for business operations, contractual disputes, and governance compliance.
• Drafted and reviewed corporate governance instruments, including Board Charters, Committee Terms of Reference, and internal policies, improving client alignment with statutory and industry standards.
• Produced and reviewed legal documents, including pleadings, service contracts, shareholder agreements, and commercial leases, ensuring clarity, enforceability, and client protection.
• Led contract management processes, from pre-contract review to post-execution oversight, minimizing client exposure to commercial and regulatory risks.
• Advised and supported clients through M&A transactions, managing legal due diligence and Competition Authority approval processes in accordance with financial and commercial regulations.
• Maintained strong client relationships through proactive communication, status updates, and responsiveness to evolving legal needs, contributing to client retention and referrals.

• Specialized in civil litigation across magistrate and high court levels.
• Managed high-volume legal insurance client portfolio, establishing strong professional rapport.
• Drafted and filed legal documents within firm and court timescales, maintaining high standards.
• Reviewed received information for accuracy, implementing necessary rectifications.
• Articulated client information in required formats to meet stakeholder expectations.
• Represented clients effectively in court proceedings.