Legal Officer – Erroneous Transfers & Court Process Operations

Job Overview

PalmPay is recruiting a Legal Officer to join its Legal and Dispute Resolution department in Lagos.

Reporting to the Head of Litigation and Dispute Resolution, the successful candidate will manage court processes and judicial directives involving erroneous transfers, mistaken deposits and disputed merchant transactions.

The role involves reviewing court orders, coordinating restrictions on disputed wallet funds and monitoring pending cases until the appropriate legal resolution is reached. The Legal Officer will work with NIP, Operations, Compliance and technology teams to ensure that court directives are implemented accurately and within the required timelines.

This position requires a Nigerian-qualified lawyer with two to four years of relevant post-call experience and practical knowledge of civil procedure, financial disputes and banking or fintech operations.

Job Details

• Employer: PalmPay Limited
• Job title: Legal Officer – Erroneous Transfers & Court Process Operations
• Department: Legal and Dispute Resolution
• Reports to: Head, Litigation and Dispute Resolution
• Employment type: Full Time
• Job level: Mid Level
• Location: Lagos, Nigeria
• Job field: Legal / Litigation / Dispute Resolution
• Qualification: Bachelor of Laws and Call to the Nigerian Bar
• Experience: 2–4 years of relevant post-call experience
• Work arrangement: Not specified
• Application deadline: Not specified
• Salary: Not specified

Purpose of the Position

The Legal Officer will serve as a central legal contact for court processes and bank-to-bank dispute notices concerning funds transferred or deposited in error.

The position is intended to ensure that PalmPay’s operational teams comply with valid judicial directives while protecting the organisation from third-party liability, regulatory sanctions and the risk that disputed funds may be released before a case is resolved.

The jobholder must be able to interpret legal documents alongside transaction records and communicate the required actions clearly to both legal and non-legal teams.

Principal Responsibilities

Court orders and legal-process management

The successful candidate will:

• Receive and review court orders served on PalmPay.
• Log legal processes accurately for monitoring and follow-up.
• Analyse orders involving erroneous transfers or disputed wallet funds.
• Handle ex parte orders, motions on notice and orders directing the reversal of funds.
• Identify the obligations created by each judicial directive.
• Communicate the required action to relevant internal teams.
• Maintain organised records of court processes and supporting documentation.
• Escalate unclear, conflicting or high-risk matters to the appropriate legal leadership.

Enforcement of liens and account restrictions

The Legal Officer will:

• Coordinate with NIP, Operations and Compliance teams.
• Ensure that post-no-debit restrictions are implemented promptly after receipt of the relevant legal notice.
• Support the placement of liens on wallets containing disputed funds.
• Confirm that restrictions correspond accurately with the account, amount and legal process concerned.
• Reduce the risk of funds being released or transferred before the legal matter is resolved.
• Maintain evidence showing how and when a restriction was implemented.

Litigation monitoring and unfreeze controls

Responsibilities will also include:

• Monitoring the progress and status of pending litigation.
• Maintaining temporary restrictions on disputed funds where legally required.
• Applying the doctrine of lis pendens to relevant active disputes.
• Preventing premature automated release of funds.
• Confirming that restrictions remain in place until formal court resolution or another valid legal instruction is received.
• Coordinating the removal of restrictions only after the required legal conditions have been satisfied.
• Maintaining an auditable record of hold, review and release decisions.

Internal coordination and risk protection

The successful candidate will work with legal, operational, compliance and technical stakeholders to:

• Interpret legal requirements for teams responsible for payment and wallet operations.
• Support accurate implementation of court orders.
• Protect the organisation from avoidable third-party claims.
• Reduce exposure to regulatory sanctions.
• Handle financial data and law-enforcement requests with appropriate confidentiality.
• Communicate material legal or operational risks to management.

Qualifications and Experience

Applicants must have:

• A Bachelor of Laws degree.
• Completed the required Call to the Nigerian Bar and hold a B.L qualification.
• Between two and four years of relevant post-call experience.
• Experience in corporate litigation, banking-operations legal support or a fast-moving fintech environment.

The source presents these as alternative areas in which the required post-call experience may have been obtained. It does not state that candidates must have worked in all three.

Required Legal and Regulatory Knowledge

Candidates should have practical knowledge of:

• Nigerian civil procedure.
• Garnishee proceedings.
• The doctrine of lis pendens.
• Judicial processes involving reversals and disputed funds.
• Central Bank of Nigeria guidelines governing instant interbank transfers.
• Anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism frameworks.
• Court-order compliance within financial or payment operations.

Applicants should be able to explain how these frameworks affect restrictions, recovery actions and the release of disputed funds.

Analytical and Stakeholder Skills

The role requires the ability to:

• Analyse transaction logs and account histories.
• Review bank statements together with court documents.
• Interpret complex affidavits.
• Identify inconsistencies between legal claims and transaction records.
• Communicate clearly in writing and verbally.
• Work effectively with technology and NIP teams.
• Present relevant issues to executive management.
• Solve problems under time-sensitive circumstances.
• Exercise sound judgement when handling sensitive financial information.
• Maintain confidentiality and professional integrity.

Who May Be Well Suited to This Position

This position may suit a lawyer with litigation experience who has also worked with banks, payment-service providers, financial institutions or fintech companies.

A strong candidate should be comfortable moving between court documents and operational transaction data. The person must also be able to explain legal requirements to technical or operational colleagues and monitor implementation until the required action is complete.

What to Highlight in Your Application

Applicants should make the following information easy to identify in their CV:

• LL.B and B.L qualifications.
• Year of Call to the Nigerian Bar.
• Two to four years of relevant post-call experience.
• Corporate-litigation or financial-services legal matters handled.
• Experience reviewing or responding to court orders.
• Garnishee, erroneous-transfer or disputed-fund cases.
• Work involving post-no-debit restrictions or liens.
• Experience supporting banks, fintech companies or payment operations.
• Knowledge of NIP and AML/CFT requirements.
• Transaction records, bank statements or court affidavits previously analysed.
• Experience working with Operations, Compliance and technology teams.
• Examples of sensitive matters handled with discretion.

Candidates should protect client confidentiality and avoid disclosing privileged details in their CV or during recruitment.

What PalmPay Offers

According to the official vacancy, PalmPay offers:

• Direct exposure to payment infrastructure.
• Experience with high-volume financial dispute resolution.
• A dynamic working environment.
• Opportunities for professional growth in technology and financial law.
• Competitive compensation.
• Health benefits.

The official source does not state the amount of compensation.

Vacancy Verification

AfriJobSpace reviewed this vacancy against PalmPay’s official recruitment page. The application form remains available and identifies the position as full-time, mid-level and based in Lagos.

No application closing date is provided. Candidates should therefore apply while the official form remains active.

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should use the Apply for Job button to access PalmPay’s official recruitment form.

The application form requests a CV, current monthly gross salary, expected monthly gross salary and notice period. Applicants should provide accurate information and should not pay anyone to submit or guarantee an application.