Part-Time Contracted Legal Associate for Urja-Nepal, a five-year USAID funded project.  

Project Description

Deloitte Consulting is the implementing partner for the USAID-funded Urja Nepal Project based in Kathmandu. This position is under Deloitte Consulting Overseas Projects LLC. The purpose of Urja Nepal is to create a financially viable electricity sector that provides affordable, reliable, and secure power and enables the entry of private investment into the Nepali market.  This is anticipated to be a five-year program; however, the position is currently for one year with possibility of renewal based on funding and project need.  This part- time position is based in Kathmandu.

Objective

The Legal Associate will support the work of the Objective 3 Lead (Increase Private Sector Investment) and other legal strategic matters related to other Objectives.

Activities under Objective 3 will require legal expertise in project finance, public-private partnership, facilitating the transaction documents and advising on IPP competitive bidding framework for energy projects. Projects will involve both public and private sector support from a variety of governmental, multilateral, and commercial institutions. Accordingly, there will be a need to understand the legal concerns from a variety of entities and from diverse stakeholder groups. Local legal knowledge and experience will be critical to moving Nepal’s energy sector transactions forward. Also, critical will be an in-depth knowledge of the Nepalese electricity sector, the legal framework and workings of the competitive bidding documents, Project Development Agreement (PDA), the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and other project related legal instruments.  Knowledge of restructuring techniques, economic regulation and Nepalese parliamentary practices will be particularly useful.

Deliverables, Tasks and/or Outputs

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to providing Deloitte with the following support activities:

• Understand and advise on the roles, duties and obligations of existing stakeholders and licensees in the Nepalese electricity sector.
• Analyze and report on relevant Nepalese and Indian legislation and regulation.
• Understand and advise on the legislative and regulatory process in Nepal and on relevant legal duties for regulatory agencies and government ministries.
• Advise on the existing status and optimal development of the legal and regulatory process in Nepal related to local compensation and local legal structures.
• Support the continuing development of PDAs, PPAs, transmission agreements and other project documents and templates to be written to international financial community standards.
• Advise on general private sector, governmental, and NGO legal issues.

Deliverables may include:

• Contributing to project baseline reports
• Contributing to project deliverables
• Drafting summary reports on work
• Editing and sometimes translating documents with legal language
• Contributing to power restructuring, policy, and reform activities 
• Preparing presentation materials for formal trainings and conducting formal trainings
• Participating in negotiations with Government of Nepal (GoN) and HPP developers
• Assisting GoN stakeholders to facilitate workshops, research relevant laws and regulations, develop contract templates, educate them on Nepalese and cross-border electricity trade regulations, and assist with policy recommendations for the electricity sector.  

Qualifications/Requirements

The Legal Associate should have the following qualifications: 

• Minimum of two years’ relevant professional experience working on energy/legal issues having Nepali content with focus on increasing both local and foreign private sector investment. 
• Minimum of bachelor’s degree in law or equivalent
• Experience advising on large (>500MW) hydropower transactions strongly preferred.
• Experience in advising the Government in drafting of complex legal documents such as the Project Development Agreements and Power Purchase Agreements
• Corporate law experience with a Nepali context
• Previous experience advising on cross border transmission line transactions preferred.
• Experience with various dispute settlement mechanisms including arbitration and appeals and including Nepali context.
• Experience working with USAID, IFIs, government, multilateral donor and private sector institutions is strongly preferred. 
• Fluency in English and Nepali required (speaking, reading, and writing)

This position is open to Nepali nationals only.  

Application Instructions 

Please ensure resume DOES NOT INCLUDE personal information such as gender, age, marital status, ethnicity, religion. DCOP LLC is an equal opportunity employer.