Job title
Department
Location
Reports to
Works closely with - Credit control, accounts receivable, sales and branch heads, external counsel
Employment type
Full-time, permanent
Experience
610 years post-qualification, with at least 3 years in debt recovery or commercial litigation
Qualification
LLB (mandatory), enrolled with a State Bar Council
About the role
SAR Transport is looking for a Recovery Legal Manager to recover overdue freight, duty, detention and ancillary charges from customers through legal action. You will own every recovery file from the first legal notice to decree, settlement or execution.
In freight forwarding, the company often pays shipping lines, airlines, customs and transporters on the customer's behalf. When a customer defaults, those advances become exposure. This role protects that money by building strong cases, using the company's rights over cargo and documents, and moving disputes quickly through the right forum.
Key responsibilities
Pre-litigation and case building
- Review overdue accounts flagged by credit control and decide the recovery route for each: negotiation, notice, mediation, suit, arbitration or insolvency.
- Draft and issue legal demand notices, reply notices and settlement proposals.
- Build the evidence file for each claim: quotations, rate agreements, booking confirmations, bills of lading / airway bills, invoices, ledger statements, emails and proof of delivery.
- Check limitation periods on every account and make sure no claim becomes time-barred.
- Advise on exercising lien over cargo and documents, and on withholding delivery orders or bills of lading where the contract and law allow.
Litigation and proceedings
- File and manage recovery proceedings, including:
- Commercial suits and summary suits (Order XXXVII CPC), including pre-institution mediation under Section 12A of the Commercial Courts Act, 2015.
- Cheque dishonor complaints under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act.
- Arbitration claims where the contract has an arbitration clause.
- Insolvency petitions as an operational creditor under Section 9 of the IBC, and claims in existing CIRP or liquidation.
- Execution proceedings, attachment and garnishee orders after a decree or award.
- Appoint, brief and supervise external advocates across cities; review their drafts, fees and progress.
- Attend key hearings, mediation sessions and settlement meetings in person where needed.
- Defend counter-claims from customers, such as cargo damage, delay or short-delivery claims raised to avoid payment.
Settlement and closure
- Negotiate settlements, payment plans and consent terms, and get them recorded with the court where possible.
- Track settlement instalments and escalate defaults immediately.
- Close files properly, including withdrawal of cases and release of security once paid.
Risk prevention and process
- Review and strengthen standard trading terms, credit agreements, personal guarantees and security cheques so future claims are easier to win.
- Train sales and credit teams on documentation that holds up in court.
- Flag high-risk customers early using litigation history, MCA filings and insolvency records.
Reporting
- Maintain a live litigation and recovery tracker: claim value, stage, next date, counsel, cost and expected recovery.
- Present a monthly recovery report to management with amounts recovered, provisions needed and write-off recommendations.
Qualifications and skills
Must have
- LLB from a recognized university, enrolled with a State Bar Council.
- 610 years of experience in debt recovery, commercial litigation or credit-related legal work, either in-house or at a law firm.
- Hands-on experience with summary suits, commercial courts, Section 138 NI Act matters, arbitration and IBC proceedings.
- Strong drafting of notices, plaints, petitions, affidavits and settlement terms.
- Proven ability to manage a large portfolio of cases (50+ live matters) and multiple external counsel.
- Fluent English and Hindi; Marathi is a plus.
Good to have
- Experience in logistics, freight forwarding, shipping, customs brokerage or another B2B services business.
- Working knowledge of shipping and trade documents (bills of lading, airway bills, delivery orders, Incoterms) and related laws, such as the Multimodal Transportation of Goods Act, 1993 and the Carriage by Road Act, 2007.
- Familiarity with MSME Samadhaan, Lok Adalat and online dispute resolution platforms.
- LLM or a certification in arbitration or insolvency.
Personal qualities
- Commercially minded: weighs the cost and time of litigation against the likely recovery.
- Firm but practical negotiator who can protect customer relationships where that makes sense.
- Organized and deadline-driven, with close attention to limitation dates and hearing schedules.
- Comfortable working with finance numbers and ledger reconciliations.
KPI
- What it tracks
- Amount recovered
- Rupees recovered through legal action each month and quarter, against target
- Recovery rate
- Share of claim value recovered across closed files
- Time to recovery
- Average days from first legal notice to payment or decree
- Ageing reduction
- Fall in receivables over 180 days old
- Zero time-barred claims
- No claim lost to the limitation period
- Cost of recovery
- Legal fees and court costs as a share of amount recovered
- Tracker accuracy
Every case updated with next date and status within 48 hours of a hearing
What we offer and how to apply
- Competitive salary, based on experience.
- Performance incentive linked to amounts recovered.
- Direct ownership of a high-impact function with visibility to senior management.
- Exposure to commercial, shipping, arbitration and insolvency law in a fast-moving logistics business.
