Counsel, Event Partnerships

Overview

A global legal team is seeking a seasoned commercial lawyer to serve as Counsel, Event Partnerships. This role involves partnering closely with teams that plan, produce, and execute high-profile event partnerships, including global sports and entertainment sponsorships, athlete and artist experiences, fan activations, and other in-person events.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements related to event partnerships, such as sponsorship, talent, agency, venue, production, vendor agreements, licenses, NDAs, and term sheets.
• Provide legal advice on event sponsorship activations and collaborate with the broader legal team.
• Monitor and report on rights infringement and ambush marketing under rights-protection programs.
• Manage matters end-to-end from intake through negotiation, execution, and post-execution activations, maintaining trackers and reporting updates to leadership.
• Navigate cross-border, multi-entity, and localization complexities, working across time zones with international partners.
• Offer practical, decisive guidance balancing business goals, legal risk, and company policy to business partners and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Contribute to high-impact legal and cross-functional projects, including operational improvements, template and process automation, and cross-team education.
• Uphold ethics, integrity, and commitment to a diverse, inclusive workplace free of discrimination and harassment.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree and at least 6 years of relevant experience in commercial transactions, with a proven track record of independently negotiating complex agreements. In-house experience is preferred.
• Direct experience working within or advising on sports or entertainment industries.
• Background in advertising and consumer marketing law, including guidance on co-marketing initiatives, promotional activities, communications, consumer protection regulations, and management of partner intellectual property and assets.
• Knowledge of copyrights, trademarks, persona and publicity rights, privacy and data protection, cross-border and multi-entity contracting, dispute resolution, litigation, risk allocation, security, tax, insurance, and international legal issues.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to find workable solutions, hold firm on non-negotiables, and structure agreements to achieve objectives.
• Proven ability to build and maintain strong partnerships across business teams, legal colleagues, and external partners to negotiate effectively and resolve issues.
• Demonstrated success managing multiple projects in a fast-paced environment, exercising sound judgment, prioritizing tasks under strict deadlines, and maintaining attention to detail.
• Excellent organizational, verbal, and written communication skills, with the ability to tailor communications to both legal and non-legal audiences.
• Licensed to practice law in a U.S. state.

Preferred Qualifications

• High level of integrity, professionalism, and curiosity with a genuine desire to grow.
• A creative, flexible, and client-focused approach.
• Ability to work collaboratively and build trusted relationships.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base pay range: $196,000 to $230,000 USD.
• Eligibility for bonus, equity, benefits, and employee travel credits.
• Actual compensation depends on factors such as training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs, and market demands.

Location

• This position is US - Remote Eligible.
• Occasional work at an office or attendance at offsites may be required as agreed with management.
• Candidates must reside in a U.S. state where the employer has a registered entity. Certain states are excluded; eligibility will be confirmed during the hiring process.

Equal Opportunity & Accessibility

The organization is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and encourages all qualified individuals to apply. Reasonable accommodations are available for candidates with disabilities during the application and interview process upon request.