Legal Counsel

Overview

This role is offered on a US employment contract. Candidates must be based on the East Coast of the United States.

The legal team supports a fast-moving media and sports technology business by partnering with commercial, delivery, procurement, and finance teams to keep a broad commercial contracting caseload moving across multiple jurisdictions.

As Legal Counsel, you will own a caseload covering international commercial contracts, technology licensing, and media rights—from NDAs and Master Services Agreements through complex multi-party service agreements. You will negotiate directly with counterparties and manage risk with limited day-to-day supervision.

Responsibilities

Contract Negotiation & Drafting

• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements, including NDAs, Master Services Agreements, Statements of Work, SLAs, Terms & Conditions of Sale and Purchase, licensing agreements, and vendor/staffing and consultancy agreements.
• Lead negotiations directly with counterparties, including clients, suppliers, partners, and their external counsel, across multiple jurisdictions.
• Manage the contract lifecycle from term sheet through execution, including tracked-changes negotiation on long-form agreements.

Commercial & Bid Support

• Support private bid procedures by checking legal compliance and managing associated risk.
• Advise business areas on legal questions in practical, commercially focused terms.

Risk & Dispute Management

• Identify and advise on commercial and legal risk across the contract portfolio, flagging exposure clearly and pragmatically to non-legal stakeholders.
• Support debt recovery and dispute matters, including instructing and coordinating with external counsel across jurisdictions on litigation, settlement negotiations, and insolvency-related exposure.
• Review and negotiate settlement agreements in the company’s legal and financial interest.
• Prepare clear, concise briefings and recaps for senior leadership on active disputes or high-stakes negotiations.
• Keep the business informed of relevant regulatory developments (e.g., EU/UK employment law changes, AI Act obligations relevant to HR/recruitment tools).

Operational Ownership & Reporting

• Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned client/supplier relationships and matters, requiring limited day-to-day supervision after handover.
• Maintain organized records of contract status, key dates, obligations, and open issues, in line with internal reporting procedures.
• Contribute to templates, playbooks, and internal processes to improve legal team efficiency.
• Manage and coordinate external counsel across jurisdictions where local expertise is required.

Requirements

• Track record negotiating complex commercial and technology contracts across multiple jurisdictions, with comfort making judgment calls on risk without needing sign-off for every decision.

Required

• Qualified lawyer with 6+ years' PQE, including significant in-house experience.
• LPC/LLM/CLE/Bar admission or SRA-approved equivalent.
• Strong track record negotiating complex commercial and technology contracts (MSAs, SOWs, licensing, SaaS, media/broadcast, or supplier and customer agreements).
• Comfortable working autonomously, making judgment calls on risk without constant sign-off.
• Experience managing or coordinating external counsel, including in cross-border matters.
• Excellent drafting and negotiation skills, with the ability to communicate legal risk clearly to non-legal, commercial, and executive stakeholders.
• Familiarity with industry practices and professional standards in commercial and contractual law.
• Working knowledge of contract reporting procedures and record-keeping.
• Ability to prioritize multiple concurrent matters while maintaining a high level of accuracy.
• Fluent in English, written and spoken.
• Willingness to travel when required.

Valued

• Additional European languages.
• Experience in media, sports, broadcast, or technology/software sectors.
• Experience supporting private bid procedures.
• Familiarity with data protection (GDPR) and emerging AI regulation (EU AI Act) as it applies to commercial and employment contexts.
• Experience with debt recovery, insolvency-adjacent risk, or commercial litigation management.
• Experience working in a lean legal team supporting a fast-growing or PE-backed business.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary range: up to a maximum of $120,000.

Location

• East Coast of the United States (US employment contract).