Legal Counsel

New York, NY

You must be authorized to work in the United States to be considered for this role.

The purpose of this role is to provide legal advice and support for all of BBC Global News’ activities in the Americas. The candidate will report into the SVP and will provide strong business and legal support for the development and launch of a direct-to-consumer news and factual content subscription service, and the associated BBC.com-related advertising sales media business, building strong relationships with, and providing timely and trusted advice and legal support to senior US-based commercial stakeholders. They will draft and negotiate agreements related to media sponsorship and advertising solutions, including branded and custom content, promotions and sponsorships, and production services agreements, and counsel the client groups on a wide variety of other legal matters, including intellectual property rights, fair use analysis, corporate governance, insurance, online and music issues, and performing other day-to-day business and legal affairs-related tasks as needed. Additionally they will help to advise the sales team on advertising law compliance, policy and process, including native advertising, on-line behavioural advertising and data collection and use and help clients navigate data privacy, data security, and social media in conjunction with BBC Studios’ subject matter experts in London.

The Legal Counsel will be a local point of contact in relation to the establishment and operation of a direct-to-consumer subscription service, and advise and negotiate a wide range of associated third party supplier agreements.

Role Responsibility

Principal Accountabilities

Draft, and negotiate contracts relating to:

Digital advertising sales
Advertising technology
Data collection and use
Research and analytics
Branded and custom content
Out-of-home and social media platforms
Sponsorships and promotions
Programmatic advertising
Software license agreements
Venue license agreements
Production services agreements.
Advise on aspects of rights management to ensure necessary rights are acquired for advertising media sales, production, and other commercial content production and exploitation.
Advise on, and draft and negotiate contracts relating to the establishment and operation of, the BBC’s proposed new direct-to-consumer online subscription service, including agreements with third parties for services related to user registration and identity management, CMS, subscription management, payment and paywall solutions, user testing, data and analytics, and CRM.
Communicate legal restrictions and requirements to all necessary departments across the organization and internally.
Ensure all necessary sign offs/approvals have been received in connection with deals being contracted out of the Americas.

Scope & Impact

Maintain and develop template forms and implement BBC Studios’ policy.
Handle business and legal interactions with BBC Studios’ offices in other regions and territories as necessary.
Support all business and legal affairs aspects of Global News’ business in the Americas.

Relationships

Work with the BLA team in London to create and implement coordinated approach to deals and agreements across multiple business units and territories to ensure that all the business and legal affairs needs of BBC Studios are being met.
Working closely with subject matter experts in New York and London, advise on advertising law compliance, policy, and process, including native advertising, testimonials and endorsements, claim substantiation, on-line behavioural advertising, disclosures, and compliance with internal guidelines

The Ideal Candidate

Behaviors

Positive and professional manner.
Ability to be discreet with confidential information.
Ability to work independently but also be a team player.

Knowledge & Skills

Knowledge and experience of reader revenue and/or digital consumer subscription services and/or proven interest and/or willingness to learn
Organized, detail oriented and self-motivated.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
Ability to manage multiple matters and accommodate tight deadlines while working in a fast-paced environment; flexibility or long hours if and when necessary.
Ability to identify and resolve legal issues quickly and communicate effectively to all levels of the organization.
Strong analytic, negotiation and legal drafting skills.
Familiarity with and understanding of industry standards digital media advertising sales agreements, including digital rights.
Familiarity with the entertainment industry and entertainment transactions.

Professional Experience

Minimum of 3 years of prior business or legal affairs transactional experience, ideally gained at a television or multi-media distribution company, network, and/or entertainment law firm.
JD degree or equivalent and member of NY bar.