Senior Counsel at The Walt Disney Company

Bristol, Connecticut, United States

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Not SpecifiedCompensation

Senior (5 to 8 years)Experience Level

Full TimeJob Type

UnknownVisa

Media, Entertainment, SportsIndustries

Requirements

A minimum of 5 years relevant experience, including extensive drafting, in a transactional IP practice at a law firm, network/studio, sports league, agency, and/or other in-house legal department
A strong understanding of content agreement negotiating (including, by way of example only, audiovisual programming, licensing, and production agreements)
A strong understanding of intellectual property law (copyright, trademark, rights of publicity)
Possesses and maintains (including through continuing legal education) knowledge in specialized legal areas, including emerging trends, specifically in connection with (1) content (including scripted/unscripted audiovisual programming, licensing and production); (2) intellectual property (copyright, trademark, rights of publicity); (3) marketing and promotion; and/or (4) digital (including social) media and platforms
Maintains current knowledge of substantial range of federal, state, and local laws and of legislative and regulatory developments

Responsibilities

Maintains current knowledge of substantial range of federal, state, and local laws and of legislative and regulatory developments, analyzes how these might impact ESPN, and conceives and recommends compliance actions
Serves as primary Legal Department representative for assigned ESPN departments or categories
Drafts contracts and other legal documents, recommends approval/modification of contracts proposed by outside parties, and negotiates with outside parties
Conceives and recommends strategies and tactics in response to legislative and regulatory developments and other events or anticipated actions
Keeps internal clients (and Legal leadership team) fully informed of relevant legal issues and implications of their current operations and proposed actions and, advises them accordingly of risks and legal consequences of alternative actions
Reviews and edits significant guidelines, policies, letters, work orders, and other documents from applicable client departments to ensure that legal implications are appropriately handled
Manages outside counsel in their representation of ESPN on litigation and other legal service matters and analyzes the approach and effectiveness of such outside counsel
May directly supervise, on a non-exclusive basis, one or more Paralegal and Legal Assistant colleagues, and may supervise individual projects of Counsel(s)
Recommends and may implement Legal Department policy at the direction of General Counsel, Chief Counsel and Lead Counsel
Operates within the context of defined corporate strategies
Recommends and implements enhancements and improvements to established processes and workflows
Translates corporate strategy into mid- and long-term goals
Translates the analysis and evaluation of trends in ESPN’s legal positioning and compliance into recommended corporate actions
Conceives and recommends strategies and initiatives to minimize the legal risks of current operations and proposed actions
Determines / recommends the language of template legal documents
Analyzes the legal implications of proposed ventures and current operations and proposed actions of internal clients
Analyzes new laws and legislative and regulatory developments for their potential impact on ESPN
Guides or participates in the management of client organizations in the interpretation of complex information
Contributes to ensuring the processing efficiencies at all levels of the organizations
Ensures that internal clients have an adequate understanding of the law as it applies to their operations
Interacts with internal client management

Skills

Key technologies and capabilities for this role

contract draftingcontract negotiationcontent licensingcontent productionintellectual propertycopyright lawtrademark lawrights of publicitymarketing lawdigital media lawsocial media lawregulatory compliancelegal risk assessment

Questions & Answers

Common questions about this position

What is the salary or compensation for the Senior Counsel position?

This information is not specified in the job description.

Is this Senior Counsel role remote or where is it located?

ESPN will consider placement of this position in Los Angeles, CA, New York, NY, or Bristol, CT.

What key skills and expertise are required for the Senior Counsel role?

The role requires knowledge in content (scripted/unscripted audiovisual programming, licensing and production), intellectual property (copyright, trademark, rights of publicity), marketing and promotion, and digital (including social) media and platforms, along with drafting contracts, negotiating, and staying current on laws and regulations.

What does the team structure look like for this Senior Counsel position?

The position reports to the Lead Counsel and may directly supervise, on a non-exclusive basis, one or more Paralegal and Legal Assistant colleagues, and may supervise individual projects of Counsel(s).

What makes a strong candidate for the Senior Counsel role at ESPN?

A strong candidate is a seasoned attorney with expertise in content production, intellectual property, marketing, and digital media, experience drafting and negotiating contracts, managing outside counsel, and advising on legal risks and compliance.