Legal Counsel (FTC)

This role is a 12-Month Maternity Cover FTC Universal Products & Experiences is seeking a talented, highly collaborative and experienced in-house commercial lawyer to partner with our Consumer Products business across EMEA and APAC. As a member of the Business & Legal Affairs team, you will provide legal support and advice to category and creative teams across our European offices and work collaboratively with other lawyers based in London, Los Angeles and Sydney. The role will also focus on drafting and negotiating contracts related to consumer product licensing agreements, retail/marketing campaigns, design/asset creation and other services arrangements. Key Responsibilities - Collaborate and engage with cross-functional teams, including category management, product development, creative, and finance stakeholders. Your role will involve identifying and resolving business and legal issues, offer guidance to mitigate risks and deliver ongoing counsel and legal support. - Draft, manage and negotiate a high volume of intellectual property license and service agreements associated with the licensing, distribution, promotion, and marketing of toys, apparel, books and other consumer goods. - Serve as a pivotal link between business stakeholders and internal corporate teams, including tax, compliance, IP/trademark, privacy, and litigation. - Offer insightful guidance to internal stakeholders on unique business propositions and underlying rights; undertaking legal research and advising on issues/risks as required. - Respond to the dynamic needs of the business by creating ad-hoc contracts and legal documents to meet evolving business requirements. - Manage legal communication with external partners to ensure swift resolution of any outstanding issues. - Involvement with royalty audits, interpreting contractual language and finalising settlement agreements. - Assist in reviewing and updating legal templates and agreements as required. - Embrace additional duties and projects as the need arises. Essential Skills and Experience - UK-qualified solicitor (Minimum of 3 years’ PQE working in-house or at a law firm but candidates below 3 years’ PQE may be considered depending on relevant licensing skills and experience) - Proven commercial/transactional legal experience; ideally within a global entertainment studio or other media & entertainment company handling inbound and/or outbound licensing matters. - Strong drafting skills with meticulous attention to detail. - Excellent time management and organizational skills, coupled with a proactive and self-driven approach. - Adept at providing practical, accurate and timely legal advice. - Collegial, dependable and responsive team-player with strong interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal. - Solid understanding of intellectual property, contract and commercial law. - Strong relationship-building and influencing abilities across various departments, countries and time-zones. - Sharp commercial acumen with effective problem-solving skills. - Familiarity with legal software and tools (DocuSign, DMS, Salesforce etc.) - Adaptable and capable of excelling in a fast-paced environment. Additional Requirements: - Hybrid: This role will generally be contributing from the office a minimum of four (4) days per week (Mon-Thurs).