Legal Counsel

A media services company based in the South of England, are conducting a search for a capable Legal Counsel to join their legal team on a contract basis to cover a 12 month period of maternity. (This is a remote working role, you will however have to attend the office in the Greater London area for a couple of agreed days initially to get to know the team, thereafter the role will be remote.) The company represents the intellectual property rights of many prominent publishing brands in the UK, such as leading newspapers, magazine publishers and their thousands of brands, in print and online. The combination of licensing and database services provided, enables UK and international businesses to access published content in an efficient and copyright compliant way. They've also been operating for 25 years and the business continues to grow and evolve in a technology-focused direction. Projects are also underway to explore data mining, Big Data and data analytics activities. You will have the opportunity to be involved in the daily operations of the business, as well as contribute to the process improvement of the teams.

Your New Role

As the Legal Counsel, you will directly report to the General Counsel, in a role that touches all parts of the organisation, as well providing opportunity to work with publishers. You will have strong experience gained in commercial Law (commercial contracts), dealing with contract disputes, breach of contract and handling pre-action letters. You will have gained this experience either through in-house exposure or secondment experience. You will be responsible for reviewing client contracts, with a view to identifying breach of contract / compliance. Identifying key issues and enforcing the terms of the contracts, through composing breach of contract letters, pre-action letters and putting together process checklists and letter templates. You will work with publishers and all departments, including Licensing, Publisher Services, Accounts, Business Development, IT and International, advising on range of contentious matters and managing litigation and disputes arising withing the business. Part of this will include assisting with correspondence from publishers and clients. You will manage business compliance with the requirements of ‘The Collective Management of Copyright (EU Directive) Regulations 2016 (including business Membership Rules, Annual Transparency Report) and with Data Protection laws (including the General Data Protection Regulation). You will also advise on copyright issues, acting as a point of escalation for non-compliant organisations (MMOs and licensees), pursuing legal action and assisting the finance team and credit control function, and advise on the suitability of claims for escalation, assist with issuing claims and ensure pre-action protocol is observed. An important part of the role will be to keep abreast of any changes to applicable laws and relevant court judgements (particularly in relation to copyright and competition law), ensuring that business licencses, policies and procedures are compliant and up to date. As part of this, the incumbent will review and prepare responses to relevant government consultations, as required.

What you’ll Need To Succeed

As the Legal Counsel you will need to hold the below qualifications and demonstrate the below experience; You will be a UK qualified lawyer with at least 3 years post qualification experience and ideally above 5 years post qualified experience is desirable. You will have experience of dealing with commercial contracts, commercial contract disputes particularly in relation to breach of contracts, gained ideally in an in-house environment / secondment or in a law firm. You will have sound interpersonal skills, to be able to deal with staff at all levels inside and outside the organisation. Demonstrate an ability to articulate and communicate clearly and with authority. Have a good attention to detail and strong analytical skills. Be able to work independently on a remote basis. If successful, you should be in a position to start the role asap, ideally in July.

What You'll Receive In Return

As the Legal Counsel, you will receive an excellent package of benefits, strong pension, generous annual leave allowance, life assurance, an excellent Employee Assistance Programme, healthcare. You will also receive a very competitive market salary.

Applying For Your New Role

Does this position sound of interest? Please submit your CV confidentially and we will be in touch shortly to discuss the opportunity in further detail. Or, if you prefer to chat about the role confidentially before submitting a CV, please get in touch via the contact details provided.