Commercial Counsel
About Us
The Athletic is a digital sports media company that brings true sports fans closer to the athletes, teams and leagues that captivate their attention. We serve a multi-faceted audience that craves a richer connection and understanding with immersive storytelling and a like-minded community of fans. Founded in 2016 and with major operational hubs in San Francisco, Los Angeles, London and Melbourne, we empower a truly global team of more than 600 creators and cover more than 250 professional sports and collegiate teams across the United States, Canada and the UK. Our newsroom has produced thousands of in-depth reports along with more than 120 podcasts and other forms of premium content. Put simply, The Athletic is at the center of a sports fan’s universe.
About The Role
As Commercial Counsel at The Athletic, you will serve as the primary legal support for The Athletic’s global commercial business teams - including sales, creative development, partnerships, business development, licensing and sponsored content. You will own drafting, negotiating and closing commercial agreements with partners, agencies, licensees, production companies and talent. Working directly with commercial leadership and reporting to our VP of Legal, you will serve as lead counsel in strategic deals and manage existing commercial relationships.
This role will work closely with our paralegal and legal operations associate as well as the broader operations team at The Athletic. The Athletic’s legal team prides itself in facilitating progress and delivering results. We appreciate people who build things, solve problems and enjoy working side-by-side with our creative business partners. We are looking for a teammate who is passionate about combining legal knowledge with practical business-minded guidance and is interested in joining a highly cross-functional and global team.
This is a remote-based position in the United States that may require some travel.
Responsibilities
- Draft, negotiate and advise on a broad range of commercial agreements connected with The Athletic’s revenue-generating and other commercial activities.
- Provide practical day-to-day commercial legal support and guidance regarding relevant business risks in commercial efforts from pitch conception to agreement execution.
- Identify creative legal solutions for commercial transactions that meet consumer compliance requirements in the US and UK.
- Support procurement and insertion order process with existing agencies and vendors.
- Develop and revise contract templates as necessary based on changes in our product offerings, organization, compliance standards and jurisdictional requirements.
- Provide general commercial and compliance trainings and remain current on legal decisions, statutory changes and industry developments.
- Serve as the connective tissue between legal and all commercial departments within the company to ensure that the commercial team’s output is appropriately supported, promoted, and monetized in a legally compliant manner.
- Balance competing time sensitive demands.
Requirements
- Admitted to the bar of an appropriate jurisdiction and in good standing.
- 4+ years of combined experience practicing as a commercial attorney within a law firm and/or as an in-house lawyer (in-house experience preferred).
- Strong business acumen with the ability to translate legal knowledge into commercially and operationally focused solutions.
- Capacity to build meaningful relationships and trust with internal and external clients.
- Proactive sense of personal responsibility and affinity for working autonomously on a wide variety of projects.
- Excellent drafting, written and verbal communication skills and ability to adapt legal requirements in creative and pragmatic ways.
- This is a remote-based position in the United States that may require some travel.
The annual base salary range for this role is $150,000.00- $200,000.00 USD. The total compensation offered for this position may vary based on factors such as education, experience, skills, and location. It may also include non-cash rewards and benefits. The base salary range is subject to change and may be modified in the future.
The Athletic offers unique perks and benefits to all full-time employees based on their country of residence. Our comprehensive US benefits package includes:
- Highly competitive, employer-contributed medical, dental, vision, basic life and disability insurance plans.
- Savings accounts for medical, wellness, and childcare expenses.
- 401k retirement savings plan and employer match.
- Paid time off including paid sick leave, 12 paid holidays, 15 days of accrued vacation to start, and up to 20 weeks of Paid Parental Leave.
For international candidates: Our global benefits packages offer similar benefits and perks, competitive to the local market.
The Athletic Media Company is an equal opportunity employer and enthusiastically encourages people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. The Athletic will consider all applicants without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical and/or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.
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