Legal Counsel - Commercial & IP

Newscareers; City of London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading media company in the UK seeks a qualified solicitor to join their Legal team. The role involves drafting and negotiating various commercial agreements, providing legal advice, and contributing to risk mitigation strategies. Candidates should have 2-5 years PQE, strong contract skills, and excellent knowledge of commercial IP law. Benefits include private medical insurance, pension scheme, and generous vacation days.

Benefits

Private medical insurance

Discounted gym memberships

'Bikes for Work' scheme

Generous pension scheme

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Qualifications

• 2 to 5 years post-qualification experience (PQE).
• Demonstrable strong skills in contract drafting and negotiation.
• Dynamic approach to work in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Draft and negotiate commercial agreements to support brands.
• Provide legal advice on content acquisition and distribution contracts.
• Contribute to risk mitigation strategies for contractual risks.

Skills

Contract drafting and negotiation

Excellent knowledge of commercial IP law

Data Protection understanding

Ability to communicate legal advice clearly

Experience with emerging technologies

Education

Qualified solicitor registered in England and Wales

Job description

About the Role

Your role: Reporting to the Legal Director, IP, Rights, Marketing and Commercial, you will work closely with the Legal Directors to review, negotiate and draft a variety of agreements across procurement, content acquisition, B2B and B2C arrangements. You will have a clear understanding of transactional IP and commercial contracts, as well as working on technology-related agreements (particularly SaaS and AI).

Day to day responsibilities

• Commercial Agreements: Drafting, negotiating, and interpreting a variety of commercial and rights agreements to support our brands.
• Procurement Support: Negotiating and drafting commercial agreements including outsourcing, MSAs.
• B2B and B2C Contracts: Negotiating relevant contracts for the sales acquisitions and marketing teams.
• Content: IP Provisions in Contracts: Advise on necessary rights for content creation and use. Provide legal support on content acquisition and distribution contracts.
• General Commercial: Provide clear and concise commercial legal advice across business areas.
• Risk Mitigation: Help develop and understand risk mitigation strategies for contractual and content-related risks.
• Process Improvement: Contribute to the maintenance of internal legal templates and the continuous improvement of the Commercial Legal Team processes.

What we’re looking for from you

• Qualification: Qualified solicitor with the right to practice in England and Wales.
• Experience Level: Appropriate post-qualification experience, specifically 2 to 5 years PQE.
• Legal Expertise: Excellent knowledge of the law in areas of commercial IP or content distribution and acquisition contracts; commercial law is essential.
• Technology and Emerging Technologies: Experience and understanding of technology and emerging technologies and platforms is highly desirable.
• Data Protection: Understanding of Data Protection.
• Drafting & Negotiation: Demonstrable strong skills in contract drafting and negotiation.
• Communication: Ability to communicate legal advice clearly and concisely in a commercial environment and provide effective commercial solutions to clients. Can effectively influence colleagues to achieve successful outcomes.
• Engagement: Dynamic approach; able to work in a fast‑paced environment and adapt to differing demands and project deadlines.

About News UK

News UK is one of the leading media businesses in the UK and Ireland. Our news brands include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun, The Sun on Sunday, and The TLS. Our national broadcast brands include talkSPORT, Times Radio and Virgin Radio UK, and we have a range of local stations across Ireland. We provide news, analysis, opinion and entertainment to almost 40 million people each month across print, audio, video, and events.

Benefits

• Private medical insurance including coverage for pre‑existing conditions
• Discounted gym memberships, free ClassPass at home, weekly in‑person/virtual exercise classes
• ‘Bikes for Work’ and ‘Electric Car’ scheme
• Up to 60 % discount on Harper Collins books
• Maternity leave up to 18 weeks full basic salary and paternity leave up to 2 weeks
• Access to exclusive events and competitions with talkSPORT, Virgin Radio UK and The Times; weekly virtual panel chats with top journalists and celebrities
• Wellbeing benefits such as EAP, physio/massage and counselling
• Generous pension scheme with employer contributions up to 5 %
• Wide range of training available, plus full LinkedIn Learning access
• 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays and up to 4 volunteering days per year

Seniority level

Associate

Employment type

Full‑time

Job function

Legal

Industries

Broadcast Media Production and Distribution