Legal Counsel

Why we're hiring:

The role is to act as in-house legal counsel to the WPP Media business supporting their commercial and client teams and to support the Global General Counsel as part of the wider global WPP Media Legal Team.

The successful candidate will not only provide the expected legal expertise in drafting and negotiating contracts and policy, but to also understand how to support commercial negotiations in line with best practice and group guidance and be keen to understand and learn in a fast-paced environment.

The ideal candidate will be legally astute and be a qualified lawyer who has worked inhouse, preferably with Media experience. They should have significant experience in drafting and negotiating commercial contracts ideally in a media and/or technology context. Knowledge of intellectual property and/or data privacy desirable.

The role will report to Senior Legal Counsel (Global).

Travel may be required from time to time.

What you'll be doing:

As well as working closely with the commercial & finance teams, the key areas of responsibility for this role are:

· Drafting, negotiating and advising on a range of commercial agreements, including media service agreements, content partnership agreements, sponsorship agreements, vendor agreements, technology licences, data processing agreements and non-disclosure agreements;

· Drafting and negotiating talent and influencer agreements;

· Managing legal aspects of pitch responses and client renegotiations;

· Supporting the business on deal-making in relation to complex and innovative projects as well as operational decision-making;

· Advising on regulatory and policy compliance across media, ecommerce, data privacy and security issues, the transfer, use and storage of data and ePrivacy;

· Monitoring industry regulations and providing legal advice on governance and law change developments;

· Training and advising the business on risk, compliance, IP, reputation management and other relevant aspects of law;

· Working with key business stakeholders to set strategy and policies for managing risk in new and emerging products and services;

· Managing relationships with internal group counsel (WPP/WPP Media) & external law firms and other professional advisors (notably auditors);

· Development of user-friendly contract templates that can be utilised across the business;

· Coordinating the implementation of WPP Media legal initiatives;

· Managing & preventing client risk / litigation;

What you'll need:

Essential criteria:

· 6-8 years of post-qualification experience (PQE) with experience an in-house legal team or law firm;

· Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex legal issues clearly and without jargon to commercial teams and clients;

· Strong drafting skills, with the ability to work from precedent and from scratch;

· Strong commercial acumen, with the ability to understand and balance the tensions between commercial objectives and legal requirements;

· Proven ability to prioritise a fast-paced workload, manage competing demands, solve problems and escalate issues as appropriate;

· Ability to act as a trusted business partner, supporting and enabling commercial decision-making and driving change;

· Collaborative team player and relationship builder, with a structured and precise approach to work and the drive to deliver results;

· Proficiency in Microsoft 365, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams;

· Fluency in English (written and spoken);

Desired criteria:

· Demonstrable experience in media, advertising, technology or a related sector preferred but not essential;

Who you are: