Senior Counsel, Simon & Schuster

Simone Development•New York, NY

13d

About The Position

Simon & Schuster, a leading global publishing company, is seeking an experienced transactional attorney to join its Legal Department as Senior Counsel. This role is well suited for a commercially minded lawyer who enjoys partnering with business teams to structure practical agreements that support sales, operations, traditional publishing, and evolving digital initiatives/business models. Position Overview The Senior Counsel will serve as a key legal partner and will address the day-to-day needs of our Audio Division and Sales and Operations groups, and as needed will provide support to our international divisions. This role will focus on the drafting and negotiation of a wide range of commercial agreements that support the business and core publishing functions. The position will counsel clients on various legal and commercial risks related to contractual arrangements, and media, intellectual property, privacy, technology and digital issues and will partner strategically with the operations, sales and audio publishing teams and act as a general advisor and consulting resource from the Legal Department. This role will also handle pre-publication review of certain audiobooks.

Requirements

Excellent drafting, negotiating and analytical skills and the ability to structure agreements for novel business arrangements.
Sound business judgment and creative problem-solving skills.
Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work with different client groups to provide guidance and make strategic recommendations.
Effectively prioritize, execute and respond to a wide variety of inquiries.
Ability to: work independently, seek guidance when necessary, shift gears quickly to respond to changing client needs and work collaboratively and collegially with clients at all levels of the organization.
Minimum 6 years of relevant transactional experience, preferably in publishing, media, or technology businesses.
Demonstrated experience drafting and negotiating complex commercial agreements.
Strong understanding of intellectual property principles.
Strong business judgment and the ability to provide practical, risk-based advice.

Nice To Haves

Experience with digital media (eBooks, audiobooks, podcasts, or other digital media) arrangements preferred.

Responsibilities

Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements, including:
SaaS and other vendor agreements
Digital and physical distribution agreements
Master services agreements
Manufacturing, warehouse, and logistics agreements
Operational and facilities agreements
Advise Sales, Operations and Audio teams on contract interpretation, risk allocation, and commercial strategy.
Counsel on intellectual property matters, including copyright, trademark, and content licensing issues.
Collaborate cross functionally (sales, publishing, marketing, operations, and technology stakeholders to support both established publishing models and evolving digital strategies.
Assist with international publishing matters and in other legal areas as the need arises.