Associate Counsel

Part of the Haslam Sports Group portfolio, the Columbus Crew is seeking an Associate Counsel with corporate legal experience to contribute to all aspects of the legal department across the Columbus Crew (MLS) and Cleveland Browns (NFL) clubs.  The Associate Counsel position is based in Columbus and the primary focus will be legal work for the Crew. The Counsel’s primary responsibilities will include drafting, negotiating, and reviewing commercial contracts; active and strategic management of various Club and league policies (including the Crew’s Academy and youth protection policies); litigation management; and advising internal clients on various legal matters, including with respect to intellectual property, employment, ticketing and privacy.

 

Haslam Sports Group is a values-driven organization committed to unifying people through sports and entertainment. We aim to bring our fans and our communities best-in-class experiences and teams that consistently deliver results. We give back to our region to drive positive change as stewards of true community assets. 

This is not a remote position – physical presence in the Columbus Crew’s office is required.  The Associate Counsel will report to the Vice President & General Counsel of the Columbus Crew. 

·       Draft, negotiate, review and track various commercial contracts, including sponsorship agreements, suite lease agreements, vendor contracts, non-disclosure agreements, event agreements, governmental contracts, etc.

·       Research various legal questions (e.g., within Club’s contracts or MLS / NFL policies, or under applicable law) and provide clear recommendations to internal staff

·       Manage and advise on various intellectual property matters, including content and music licensing, trademark and copyright issues

·       Manage and advise regarding various data privacy and consumer protection matters

·       Draft and update various contract templates

·       Manage, provide training for and enforce various organizational policies (including Academy and youth protection policies, document retention policy, litigation hold policy, etc.)

·       Contribute to litigation management, including responsibility discovery requests, litigation holds and subpoena responses

·       Interface with the applicable leagues’ legal departments in a variety of areas and develop strong understanding of applicable league policies

·       Advise in the areas of corporate governance, employment practices, human resources and general business practice compliance

·       Ensure compliance with applicable international, federal, state and local laws and regulations

·       Participate in special projects and perform various other tasks that may be assigned from time to time by the General Counsel or other senior internal clients

·       Maintain an understanding of the external environment and industry trends (revenue/cost drivers, levers, competitive situations)

·       Foster an environment that promotes the sharing of knowledge and best practices, and build on learning to create value for the organization

·       Promote positive, collaborative internal culture

·       Position requires routine face-to-face personal interaction with staff throughout the organization personnel, so job responsibilities must generally be performed in-person and not remotely

·       Demonstrated track record of successful self-directed complex work 

·       Sound judgment and decision-making skills

·       Excellent time management skills; ability to successfully handle numerous assignments and deadlines in a high-energy environment with accuracy and exceptional attention to detail

·       Strong interpersonal skills; ability to work effectively and build relationships as a strategic liaison between the Legal department and internal clients at all levels and external partners/vendors 

·       Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written; ability to distill complex legal analysis into practical, straightforward advice

·       Demonstrated willingness to continuously acquire new competencies and accept new challenges

·       Ability to maintain high personal and professional ethical standards at all times, including ensuring the confidentiality of highly sensitive or proprietary information 

·       Internal drive, strong work ethic and a team-first, positive attitude in the performance of all job responsibilities

·       Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint), and ability to learn required business systems

·       Ability to work a flexible and dynamic work schedule that accommodates the needs and demands of internal stakeholders; some travel from Columbus to Cleveland expected

·       Juris Doctorate degree from an American Bar Association accredited law school

·       Three to five years of experience at a law firm or as in-house counsel

·       Quality transactional experience required; sports industry, compliance and data privacy experience each a plus

·       Licensed or ability to become licensed to practice law in the State of Ohio and in good standing with the State Bar of Ohio

Exempt