Associate Corporate Counsel, contract

INNOCEAN USA, a full-service advertising agency located in sunny Huntington Beach, CA, is seeking an Associate Corporate Counsel to join our team!

This is a contract position intending to expire August 31, 2025.

We are a hybrid workplace, currently x2 days week in-office. Candidates must be local to SoCal.

JOB SUMMARY:

The Corporate Counsel will work in a collaborative fashion with other departmental members and members of related departments, including Business Affairs, Creative, Production, Media, Experiential, Production Finance, CRM, Publishing and Digital Media, reporting to the General Counsel of INNOCEAN USA.

The position will have day-to-day responsibilities in connection with the development and production of all agency client content. Such duties will include negotiating, managing, and advising on deals, drafting of contracts relating to the development and production of content and related union and talent activities, advising on rights and legal clearance, and analyzing intellectual property and other related issues.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Meet with business affairs, creative, production and finance executives to collaborate on deal structuring, contractual language, and to advise regarding talent, union, and other production related issues.
• Work closely with General Counsel to develop internal processes and procedures to monitor Agency and client legal compliance.
• Coordinate and advise internal business production partners with respect to guild and union agreements, contract law, first amendment issues, and/or intellectual property law (including defamation, right of publicity, parody).
• Negotiate, draft, and finalize various contracts, including agreements for writers, voice talent, directors, independent contractors, production services, vendor agreements, rights acquisition, site lease agreements, etc.
• Successfully liaise with talent representatives.
• Review, research, and advise on intellectual property issues and clearance related to content.
• Work with third party vendors with respect to legal matters on assigned productions; and
• Work with business partners and legal colleagues throughout the company to advise and document as necessary with respect to exploitation of client content on all channels.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum 4 years of combined experience in a Law Firm, Advertising Agency, Network or Studio. 
• Experience with respect to guild and union agreements, contract law, first amendment issues, and/or intellectual property law (including defamation, right of publicity, parody).
• Prior experience with automotive advertising and general compliance.
• Prior production and/or distribution experience, or other entertainment, media experience a plus.
• Experience with Ad Tech, specifically Generative AI intellectual property uses, restrictions, and integrations.
• Related experience in entertainment-related field, with emphasis on contracts, copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property law.
• Basic experience in employment law, including wrongful termination and wage and hour issues.

CRITCIAL SKILLS:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent analytical skills.
• Excellent Management skills.
• Excellent negotiating and drafting skills.
• Excellent creative problem-solving abilities.
• Exceptional organizational, prioritization, and time management skills with the ability to execute against multiple, high-priority projects in a fast-paced environment with a keen attention to detail.
• Strong ability to work independently and to contribute positively as a collaborative member of a team, with a strong commitment to learning and excellence.

EDUCATION:

• JD degree or equivalent from an accredited law school.
• Admission to a State Bar in good standing or, willingness and qualification to be Registered In-House Counsel.

The salary range for this role is $135,000 - $175,000.  Pay is dependent upon several factors including but not limited to: experience, training and/or transferable skills.

Who are we? We are explorers. We look out to the edge of the world and ask, "where haven't we been before?" Together, we hunt for an intersection of art and science, creativity bolstered by data. Storytelling layered in strategy. Innovation rich in intelligence. Our adventures are many, our quests, undaunted. Our possibility is as vast as the ocean. Always remembering, the deeper we dive, the greater we become. And the further we go, the more we find.