Legal Counsel

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands.

We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth.

We have been building the world's most valuable brands for 50 years and have global reach across 100+ markets, with deep local expertise.

Our people are the key to our success. We're committed to fostering a culture of creativity, belonging and continuous learning, attracting and developing the brightest talent, and providing exciting career opportunities that help our people grow.

For more information, visit WPP.com.

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:

You're open: We are inclusive and collaborative; we encourage the free exchange of ideas; we respect and celebrate diverse views. We are open-minded: to new ideas, new partnerships, new ways of working.

You're optimistic: We believe in the power of creativity, technology and talent to create brighter futures or our people, our clients and our communities. We approach all that we do with conviction: to try the new and to seek the unexpected.

You're extraordinary: we are stronger together: through collaboration we achieve the amazing. We are creative leaders and pioneers of our industry; we provide extraordinary every day.

What we'll give you:

Passionate, inspired people – We aim to create a culture in which people can do extraordinary work.

Scale and opportunity – We offer the opportunity to create, influence and complete projects at a scale that is unparalleled in the industry.

Challenging and stimulating work – Unique work and the opportunity to join a group of creative problem solvers. Are you up for the challenge?

#LI-Hybrid

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

WPP is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

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