Senior Counsel / VP, Business and Legal Affairs, Scripted TV

Full Time Job
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. ("MGM") is seeking an experienced Attorney to join the Business and Legal Affairs team to handle the legal aspects of development and production for MGM's scripted television programming and initiatives.

Responsibilities:

• Managing legal matters during the course of development and production and assisting in the development of forms and policies
• Structuring, negotiating and drafting a variety of development and production agreements, including literary acquisitions, writer agreements, talent agreements, producer agreements, director agreements, license / co-finance agreements, rights agreements, and other development and production-related agreements
• Vetting scripts, cuts, and other materials for potential copyright, trademark, defamation, and other legal matters
• Dealing with and advising internal personnel on day-to-day production matters
• Interfacing on a day-to-day basis with various internal groups (creative, production, talent, etc.) as needed
• Analyzing and interpreting contracts and providing thoughtful legal advice on potential risks and issues in a wide range of legal areas, including potential contractual obligations, intellectual property issues, guild issues, and other matters
• Evaluating underlying rights and chain-of-title issues

Requirements:
• J.D. from an accredited law school
• 5 years of experience drafting and negotiating scripted television contracts
• 5 years of experience handling development and production legal affairs matters on high profile scripted television projects at a studio or production company
• Law firm experience is preferred
• Strong legal acumen with the ability to demonstrate sound judgment
• Working knowledge of entertainment guild regulations
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Excellent ability to evaluate issues and propose/implement solutions
• Ability to work quickly and independently while being able to contribute successfully to cross-functional teams