Corporate Counsel, Business - Santa Monica

Tennis Channel is seeking a driven and business-oriented Corporate Counsel, Business & Legal Affairs with 3–5 years of post–law school experience to join our in-house Legal Department. This role is ideal for someone who thrives where media, sports, creativity, and business inters ...

Job description

Tennis Channel is seeking a driven and business-oriented Corporate Counsel, Business & Legal Affairs with 3–5 years of post–law school experience to join our in-house Legal Department. This role is ideal for someone who thrives where media, sports, creativity, and business intersect and is excited to continue growing their in-house career while supporting Tennis Channel's expansion. The attorney in this role will support a wide range of legal matters, including content rights and licensing, commercial contracting, intellectual property, and cross-functional advisory work. This role reports to the General Counsel, SVP of Business Affairs.

This is a unique opportunity for a mid-level attorney to gain broad exposure in a fast-paced sports media environment, taking on diverse legal issues while learning new domains. You'll work closely with production, digital, marketing, operations, technology, and corporate teams, translating legal concepts into clear, actionable advice for non-legal partners to help enable the business while managing legal risk.

This role is onsite and based in Santa Monica, CA office.

In this role, you will:

Support Content Rights, Licensing & Media Clearance

• Work closely with internal stakeholders on content rights renewals and new rights opportunities with the ATP, WTA, the Grand Slams, and others.
• Evaluate rights restrictions tied to sports leagues, tournaments, and talent.
• Review production materials and marketing assets for rights compliance and risk mitigation.
• Advise internal stakeholders on the acquisition and use of music, footage, images, player likeness, graphics, and other media assets across broadcast, digital, and social platforms.
• Draft and negotiate content licenses, appearance releases, location releases, clip licenses, and image rights agreements.

Draft, Review & Negotiate Commercial Contracts

• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide variety of commercial contracts, including talent agreements, licensing deals, service agreements, technology contracts, sponsorship/marketing agreements, and NDAs.

Provide Corporate, Compliance & Governance Support

• Develop, refine, and implement internal policies, procedures, forms, and templates to support business operations.

Manage Intellectual Property Matters

• Support and manage trademark, copyright, and domain name portfolios.
• Advise internal teams on IP strategy, usage guidelines, and brand protection efforts.

Partner on Cross-Functional Advisory Responsibilities

• Serve as a trusted legal advisor to departments, including operations, HR, marketing, production, digital, and finance.
• Collaborate with internal teams to develop strategies for addressing legal issues and improving workflows.
• Provide training and practical legal insights to internal teams.

Provide General In-House Legal Support

• Assist senior attorneys with complex transactions, strategic initiatives, and special projects.
• Handle miscellaneous legal matters as they arise.

Qualifications:

• J.D. from an ABA accredited law school; membership in good standing in a US State Bar
• At least 3–5 years of legal experience at a law firm and/or in-house
• Strong foundation in contract drafting and negotiation
• Familiarity with intellectual property, licensing, privacy, and media law
• Business-minded approach with strong risk-balancing judgment
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and organizational skills
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment
• Strong research, writing, and analytical skills with exceptional attention to detail
• Proactive communicator with strong interpersonal skills and a team-first mindset
• Desire to contribute to broader company growth and operational improvements
• Hands-on, pragmatic approach to problem-solving and project management
• Experience in sports, media, entertainment, and live events is a plus

Tennis Channel is proud to be equal opportunity employer and a drug free workplace. Employment practices will not be influenced or affected by virtue of an applicant's or employee's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

About PickleballTV 

Pickleballtv (PBTV) is the 24-hour television home of America's fastest growing sport. With coverage of tournaments throughout the year, the network offers 1,000 plus hours of live matches from the game's top professionals and biggest stars. PBTV also provides viewers with first-class instruction, exclusive lifestyle programming and studio news content and more. 

About Tennis Channel

Tennis Channel is the media home to two twenty-four-hour television networks, a subscription streaming service, online magazine and podcasts dedicated to the sport and its unique lifestyle. The tennis-media hub is home to every aspect of the wide-ranging, worldwide tennis community. Tennis Channel is carried nationwide by every one of the top ten pay-TV service providers.

About Sinclair

Sinclair, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI) is a diversified media company and a leading provider of local news and sports. The Company owns, operates and/or provides services to 178 television stations in 81 markets affiliated with all major broadcast networks; owns Tennis Channel, the premium destination for tennis enthusiasts; multicast networks CHARGE, Comet, ROAR and The Nest. Sinclair's AMP Media produces a growing portfolio of digital content and original podcasts. Additional information about Sinclair can be found at  

About the Team

The life-blood of our organization is our people. We have a compelling story, a goal-oriented culture, and we take really good care of people. How good? Here is a glimpse: great benefits, open-door policy, upward mobility and a strong desire to see you succeed. Ready to be part of a winning team? Let's talk.

The base salary compensation range for this role is $120,650 to $134,062. Final compensation for this role will be determined by various factors such as a candidates' relevant work experience, skills, certifications, and geographic location. Full time positions are eligible for benefits that include participation in a retirement plan, life and disability insurance, health, dental and vision plans, flexible spending accounts, sick leave, vacation time, personal time, parental leave and employee stock purchase plan.

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