Legal and Business Affairs Executive

Job Description

Title: Legal and Business Affairs Executive
Responsible to: Senior Director of Legal & Business Affairs
Label: Island Records
Location of work: 4 Pancras Square

Music is Universal

It's the passionate and dedicated team at Universal Music UK who help make us Britain's leading music company. From A&R to finance, legal to digital, sales to marketing, Universal Music is the place to grow and develop your career within a truly commercial and innovative business that leads in everything it does.

Everyone is welcome to apply for our roles, and we are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favorable treatment because of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, belief, age, marital status, background, pregnancy or caring responsibilities. We also recognise the importance of diversity of thought within our teams and are fully committed to embracing the talents of people with autism, dyslexia, ADHD and other forms of neurocognitive variation.

We will always seek to make appropriate adjustments to recruitment, workplaces, and work processes to be fully inclusive to people with different needs and working styles. If you need us to make any reasonable adjustments for you from application onwards, including alternatives to the online form or to disclose a neurocognitive condition, please email [email protected]

A Day in The Life

For over sixty years, Island Records has been at the forefront of all the musical moments that mattered. One of the world's great labels, it has become a byword for artistic integrity and innovation, staying true to its long-established independent ethos by signing mavericks and game-changers who have altered the course of music in Britain, Jamaica, America and beyond. And, while times have changed, the attitude, street-cool and striking visuals at the label's creative core have remained the same.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Legal & Business Affairs, it is the responsibility of the Legal and Business Affairs Executive to work alongside all departments of the label to ensure they are providing legal guidance across all aspects of decision making within the business.

It is their responsibility to ensure that any process of decision making includes legal analysis. Alongside this they will be negotiating and finalizing artist deals and visual deals.

Skills & Experience

Artist Agreements
• Negotiating & drafting featured Artist agreements, sample agreements, other clearance paperwork and agreements for videos, photography and artwork using precedents and standard form agreements
• Drafting side letters and other general correspondence to managers and Artist lawyers
• Assisting with negotiating deal memos and recording agreements for new Artist signings and to negotiate and document amendments to Artist agreements
• Assisting with deal memos and recording agreements for new artist signings
• To notify relevant Company personnel on all pertinent terms of such agreements, in particular any restrictions relating to the exploitation of recordings/videos

Be Administrative
• To assist with managing the legal databases (GRS and Rights Hub), ensuring the data is accurate and up to date at all times and sending all signed contracts to archive
• To ensure compliance with all Group legal directives
• To negotiate and implement all other necessary agreements with third parties of whatever nature relevant to the Company
• To undertake any project and ad hoc work as directed by the Senior Director, Legal & Business Affairs including the research and drafting of legal correspondence and contracts
• To provide support for Senior Director, Legal & Business Affairs in respect of Artist audits and litigation

Be Collaborative
• To provide day to day business point of contact to managers and lawyers on behalf of the company
• To notify the Royalties Department and keep accurate records of all contracts entered into and any amendments made, supplying copies to them at all times
• To respond to the Royalties Department, Catalogue Department and synch/brands teams on any queries
• To supervise all arrangements with Producers, mixers and remixers in conjunction with outside legal counsel

Be Vigilant
• To refer any instances of alleged piracy or parallel imports to the BPI Audit Piracy Unit
• To draft and issue witness statements for piracy actions

Be Advisory
• To provide general legal advice to marketing, digital, video and promotions departments, for example, the viability and risk of the use of certain content for artwork, fan prize and competitions, social media channels and initiatives

Personal Specification

Necessary:
• Passionate about working within music
• Post Qualification approach to work
• Proactive and articulate approach to work
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with an approachable manner
• Excellent time management skills
• Lateral thinking with the ability to grasp the overall picture of legal projects
• Highly organised and self-motivated, with an energetic and enthusiastic approach
• Ability to work under pressure and to meet tight deadlines
• Ability to work as part of a team and alone
• Ability to work on own initiative
• High attention to detail

Desirable
• Experience of working in a Legal & Business Affairs department or music solicitor's company
• Experience in commercial, contracts and copyright work
• Excellent word, excel and other Microsoft packages and databases skills

Your Benefits
• Group Personal Pension Scheme (between 3% and 9%)
• Private Medical Insurance
• 25 paid days of annual leave
• Interest Free Season Ticket Loan available
• Holiday Purchase scheme
• Dental and Travel Insurance options
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Salary Sacrifice Cars
• Subsidised Gym Membership
• Employee Discounts (Reward Gateway)

Just So You Know…

The company presents this job description as a guide to the major areas and duties for which the jobholder is accountable. However, the business operates in an environment that demands change and the jobholder's specific responsibilities and activities will vary and develop. Therefore, the job description should be seen as indicative and not as a permanent, definitive and exhaustive statement.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-r7j28q-3-138-34-158-42 in your application.