Commercial Solicitor

Overview

The Premier League’s legal team is looking for a commercial solicitor to support the Head of Legal – Commercial & Compliance in providing high quality advice on legal and compliance issues that impact the operations of the Premier League as well as its member clubs.  This will include advising on a whole range of commercial issues including drafting and negotiating a wide range of commercial agreements and advising on data risk, privacy and protection matters.  

The right candidate will be a qualified solicitor of approximately 2-4 years’ post qualification experience (candidates outside this range with the required skills to be considered) and a strong background in commercial contracts and data protection.
 

Who we are

The Premier League is home to some of the most competitive and compelling football in the world. The League and its clubs use the power and popularity of the competition to inspire fans, communities and partners in the UK and across the world. The Premier League brings people together from all backgrounds. It is a competition for everyone, everywhere and is available to watch in over 1 billion homes in 189 countries.

We have a wide variety of responsibilities. These include organising the competition and its Rule Book as well as managing the centralised broadcast and commercial rights. The work we do in conjunction with the Clubs also goes far beyond the 90 minutes. We support and provide a framework for youth development, we protect the organisation’s intellectual property, support the wider game and community programmes, undertake international development work and liaise with governing bodies and other leagues.
 

The role

Commercial Contracts

• Provide advice to all areas of the business on a wide range of commercial issues.
• Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating of a variety of commercial contracts including supply of service agreements, event agreements, consultancy agreements, grant agreements, licencing agreements, sponsorship agreements and other commercial contracts.
• Develop and update precedents and standard form legal documentation (including legal policies, standard terms and conditions and tender documentation) wherever possible.
• Liaise with external counsel on legal matters as required.
• Implement and refine policies and procedures to ensure efficient and effective contract administration and document management processes.
• Keep abreast of commercial legal developments relevant to the business.

​Compliance

• Provide legal and compliance advice to the business as the subject matter expert on data protection to ensure the Premier League meets its legal, regulatory and ethical obligations.
• Drafting and advising on complex data protection-related documentation such as data processing agreements, data sharing agreements and privacy impact assessments.
• Provide legal and compliance advice to the wider business as they arise on a day-to-day basis in relation to anti-corruption and bribery, modern slavery and tax evasion.
• Assist the Head of Legal – Commercial and Compliance in maintaining a robust system of policies and procedures.
• Promote sound practices compliant with relevant legislation and proactively identify opportunities to improve existing practices.
• Ensure thorough reporting of internal and external risk and compliance issues to the Director of Legal Services and the Board.
• Keep abreast of legal developments relevant to the business’s compliance obligations.
• Monitor and manage suppliers of third party risk management and whistle blowing services.
   

Requirements for the role

• High quality academic background and robust legal training from a reputable law firm or recognised in-house legal department. 
• A qualified solicitor with 2-4 years' post qualification experience (candidates outside this range with the required skills to be considered).
• Confident, articulate, and affable with the ability to communicate complex legal concepts into a clear and understandable format both orally and in writing to individuals from all levels of the business. 
• Sound commercial knowledge, ideally with some experience working in or with the sports industry.
• Experience drafting and negotiating a wide range of commercial agreements. 
• Significant experience of data protection.
• Team player, highly organised, solution oriented and a keen attention to detail. 
• Able to cope with pressurised situations and tight timeframes whilst maintaining a professional approach.
   

The Premier League is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. All appointments will be made based on merit.

To apply please email hr@premierleague.com with your CV and cover letter. The closing date for applications is Monday 4 March 2019.