Associate Counsel

Educational Media Foundation • Franklin, TN

23h • Onsite

About The Position

Overview Reporting to the Chief Legal Officer, the Associate Counsel will provide legal support across various areas of the K-LOVE’s operations, including contract management, compliance, real and personal property, including real estate, leases, and mergers and acquisitions, litigation, intellectual property, privacy, employment, risk management, training, and public relations. This position requires a high level of initiative, clear communication, and effective cross-functional collaboration with senior management, outside counsel, and internal parties. Success in this role will be measured by the ability to navigate complex legal matters, offer strategic insights, and foster strong relationships through servant leadership, cross-functional relationships, and strategic partnerships within the Ministry. In addition, a VALUES FIT is top priority. Do our values align with yours? Mission, Beliefs & Values . If so, please read on. Here’s just some of what you will be doing daily… Contract management : Supports Counsel with drafting, reviewing, and negotiating contracts across various domains, including real estate leases, technology contracts, and marketing agreements Compliance: Supports Counsel with compliance with relevant regulatory laws and regulations, advising on matters related to industry-specific standards and corporate policies. Mergers and Acquisitions: Supports Counsel by providing legal assistance for real and personal property matters, including real estate, leases, and the mergers and acquisitions process, including conducting due diligence and advising on structuring and documentation. Intellectual Property: Supports Counsel with managing, protecting, and enforcing the Ministry’s intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, and copyrights, and with supporting representation of the Ministry’s intellectual property rights in negotiations and matters with third-parties. Media: Supports Counsel with media and entertainment, including content creation, distribution, and legal compliance, involving pre-publication review of content, advising on defamation, privacy, copyright, and intellectual property issues, negotiating and drafting contracts, and providing legal education to internal teams as well as advising on the legal aspects of music licensing, including negotiating and drafting agreements with record labels, publishers, and other stakeholders. HR Partnership & Global Employment Practices: Supports Counsel with the HR team on global employment practices, employment handbook updates, compliance training, and new country expansion, and offer Ministry-wide partnership through legal guidance on a wide range of employment-related matters, including employee onboarding and offboarding, performance, and discipline, and interpretation and application of HR policies and procedures. Risk Management: Supports Counsel with developing and implementing internal policies and procedures to mitigate and manage legal and operational risks across the Ministry. Training: Supports Counsel with designing and delivering legal training sessions for staff, enhancing awareness of relevant legal issues and ensuring compliance across the Ministry. Public Relations: Supports Counsel with liaising with internal and external stakeholders, including shareholders, regulators, and other key parties, ensuring clear and accurate communication. Privacy Program: Supports Counsel with the development, implementation, and maintenance of the Ministry’s privacy program to comply with applicable privacy laws and regulations. Collaboration with Outside Counsel: Supports Counsel with collaboration efforts involving external legal advisors, incorporating their recommendations into practical guidance for the Ministry, while integrating feedback from internal teams. Template and Process Development: Supports Counsel with creating and updating contract templates and improving contracting processes to ensure efficiency and consistency across legal matters and prioritizing the creation of K-LOVE work product and document database that can be developed to scale Ministry-wide through leveraging your knowledge, skills, and ability. Legal Department Process Enhancement: Supports Counsel with designing, building, and improving legal department processes to enhance efficiency, compliance, and collaboration. Fosters cross-functional collaboration by working closely with other counsel and various departments. Maintains an in-person presence to ensure effective communication and direct interaction to meet Ministry needs and drive success. Legal Strategy Support: Supports Counsel with providing legal input to cross-functional stakeholders and senior management, helping to define the legal strategy for new products, initiatives, and corporate ventures. Regulatory Strategy and Compliance: Supports Counsel with the development and management of regulatory strategies at the federal and state levels, advising on specific state requirements and ensuring compliance. Subsidiary Management: Supports Counsel with legal matters related to the Ministry’s subsidiaries and affiliates, ensuring all legal aspects of expansion and management activities are properly addressed. Cross-Functional Collaboration and In-Office Work: Serve as a key support function by actively collaborating in-person with cross-functional teams across the Ministry. In-office presence and direct interaction with various departments are essential to ensure effective legal counsel, timely decision-making, and alignment with Ministry goals.

Requirements

• Juris Doctorate or similar degree from an accredited school of law.
• Bar admission must be obtained within 12 months of hire or as directed by the Chief Legal Officer.
• One or more years of legal experience involving research, drafting, policy review, or legal project work in areas such as corporate law, business transactions, or compliance.
• Foundational experience or demonstrated familiarity with legal areas such as contract management, real and personal property, including real estate, leases, and mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, employment law, or litigation.
• Knowledge of risk management practices, including developing internal policies and procedures to minimize and mitigate organizational risks.
• Experience in managing compliance with federal and state regulations.
• Proven track record in negotiating and drafting contracts, including vendor, partnership, and sales agreements, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
• Ability to provide legal training to staff on legal issues, internal processes, and compliance matters, while fostering a culture of compliance within the organization.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and negotiation skills, with the ability to build trust, collaborate effectively, and work cross-functionally with the legal team, senior management, outside counsel, and other stakeholders as team work is essential to success in this role.
• Must possess sound judgment regarding appropriate risk tolerance while effectively communicating risks to key stakeholders to drive expedient, thoroughly informed decisions.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, ability to build trust and value others; communicate effectively; and collaborate with others.
• High level of integrity; demonstrated ability to work independently; establishing and meeting performance and Ministry goals.

Nice To Haves

• Specific experience with data privacy laws and security matters is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Supports Counsel with drafting, reviewing, and negotiating contracts across various domains, including real estate leases, technology contracts, and marketing agreements
• Supports Counsel with compliance with relevant regulatory laws and regulations, advising on matters related to industry-specific standards and corporate policies.
• Supports Counsel by providing legal assistance for real and personal property matters, including real estate, leases, and the mergers and acquisitions process, including conducting due diligence and advising on structuring and documentation.
• Supports Counsel with managing, protecting, and enforcing the Ministry’s intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, and copyrights, and with supporting representation of the Ministry’s intellectual property rights in negotiations and matters with third-parties.
• Supports Counsel with media and entertainment, including content creation, distribution, and legal compliance, involving pre-publication review of content, advising on defamation, privacy, copyright, and intellectual property issues, negotiating and drafting contracts, and providing legal education to internal teams as well as advising on the legal aspects of music licensing, including negotiating and drafting agreements with record labels, publishers, and other stakeholders.
• Supports Counsel with the HR team on global employment practices, employment handbook updates, compliance training, and new country expansion, and offer Ministry-wide partnership through legal guidance on a wide range of employment-related matters, including employee onboarding and offboarding, performance, and discipline, and interpretation and application of HR policies and procedures.
• Supports Counsel with developing and implementing internal policies and procedures to mitigate and manage legal and operational risks across the Ministry.
• Supports Counsel with designing and delivering legal training sessions for staff, enhancing awareness of relevant legal issues and ensuring compliance across the Ministry.
• Supports Counsel with liaising with internal and external stakeholders, including shareholders, regulators, and other key parties, ensuring clear and accurate communication.
• Supports Counsel with the development, implementation, and maintenance of the Ministry’s privacy program to comply with applicable privacy laws and regulations.
• Supports Counsel with collaboration efforts involving external legal advisors, incorporating their recommendations into practical guidance for the Ministry, while integrating feedback from internal teams.
• Supports Counsel with creating and updating contract templates and improving contracting processes to ensure efficiency and consistency across legal matters and prioritizing the creation of K-LOVE work product and document database that can be developed to scale Ministry-wide through leveraging your knowledge, skills, and ability.
• Supports Counsel with designing, building, and improving legal department processes to enhance efficiency, compliance, and collaboration.
• Fosters cross-functional collaboration by working closely with other counsel and various departments. Maintains an in-person presence to ensure effective communication and direct interaction to meet Ministry needs and drive success.
• Supports Counsel with providing legal input to cross-functional stakeholders and senior management, helping to define the legal strategy for new products, initiatives, and corporate ventures.
• Supports Counsel with the development and management of regulatory strategies at the federal and state levels, advising on specific state requirements and ensuring compliance.
• Supports Counsel with legal matters related to the Ministry’s subsidiaries and affiliates, ensuring all legal aspects of expansion and management activities are properly addressed.
• Serve as a key support function by actively collaborating in-person with cross-functional teams across the Ministry. In-office presence and direct interaction with various departments are essential to ensure effective legal counsel, timely decision-making, and alignment with Ministry goals.

Benefits

• Industry leading Medical, Dental & Vision coverage
• Short/long term disability and life insurance
• Robust 401K with company match
• Parental leave with Baby Bonding pay
• Generous PTO, holiday and sick pay
• Unique company culture that includes exclusive access to concerts, movie premieres, media industry events, and more
• Leadership and Career Development Programs

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree