Counsel, Legal & Business Affairs

Pushkin Industries•New York, NY

1d•$150,000 - $175,000•Onsite

About The Position

Pushkin Industries is seeking a talented and business-oriented attorney to serve as its first in-house counsel. This role reports to and works closely with the VP of Business Development, overseeing the entire contracting lifecycle for the company's core business, including podcasts, audiobooks, talent deals, branded content, work-for-hire, production, and licensing. The ideal candidate will balance commercial goals with risk tolerance, find creative solutions, and be ready to take initiative. Responsibilities include negotiating and drafting agreements, strategically improving legal operations for efficiency, and acting as a trusted advisor on complex production matters. This is an excellent opportunity for a mid-career professional in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment to own a critical part of a growing media company's deal-making, strategy, and daily operations.

Requirements

JD from an accredited law school and active membership in the New York State Bar, in good standing.
4+ years of relevant legal experience.
Demonstrated experience independently drafting, negotiating, and closing a broad range of commercial agreements.
Comfort operating as the only lawyer on staff in a lean, fast-moving environment.
Excellent judgment and a practical, business-oriented approach to legal problem solving.
Ability to collaborate effectively across departments and communicate clearly with creative, production, and commercial partners.
Highly organized, detail-oriented, and proactive, with the ability to anticipate issues and propose solutions and manage a high volume of matters.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Genuine curiosity about AI tools and how they can modernize legal operations.

Nice To Haves

Specialization in media, publishing, and/or entertainment law.
Familiarity with SAG-AFTRA agreements and audiobook production compliance.
Experience building or inheriting legal infrastructure — templates, playbooks, contract repositories.
Knowledge of fair use, music and third-party archival licensing, copyright and intellectual property law, First Amendment law, and personality rights.

Responsibilities

Structure, draft, review, redline, and negotiate a wide range of agreements, including content licensing, distribution, audiobook, custom brand partnerships, talent, work-for-hire, IP derivative, and syndication deals.
Serve as the primary legal point of contact for day-to-day contracting work for all standard and recurring deal types.
Partner with the VP of Business Development to ensure all agreements align with Pushkin's commercial goals and long-term business strategy.
Maintain a consistent legal framework across all deal types, minimizing term shifts, standardizing positions, and streamlining contract structures.
Advise senior leadership on legal risk, contract interpretation, and IP issues, including copyright, trademark, and ownership rights.
Identify and escalate complex or novel legal issues to outside counsel.
Collaborate cross-functionally with production, marketing, finance, and operations teams to align legal execution with business objectives.
Support the VP of Business Development in evaluating emerging legal and commercial risks across the business.
Advise on corporate and HR matters as needed.
Own and maintain Pushkin's boilerplate and template library across all core deal types, ensuring templates are current, consistent, and fit for purpose.
Organize all contracts in the Contract Repository and conduct regular audits/maintenance thereof.
Lead the ongoing buildout and maintenance of the contracts and rights management AirTable database.
Maintain and refine the contract negotiation playbook, including standardized positions, nonnegotiables, and fallback language.
Maintain documented internal legal workflows, approval processes, and contract lifecycle management practices.
Evaluate and implement AI legal tools to improve team efficiency and modernize legal operations.
Oversee production legal matters across podcast and audiobook productions, including rights clearance, liability review, and compliance.
Draft and maintain standard production releases, appearance agreements, and related documents.
Support showrunners and producers on an as-needed basis with contractor agreements, talent negotiations, and production-related legal questions.
Oversee SAG-AFTRA compliance for audiobook productions, including budget contributions and renegotiation of SAG agreements as needed.