Counsel, Legal & Business Affairs

Pushkin Industries•New York, NY

19h•Onsite

About The Position

Pushkin is looking for a talented and business-oriented attorney to serve as our first in-house counsel. You'll report into and work closely with the VP of Business Development, owning the entire contracting lifecycle for Pushkin’s core business – podcasts, audiobooks, talent deals, branded content, work-for-hire, production, and licensing. This role is for someone who can hold commercial goals and risk tolerance in mind simultaneously, who knows when to push back and when to find a creative path forward, and who is ready to roll up their sleeves and dive in. You will negotiate and draft agreements with Pushkin's business goals in mind, think strategically across legal operations to increase efficiencies, and serve as a trusted, business-oriented advisor on complex and time-sensitive production matters. Our team is small and collaborative. This is an ideal role for a mid-career professional who is eager to join a fast-paced and entrepreneurial environment and who wants to own a critical part of the pipeline for the deal-making, strategy, and day-to-day of a growing media company.

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 — you're willing to roll up your sleeves and do the work yourself
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 the full range of Pushkin agreements, including content licensing, distribution, audiobook, custom brand partnerships, talent, work-for-hire, IP derivative, and syndication deals
Serve as 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 shift, 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 to ensure Pushkin staff can quickly and easily locate archived agreements.
Lead the ongoing buildout and maintenance of the contracts and rights management AirTable database
Maintain and refine the contract negotiation playbook — standardized positions, nonnegotiables, and fallback language — and keep it updated as deal norms evolve
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 on a case-by-case basis
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