Legal Affairs Fellow

Hook Music•New York City, NY

About The Position

Hook is a social music platform focused on music discovery, fan expression, and creator growth. It partners with artists, labels, and other rightsholders to enable music to be discovered and shared in ways that respect and reward the people behind it. The Legal Affairs Fellow works directly alongside Hook’s General Counsel and contributes to a broad range of in-house legal work at an early-stage music and consumer technology startup. Responsibilities span operational documents, commercial transactions, content licensing, intellectual property, and legal operations. The fellow collaborates with Hook’s content, engineering, marketing, operations, business development, creative, and product teams, and gains exposure to risk assessment, compliance, and executive-level corporate strategy. The role is intended for a 3L or recent law school graduate with a foundation in music, IP, or technology law. For the right candidate, it may lead to a permanent position on Hook’s legal team as the company grows; conversion is at Hook’s discretion and is not guaranteed.

Requirements

Be a 3L at an ABA-accredited law school or a recent law school graduate, with strong academic credentials.
Demonstrated experience in music, intellectual property, and/or technology law through internships, clinics, journal work, coursework, or professional experience.
Hands-on drafting and redlining experience with real agreements, such as NDAs, service agreements, or licenses, and comfort working in tracked changes.
Strong understanding of music copyright law and related sound recording and musical composition rights, including mechanical, performance, and sync licensing.
Excellent legal research, writing, and analytical skills.
Attention to detail and ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
Self-starter who thrives in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment and can take ownership of matters with General Counsel oversight.
Comfort with social media consumption patterns and creator/UGC platforms.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including comfort collaborating across teams.

Nice To Haves

Prior in-house, law firm, label, publisher, or DSP experience in music, entertainment, or technology.
Understanding of the current commercial and legal landscape in entertainment, music, social media, UGC, music consumption, and creator marketplaces.
Familiarity with emerging issues at the intersection of AI and copyright, including training data and AI-generated content.
Experience working at an early-stage startup (Seed–Series B).
For recent graduates, admission to or sitting for the New York bar.
Passion for music and technology.

Responsibilities

Draft, redline, and manage NDAs and confidentiality agreements, taking first-pass ownership of negotiations.
Prepare and process offer letters, contractor agreements, and other employment-related documents.
Support corporate governance and organizational housekeeping, including board and stockholder consents and corporate records.
Draft and redline service agreements, vendor contracts, and partnership deals, and support negotiations through signature.
Assist with content licensing agreements with labels, publishers, and other rightsholders, as well as sync licenses and content distribution deals.
Conduct due diligence and support execution of commercial transactions.
Research and advise on copyright, trademark, and other IP matters relevant to music, entertainment, and digital media.
Review and redline complex IP licensing and rights agreements.
Support Hook’s trademark and patent portfolio in coordination with outside counsel.
Monitor industry developments, regulatory changes, and emerging legal issues in entertainment and digital media, including AI, UGC, and platform liability.
Participate in cross-functional projects with business, creative, and product teams.
Contribute to risk assessment, compliance, and corporate strategy matters at the executive level.
Build and improve internal legal templates, playbooks, policies, and legal operations processes.