Senior Counsel: Intellectual Property & Advertising Litigation

WPP•New York, NY

12d•Hybrid

About The Position

WPP is seeking a Senior Counsel (IP & Advertising Litigation) to lead complex intellectual property disputes and provide senior-level advertising and marketing legal support, including advertising clearance and risk review. This role combines deep litigation expertise with hands-on advisory work at the intersection of IP, advertising, and media. The successful candidate will manage high-stakes disputes while partnering closely with marketing, brand, media, and commercial teams to mitigate litigation risk and support compliant, effective advertising. He or she will serve as a strategic legal partner to business leadership, advising on risk, growth initiatives, and commercial strategy while leading complex, high-value transactions and negotiations with minimal supervision.

Requirements

Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school.
Admitted to practice in New York, in good standing.
7+ years of experience in IP litigation, gained at a leading law firm and/or in-house.
Substantial experience managing complex IP disputes in U.S. courts.
Demonstrated experience advising on advertising clearance and marketing risk.
Experience working with media, marketing, technology and/ or advertising teams.
Proven ability to manage outside counsel and litigation budgets.
Excellent written, oral, and stakeholder-management skills.

Nice To Haves

Combination of top-tier law firm and in-house experience strongly preferred.
Background in media, advertising, technology, entertainment, digital platforms, AI, data, and/ or emerging tech.
Experience with influencer marketing, social media, or branded content disputes.
Familiarity with NAD challenges or regulatory-adjacent advertising issues (e.g. FTC, state privacy laws like CCPA/CPRA).
Experience with production agreements, SAG-AFTRA and other guild requirements in advertising and branded content context a plus.

Responsibilities

Lead and manage complex IP and advertising-related litigation in U.S. federal and state courts, including trademark, copyright, talent, and music disputes, and false advertising and unfair competition claims (e.g., Lanham Act).
Develop litigation strategy from pre-litigation assessment through trial and appeal.
Oversee outside counsel, including matter strategy, budgets, staffing, and performance.
Provide advertising clearance advice across all media channels, including digital, social, print, broadcast, sponsorships, influencer marketing, and emerging platforms.
Advise on IP, right of publicity, copyright, trademark, comparative advertising, substantiation, and related advertising risks.
Support marketing and creative teams with fast-paced, pragmatic guidance aligned to business objectives.
Assist in pre-launch reviews, risk assessments, and mitigation strategies to reduce exposure to disputes.
Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements, including MSAs, vendor agreements, data processing agreements, and media/technology contracts.
Partner with brand, marketing, media, product, PR, and commercial teams on contentious and non-contentious matters.
Support pre-litigation negotiations, demand-letter responses, settlements, and alternative dispute resolution.
Work with internal IP teams, technical experts, and external specialists as required.
Help shape IP enforcement, defense, and advertising risk strategy in the U.S.
Monitor legal and regulatory developments affecting IP, advertising, and media.
Provide clear reporting to senior leadership on disputes, exposure, and trends.