VP, Legal, Litigation

Warner Bros. Discovery•New York, NY

About The Position

Warner Bros. Discovery is seeking an experienced legal executive to join our global legal team as VP, Legal, Litigation, supporting our dynamic and high-profile litigation matters across the company. This position will report directly to the SVP, Legal, Litigation and will be based in either Burbank, California, or New York, New York. The litigation team plays a critical role in protecting Warner Bros. Discovery’s interests and reputation, managing complex disputes, and providing strategic legal counsel across the organization. This is a highly visible and impactful role within a fast-paced, global entertainment company. In this role, you will serve as the primary legal advisor for litigation matters, overseeing pre-litigation claims and judicial proceedings, including arbitrations, mediations, settlement conferences, depositions, and hearings. You will manage and supervise outside counsel, negotiate and analyze contracts and agreements, and provide clear, pragmatic legal guidance to internal stakeholders. Additionally, you will lead and mentor a team of paralegal and clerical professionals, ensuring excellence in execution and compliance. You will be responsible for managing outside counsel in handling Warner Bros. Discovery litigation, investigating and resolving pre-litigation claims, representing the company in judicial proceedings, negotiating, reviewing, drafting, and analyzing contracts and agreements, researching and responding to legal inquiries, supervising paralegal and clerical staff, and performing special assignments and related work as needed. This role offers the opportunity to work on high-stakes matters in a collaborative environment, partnering closely with internal teams and external counsel to mitigate risk and drive successful outcomes.

Requirements

12+ years of experience as a practicing litigation attorney
Litigation experience required; trial experience required.
Law firm experience required; experience within the entertainment industry preferred.
Undergraduate degree is required.
J.D. degree from an accredited law school is required.
Active member in a United States state bar in good standing.
Ability to advocate, collaborate, and navigate adversarial situations in a fast-paced culture.
Exceptional legal and business judgment and executive presence; demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with clients and WBD senior executives.
Strong written and verbal communication skills and demonstrated legal professionalism.
Ability to develop and articulate creative and practical solutions to complex legal issues to meet business and legal goals and requirements.
In-depth knowledge of WBD and the business and legal environment within the entertainment industry, in order to effectively represent the company in legal proceedings.
Demonstrated ability to manage relationships with outside counsel and insurers in a positive manner.
Demonstrated leadership as a supervisor and mentor; must be able to supervise, evaluate, and develop paralegals, junior attorneys and legal administrative assistants engaged in the performance of law-related tasks.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with some or all the following subject areas is preferred: general commercial litigation, entertainment industry-related litigation; copyright, trademark, and patent; privacy; burgeoning legal issues related to artificial intelligence; First Amendment; personal injury; workers’ compensation; insurance defense; environmental; anti-trust and tax matters.

Responsibilities

Oversee outside counsel in their handling of WBD litigation and claims, assist with factual investigation of claims, and develop litigation strategy.
Provide litigation-related guidance and legal advice to WBD employees, including support on contract negotiation, contractual terms, privacy laws, copyright laws, production-related matters and other legal issues.
Prepare employees for depositions and in-court testimony.
Assist e-discovery team in the collection of documents and data relevant to litigation matters.
Represent company at mediations and settlement negotiations.
Supervise paralegals.