Legal Counsel

Sony Music Entertainment; Dubai; On-site; AED 500,000 - 800,000; Full time

Job summary

Sony Music Entertainment, based in the UAE, seeks an experienced Legal Counsel to oversee legal matters for Sony Music Middle East. You will negotiate and draft commercial agreements, advise on licensing, IP, and corporate transactions, and support senior leadership on legal risks across the business.

The role requires UAE commercial law expertise, 8–10 years of post-qualification experience, and fluency in Arabic and English.

Qualifications

• 8–10 years of post-qualification experience in commercial law, UAE knowledge preferred.
• Independent contract negotiation and deal closure experience required.
• Experience in media/entertainment, digital, tech, or consumer sectors desirable.
• Fluent in Arabic and English.

Responsibilities

• Negotiate, draft, and review a wide range of commercial agreements including licensing and distribution deals.
• Provide legal guidance during local artist signings and contractual negotiations.
• Lead deal strategies for digital initiatives, concerts, and sponsorships.
• Develop and maintain standard form contracts to reflect evolving business models.
• Oversee contract databases and manage artist rights and obligations.
• Support corporate restructurings, mergers, and related documentation.
• Advise on compliance frameworks, reporting, and statutory filings.
• Supervise external counsel and manage litigation matters.
• Provide independent, commercially savvy legal advice with minimal supervision.

Skills

Contract negotiation

Commercial agreements

Litigation management

IP & licensing

Regulatory compliance

Deal coordination

Job description

Job Description:

This is an exciting opportunity for a self-motivated legal professional to make a meaningful impact in a fast-changing, creative, and collaborative environment within the global music and entertainment industry.

As Legal Counsel, you will lead and manage legal matters across Sony Music Middle East, while partnering with internal stakeholders to support a wide range of business activities.

You will ensure legal compliance and enable the business to navigate complex commercial, licensing, and intellectual property issues with clarity and confidence.

What youll do:

• Negotiate, draft, and review a wide range of commercial agreements, including third-party relationships, license-in and license-out deals and distribution agreements, artist contracts and other key commercial transactions.
• Provide legal guidance and support to business teams during local artist signings and other contractual negotiations.
• Lead and advise on deal-making strategies for digital initiatives and new business ventures, such as concerts, live events, endorsements, and sponsorships.
• Develop, maintain, and update standard form agreements and contractual provisions to align with evolving business models and legal/regulatory changes.
• Oversee internal contract databases and systems for managing artist rights and contractual obligations.
• Provide legal support for internal corporate restructuring, mergers, acquisitions, and related transactional documentation.
• Advise on and support the implementation of corporate compliance frameworks, including business affairs policies, law-compliance reporting, and statutory filings.
• Supervise litigation matters, including the engagement and management of external counsel.
• Work independently and provide reliable, commercially savvy legal counsel with minimal supervision.

Who you are:

• 8-10 years of post-qualification experience in law firms handling commercial, corporate, IP, or M&A matters with deep understanding of UAE commercial law.
• Demonstrated experience in independent contract negotiation and deal closure, litigation management and counsel coordination and advising senior leadership on legal and commercial risks.
• Experience in media, entertainment, digital, technology, or consumer-facing industries is preferred.
• Hands on experience in maintaining local legal systems, following processes and compliance.
• Fluent in Arabic and English.

What we give you:

• You join a vibrant global community with the opportunity to channel your passion every day.
• A modern office environment designed for you, empowering you to bring your best.
• Investment in your professional growth and development enabling you to thrive in our vibrant community.
• The space to accelerate progress, positively disrupt and create what happens next.
• We give you the platform to champion positive change, with the opportunity to contribute to our social impact, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Equal Opportunities

As an active part of a culturally and socially diverse society, Sony Music’s aim is that our workforce is diverse and inclusive. Sony Music is an equal opportunity employer and supports workforce diversity.

We employ, retain, promote and otherwise treat all employees and job applicants according to their merit, qualifications, competence and talent.

We apply this policy without regard to any individual’s sex, race, religion, origin, age, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition or disability.

Requirements: