Legal Counsel, M&A

Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Private medical insurance

25 days annual leave

Learning & development opportunities

Pension plan

Employee store discounts

Counselling service

Life Insurance

Season ticket loan

Job summary

Sony Pictures Entertainment is seeking a Corporate Legal Counsel based in London, UK. The role focuses on transactional work including M&A, joint ventures and investments, as well as general commercial work.

You will advise executives, negotiate complex agreements and support corporate governance across EMEA, working with a high-calibre legal team. The ideal candidate is a qualified solicitor with 3+ years PQE in corporate law, with demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor with typically a minimum of 3 years post-qualification experience including significant corporate experience.
• Experience in both private practice and in-house roles.
• Background in working with multimedia international corporations is helpful but not a prerequisite.

Responsibilities

• Handle and coordinate a wide variety of legal activities, including corporate activity with executive teams.
• Partner with business units on acquisitions, dispositions, investments and JVs, corporate restructuring and other corporate projects.
• Draft and negotiate all forms of corporate agreements, including M&A contracts, conduct due diligence, and advise on corporate law during all stages.
• Support the Corporate Legal team with advisory matters including corporate maintenance, commercial issues and regulatory compliance.
• Manage the portfolio of companies across EMEA and provide commercial legal advice to TV, production, and home entertainment groups on UK and international matters.

Skills

Corporate law

Negotiation

Drafting

Advisory

Stakeholder management

Education

Qualified solicitor

Job description

Please note that this role is based in the United Kingdom. To enable us to meet the statutory and regulatory obligations of the United Kingdom immigration system, you must have the appropriate immigration permission needed to work and reside in the United Kingdom for the duration of the employment. The Corporate Legal Counsel role forms part of the Sony Pictures Entertainment Legal team and is based in London. The role has a primary focus on transactional work, including M&A, joint ventures and investments, as well as commercial work. The successful candidate will have the ability to work independently and work closely with business executives, providing them with practical legal advice on complex transactions in a rapidly evolving industry. The role is suited to qualified lawyers with 3+ years post post-qualification experience and prior industry specific experience is beneficial. The Legal Counsel role will report directly to, and work closely with, the Senior Vice President, Corporate Legal, EMEA, advising on transactional and commercial matters across EMEA, working as part of a high calibre team covering transactions across all lines of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s businesses, including motion picture, television, digital media and technology. We are seeking an exceptional legal professional with strong technical expertise, including the ability to draft, negotiate, and advise on complex agreements. This role offers the opportunity to advise and work closely with executives across Sony Pictures’ strategy and corporate development teams, as well as stakeholders from all business divisions, gaining a strong understanding of its strategic priorities, commercial objectives, and operational needs. The ideal candidate will combine excellent legal skills with intellectual curiosity and a genuine enthusiasm for learning new areas of law and business. They will be highly organised, adaptable, and capable of managing multiple priorities in a dynamic environment. Strong interpersonal and communication skills are essential, along with the ability to build effective relationships, collaborate across teams, and deliver practical, business-focused legal advice.

What you’ll do:

• Will handle, manage & coordinate a wide variety of legal activities, including: Supporting and executing corporate activity and working closely with executive teams.
• Partnering with the business units and support functions on acquisitions, dispositions, investments and JVs, corporate restructuring and other corporate projects.
• Drafting and negotiating all forms of corporate agreements, including all contracts on M&A transactions, conducting and coordinating legal due diligence, and advising on corporate law requirements during all stages of transactions and corporate activity.
• Supporting the Corporate Legal team with a wide variety of legal advisory matters, including projects relating to corporate maintenance, commercial matters and compliance and regulatory matters.
• Managing the current portfolio of companies across all EMEA territories.
• Providing commercial legal advice and contract drafting and negotiation to the television, production and home entertainment groups on UK and International matters, where required.
• Keeping up to date with technical and legal developments relevant to corporate law and in media and technology worldwide to identify key changes and updates that impact the team and the business, identifying regulatory enforcement focus, providing updates and summaries to the Corporate Legal team, and assisting with taking appropriate compliance action across the enterprise, including developing and presenting training and legal updates to help foster communication, create awareness and enhance collaboration on corporate and related matters.
• Managing and maintaining relationships with business partners on an individual level and as part of a cohesive legal team within a wider legal group.
• Supporting and implementing the vision, strategy and values of the business.

What you have:

• A solid understanding of corporate law and compliance.
• Self-starter with a proactive and positive attitude to their work, demonstrating a commercial and practical approach, taking ownership of tasks and working independently as well as collaboratively with others.
• Ability and willingness to continue to learn and understand new law and industry practices.
• Excellent legal analysis, drafting, negotiation and organisational skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to win the confidence of business partners and the flexibility to respond appropriately to a wide variety of stakeholders across multiple territories in a fast-paced international business.
• Serve as an advisor to business partners by providing pragmatic, commercially focused and timely legal guidance.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with an ever-changing landscape calmly and thoughtfully under pressure.
• Able to work confidently and proactively towards strategic objectives, aligning efforts with organisational goals and direction provided by supervisors.
• Effectively prioritise workload to maximise efficiency, productivity and outcomes.
• Possesses excellent interpersonal skills and is a team player, exercising sound judgment, discretion and maintaining confidentiality in all matters.
• Collaborate with stakeholders across the organisation.
• Demonstrate a growth mindset, actively seeking and incorporating feedback to support continuous development.

Qualifications:

• A qualified solicitor with typically a minimum of 3 years of post-qualification experience including significant corporate experience in both private practice and, ideally, in-house roles.
• Background in working in or with multimedia international corporations is helpful but not a pre-requisite.

How we take care of you:

• Competitive salary, with annual bonus eligibility.
• A choice of comprehensive health plan options that fit your lifestyle, including private medical insurance.
• Rest and recharge during a week off during the winter holidays, in addition to the 25 days of paid annual leave.
• Participate in extensive learning & development opportunities at all levels, including curated instructor-led classes and high-impact online resources.
• Build your community by joining our Employee Business Resource Groups, and/or Sony Pictures Action – our racial equity and inclusion strategy.
• Access to an employee online store filled with a variety of discounted Sony products.
• Watch the newest movies and TV shows at our exclusive employee screenings at work.
• Entitlement to apply for an interest-free season ticket loan.
• Automatic enrolment in the Company’s Pension Plan.
• Free counselling and advisory service.
• You will be automatically enrolled in the Company’s Life Insurance and Group Income Protection Plans, subject to any applicable service requirements.
• The opportunity to attend various social events in our state-of-the-art offices in Paddington.
• In addition to the above, we have a range of other optional discounted benefits that are reviewed regularly (e.g., gym memberships, travel insurance, activity passes, car leasing, experience days and many more!)

If you require any reasonable adjustments with any part of the recruitment process, including the application or interview process, please contact us at [e-mail]. Please put Reasonable Adjustment Request in the subject line of the email.

Sony Pictures Entertainment is committed to equal opportunity in all its employment practices, policies and procedures.

No worker or potential worker will therefore receive less favourable treatment due to their race, age, creed, sexual orientation, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, disability, religion, gender, marital status or Trade Union membership (if applicable).

Sony Pictures does not allow audio recording, video recording or use of AI note-taking tools during interviews.

Candidates requiring these tools as an accommodation during an interview should submit a reasonable adjustment request at the point they are invited to interview.