Legal Counsel, Search and News

Google Inc.; Greater London; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology company in Greater London is seeking a Legal Counsel. The successful candidate will navigate complex legal challenges, drafting and negotiating agreements for the Search and News teams. Responsibilities include advising on commercial agreements, compliance with consumer protection laws, and collaborating with various legal departments. Ideal candidates possess extensive legal experience, strong negotiation skills, and a proactive approach to legal risks. Fluency in English is essential. Join us to shape the future of technology and legal compliance.

Qualifications

• 7 years of attorney-level experience in government, in-house, or law firms.
• Admitted to the bar and in good standing.
• Familiarity with EU Copyright Directive and GDPR.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate a variety of commercial agreements.
• Advise on legal strategy for News and Search features.
• Counsel on legal issues in a product-driven environment.

Skills

Negotiating commercial agreements

Collaborating with legal teams

Drafting and advising on agreements

Legal risk assessment

Project management skills

Education

Bar admission in England and Wales

Juris Doctor or equivalent

Job description

• 7 years of attorney-level experience in government, in-house, or at a law firm.
• Experience in negotiating, drafting, and advising clients on commercial agreements, including multi-jurisdictional transactions, IP licensing, and marketing and promotion arrangements.
• Admitted to the bar and in good standing or otherwise authorized to practice law (e.g., have registered in-house status) in England and Wales.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience collaborating with legal specialists, including copyright, patent, privacy, competition, and litigation teams.
• Experience with the EU Copyright Directive.
• Experience in consumer protection, privacy, data protection, and competition law, including EU laws (e.g., GDPR and EU Consumer Law Directive).
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple clients, projects, and deadlines.
• Ability to respond quickly with legal advice to requests from business development, product management, marketing, and other clients.

About the job

As Legal Counsel at Google, you work on legal issues as technological innovations require creative and proactive legal guidance. You are part of a group of in-house lawyers and the projects and cases you take on challenge you to think differently. You will partner in initiatives that influence all aspects of the business and work with Googlers from all over the Company. As an integrated part of the team, you will proactively assess legal risks and advise on products.

In this role, you will focus on drafting and negotiating agreements with strategic partners for the Search and News product teams. You will work with business development and product teams to design IP license and collaboration agreements, negotiate with must-have partners to initiate key product launches, develop scalable templates, and create resources to support long-term pipelines. You will train clients on best practices and continuously collaborate with each other to maintain and expand our internal online resources. You will routinely counsel Directors and VPs from both the Business Development and Product Management teams on agreement strategy, agreement interpretation, IP rights, and partner relationship issues. You will also work closely with Product Counsel and cross-functional legal teams, including Privacy Legal, Copyright, Competition, and Regional Counsel, to ensure that our agreements can scale globally.

20th century laws don't always solve 21st century problems, and Google Legal crafts innovative approaches for working with some of the toughest legal challenges of the information age. Whether you're a patent attorney, an intellectual property expert or an engineer headed to law school, Google Legal lets you address unanswered legal quandaries and create new precedents. Our innovative services raise challenging questions that demand creative and practical answers. We provide those answers by working at the crossroads of the law and new technology, helping Google build innovative and important products for users around the world.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate a variety of commercial agreements and design agreement templates that reflect Google’s policies, local law, and the fluid market.
• Work with the Business Development and Product Management teams from News and Search on inbound licensing agreements with content providers and partnership agreements for Google Search and News initiatives.
• Advise on commercial-related News and Search features, such as digital subscriptions and payments. Work closely with teams to ensure compliance with applicable consumer protection laws and Google’s global strategy.
• Advise executive management, business clients, and regional legal teams on legal strategy.
• Counsel pragmatically on legal issues and risks, agreement structures, product design considerations, and company policies in a risk-tolerant, product-driven environment.

Google is proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We are committed to building a workforce that is representative of the users we serve, creating a culture of belonging, and providing an equal employment opportunity regardless of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or related condition (including breastfeeding), expecting or parents-to-be, criminal histories consistent with legal requirements, or any other basis protected by law. See also Google's EEO Policy , Know your rights: workplace discrimination is illegal , Belonging at Google , and How we hire .

Google is a global company and, in order to facilitate efficient collaboration and communication globally, English proficiency is a requirement for all roles unless stated otherwise in the job posting.

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