Associate Counsel

Rocket Arena; Cleveland (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Rocket Arena in Cleveland seeks an in-house Corporate Counsel to support REG's properties, including Cavaliers, Sirens, Monsters, and Charge affiliations. You will handle commercial matters, negotiations, and vendor agreements, with cross-functional collaboration across Partnerships, Sales, Marketing, IT, Venue Operations, and Finance.

The ideal candidate has a JD, bar membership in good standing with Ohio eligibility, 2–3 years at a top law firm or in-house, and comfort with data privacy,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school.
• Ohio bar eligibility for in-house counsel registration.
• 2–3 years of work experience at a top law firm or in-house counsel.
• Transactional experience in sports/entertainment is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Draft/review and negotiate sponsorship, marketing, and vendor agreements.
• Advise on data privacy compliance and technology transactions.
• Support governance and entity maintenance across Rock Entertainment Group properties.
• Assist with venue lease compliance and government-related projects.
• Support litigation matters as needed.

Skills

Attention to detail

Strong writing and oral communication

Excellent organizational skills

Critical thinking and problem solving

Ownership and accountability

Independent work

AI tooling curiosity

Education

J.D. from ABA-accredited law school

Tools

Microsoft Office

DocuSign

Job description

JOB SUMMARY:

Reports to the EVP & General Counsel and will assist with all legal matters across REG's properties, with particular attention to the organization's NBA (Cavaliers), WNBA (Sirens), AHL (Monsters), and NBA G League (Charge) affiliations. The position will work on a variety of commercial matters and transactions and will work closely with the Corporate Partnerships, Premium Sales, Ticketing, Marketing, IT/Digital, Venue Operations and Finance teams.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Draft/review and negotiate sponsorship, marketing, premium sales, ticketing, licensing and event agreements.
• Advise on consumer-protection compliance laws.
• Draft/review and negotiate vendor agreements.
• Draft/review and negotiate service agreements.
• Draft sweepstakes and contest rules.
• Assist with corporate governance matters and entity maintenance across Rock Entertainment Group properties.
• Proficient with all relevant league rules, regulations and guidelines including, but not limited to IP usage, NBA Operations Manual and CBA.
• Oversee compliance with data privacy laws and regulations, and provide legal support on technology, software and data-related vendor agreements.
• Assist with venue lease compliance matters and projects involving City and County governments.
• Support General Counsel, Associate General Counsel and outside counsel on litigation matters.
• Assist with enforcement and maintenance of organization-wide trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property matters, including, but not limited to working with league intellectual property counsel.
• Participate in NBA league calls and meetings.
• Liaise with and support risk management on insurance matters.
• Develop and maintain templates for various types of commercial agreements.
• Provide general employment law support in partnership with the People and Culture team.
• Identify and adopt AI and other technology tools to improve legal department efficiency, consistent with REG's culture of continuous improvement.
• Conduct legal research and provide timely and actionable legal advice on changes in law.
• As bandwidth permits, handle other issues and projects that arise.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s Degree and J.D. from an ABA accredited law school.
• Membership in good standing of at least one state bar, with eligibility for Ohio in-house counsel registration.
• At least 2-3 years of work experience at top law firm or as in-house counsel.
• Transactional experience in sports and entertainment industry is a plus.
• Experience with legal issues dealing with data privacy and technology transactions, or public-private venue partnerships a plus but not required.
• This is an in-office position based at Rocket Arena; regular, on-site presence is required.
• Ability to work extended hours and flexible schedule including nights and weekends, as needed.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite (Outlook, Word, etc.).
• Experience with DocuSign a plus.
• Dedication to delivering high quality work product.
• Attention to detail.
• Strong writing and oral communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability.
• Critical thinking and problem solving.
• Friendly, professional, outgoing, and guest-service oriented.
• Outstanding relationship-building and collaboration skills.
• Curiosity about and comfort using AI tools to improve efficiency, turnaround time, and quality of legal work product.
• Comfort working in fast paced, dynamic environment.
• Ability to effectively prioritize work and consistently meet deadlines.
• Able to work independently and productively.