Counsel, Publishing

Paramount; New York (NY); On-site; USD 139,200 - 208,800; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) plan

Life insurance

Disability benefits

Tuition assistance

PTO

Bonus eligibility

Job summary

Paramount is seeking an experienced attorney to join Paramount Global Publishing’s Consumer Products legal team. You will provide strategic legal counsel for a new publishing imprint across print, digital, and audio formats, and collaborate with multiple business units to drive launches and ongoing operations.

You will negotiate and draft publishing agreements, advise on IP matters, and help shape rights, royalties, and distribution strategies while managing risk and coordinating with outside

Qualifications

• 4+ years of legal experience, with a mix of law firm and/or in‑house work.
• J.D. from an accredited law school and admission to practice in NY or CA.
• In‑depth knowledge of publishing, media, entertainment, or consumer products industries.
• Substantial experience negotiating IP‑driven commercial agreements.
• Working knowledge of guild and labor issues.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a strategic legal business partner to the Paramount Publishing team.
• Negotiate, draft, and review a broad range of publishing agreements and rights deals.
• Advise on intellectual property matters related to publishing, including copyrights and derivative works.
• Support complex rights negotiations to unlock restricted rights.
• Guide franchise alignment, brand protection, and long‑term IP strategy in publishing.
• Provide guidance on royalty structures, advances, and recoupment models in publishing.
• Collaborate with Creative, Marketing, and Business Affairs teams to enable publishing projects.
• Identify and manage legal risks in publishing, manufacturing and distribution.
• Coordinate with outside counsel on specialized publishing or IP matters.
• Develop and maintain legal templates and deal forms to scale publishing growth.

Skills

Legal experience

IP negotiation

Cross-functional collaboration

Contract drafting

Education

J.D. from an accredited law school

Admission to the bar in NY or CA

Job description

Overview and Responsibilities

This attorney role is part of Paramount Global Publishing’s Consumer Products legal team, providing strategic legal counsel to support the launch and ongoing operations of a new publishing imprint that develops franchise‑based and original literary IP across print, digital, and audio platforms.

• Serve as a strategic legal business partner to the Paramount Publishing team.
• Negotiate, draft, and review a broad range of publishing agreements, including rights acquisitions, author and illustrator agreements, collaborations, adaptations, licensing, distribution, and vendor/production services agreements.
• Advise on intellectual property matters related to publishing: copyright ownership, chain‑of‑title, derivative works and exploitation across formats.
• Initiate and support complex rights negotiations to unlock frozen or restricted rights.
• Support publishing initiatives inspired by Paramount’s iconic brands and franchises, ensuring alignment with franchise management, brand protection and long‑term IP strategy.
• Provide legal guidance on royalty structures, profit participation, accounting provisions, audit rights, advances and recoupment models typical in the book and digital publishing industries.
• Collaborate closely with Consumer Products, Franchise, Marketing, Labor Relations and Business Affairs teams to enable timely development, launch and commercialization of publishing projects.
• Identify and manage legal risks associated with publishing, manufacturing and distributing content, including defamation, privacy, publicity rights, trademark usage and fair use issues.
• Oversee coordination with outside counsel for specialized publishing or IP matters while maintaining internal ownership of core legal strategy.
• Support the development and maintenance of legal templates, deal forms and best practices to enable efficient growth of the publishing business.

Basic Qualifications

• 4+ years of legal experience, with a combination of law firm and/or in‑house experience preferred.
• J.D. from an accredited law school and admission to practice law in New York or California.
• In‑depth knowledge of publishing, media, entertainment, or consumer products businesses, especially publishing industry agreements and customs.
• Substantial experience negotiating intellectual property‑driven commercial agreements.
• Working knowledge of guild and labor issues.

Additional Qualifications

• Prior experience in book publishing (print and/or digital), media, entertainment or brand licensing environments preferred.
• Strong understanding of how publishing content intersects with broader entertainment ecosystems, including film, television, consumer products and digital platforms.
• Experience advising creative, editorial and business teams in fast‑moving, entrepreneurial environments.
• Proven ability to balance legal risk with business objectives and provide practical, solutions‑oriented counsel.
• Excellent drafting, negotiation, and communication skills, with the ability to operate independently while collaborating effectively across functions.

Salary & Benefits: Hiring salary range is $139,200.00 – $208,800.00, applicable to New York City, California, Colorado, Washington State, and most other geographies. The successful applicant’s starting pay depends on job‑related factors such as geographic location, market demands, experience, training, and education. Benefits available include medical, dental, vision, 401(k) plan, life insurance coverage, disability benefits, tuition assistance, PTO, bonus eligibility, and additional benefits as dictated by applicable collective bargaining agreements.

Paramount is an equal opportunity employer (EOE) including disability/veteran. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, creed, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, gender expression, and veteran status. If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation by calling 212.846.5500 or emailing [e-mail].