Counsel - TV, Business Legal & Affairs

Company Description

CREATIVITY IS OUR SUPERPOWER. It’s our heritage and it’s also our future. Because we don’t just make toys. We create innovative products and experiences that inspire fans, entertain audiences and develop children through play. Mattel is at its best when every member of our team feels respected, included, and heard—when everyone can show up as themselves and do their best work every day.

We value and share an infinite range of ideas and voices that evolve and broaden our perspectives with a reach that extends into all our brands, partners, and suppliers.

The Opportunity:

We’re seeking a talented individual with demonstrated lawyering skills to join Mattel’s expanding global TV practice. This position is located at Mattel’s headquarters in Los Angeles.

• Solution- and client-oriented team player
• Self-starter who works independently but knows when to elevate issues and seek advice from colleagues
• Intellectually curious and eager to develop into well-rounded IP deal lawyer, with a focus on a broad range of entertainment deals
• Attention to detail in all areas of a deal practice, particularly as to technically excellent drafting skills, effectively managing deal cadence and processes, and providing succinct, reliable deal clearance and other advice

While the “soft skills” above are requirements for this position, our ideal candidate will also have relevant substantive experience, with a minimum of 5 years’ experience as a transactional attorney and rigorous law firm training and/or in‑house experience, with targeted experience that includes the following:

• Complex distribution agreements with domestic and international partners for television content, including, SVOD, AVOD, FAST, and traditional television distribution
• Rights management, including analysis of complex ownership and licensing arrangements and participations, royalties, and other rights‑related payment structures

Although the current focus of this role is TV content distribution and rights management, we also welcome experience that includes the following:

• Structuring deals with an eye towards managing brands as franchises
• Content production and development (e.g., option/purchase, writer, director, producer, and other production‑related agreements)
• Co‑productions, including international partnerships and tax‑based financing incentives
• Physical production, including clearances, music, talent, and guilds
• Product and brand integration

• An undergraduate degree and a law degree, with strong academic performance at a highly‑rated law school.
• Good standing with at least one state bar and, if not licensed to practice in California, then a commitment to register to practice in California pursuant to California’s in‑house counsel registration requirements.
• Partner to Supervisors and Clients. Cultivate the trust and confidence of, and be an effective partner to, the candidate’s supervisors and clients.
• Balanced Approach. Provide strategic legal and business advice that’s appropriately risk‑balanced. Manage deals with risks and the long‑term in mind, but without losing sight of the imperative to advance Mattel’s business and close deals – often with challenging deadlines.
• Strategic Thinker. Identify issues and relevant Mattel stakeholders early – and then creatively present solutions to those issues in constructive consultation with those stakeholders.
• Demonstrate Values. Excel in a culture that fosters and demands accountability, speed, trust, and ethical conduct. Work effectively within a talented, high‑performing team of lawyers, paralegals, and support staff in far‑flung time zones around the world. Kindness and respectfulness are essential.
• Curiosity and Growth. Be intellectually curious and eager to grow and develop. Be humble; recognize a continuing need to “learn on the job”; be receptive to constructive feedback; and elevate issues that are beyond one’s knowledge or comfort zone.
• Engaged Practice Management. Proactively manage expectations of clients, business partners, and staff. Also proactively manage deals, administrative functions, outside counsel and issues across offices, time…