External Counsel Liaison

• Coordinate and manage external patent, litigation, trademark and specialist anti-piracy counsel, including on patent litigation in the UK, Europe and the US, and content disputes, DNS blocking proceedings, UPC proceedings, and blocking injunctions.
• Oversee strategy, privileged communications, scope, cost management and performance, and maintain effective relationships with relevant industry bodies, including Unified Patents, as well as vendors and rights holders.

Policy & Practice Application

• Lead and contribute to structured anti-piracy and content protection governance, including weekly updates, membership of ACE forum, enforcement actions, domain-blocking processes, registrar engagement and evidence-gathering frameworks.
• Help develop and apply consistent policies, templates and enforcement strategies across jurisdictions, including in relation to German CUII and Indian blocking proceedings.

Business Partnership

• Provide strategic and commercially focused legal advice on patent licensing and commercialisation, content rights structures, co-exclusive licensing, DRM and authentication requirements, device limits and streaming constraints.
• Partner with technology, product, commercial and rights teams to balance IP protection, business opportunity and operational delivery.

What You'll Bring

Technical Skills

• Advanced legal drafting, negotiation and advisory skills with specialist knowledge of intellectual property.
• Strong understanding of patent drafting, prosecution, filing strategy and portfolio management; anti-piracy enforcement and content protection; IP licensing and commercialisation; and trademark portfolio management.
• Familiarity with DRM, watermarking, authentication, access controls, content delivery, OTT platforms and/or streaming technology from an IP and contractual perspective.
• The ability to coordinate and work productively with technical teams, rights holders and external counsel will be critical.

Soft Skills

• Strong communication, stakeholder management, and problem-solving abilities with the ability to balance legal precision with commercial pragmatism.
• The confidence to articulate complex IP risks, to articulate and defend IP strategies and to manage relationships with external specialists will be central to this role.

Leadership Skills

• Ability to mentor and guide junior team members and to lead cross-departmental/functional workstreams of projects to successful completion.

Required experience

• Significant experience in intellectual property law, including patents, trademarks, anti-piracy and content protection, in the media, entertainment or technology sector.
• Experience with patent prosecution and litigation, anti-piracy enforcement programs, content protection strategies and multi-jurisdictional IP matters.
• Experience in managing and transacting with SEP licensors and patent pools, and familiarity with DRM, watermarking, authentication, access controls, content delivery, OTT platforms and/or streaming technology from an IP, would be particularly useful.
• 5+ years PQE probably needed, but not an absolute requirement.

Education

• Professionally qualified England & Wales solicitor (or equivalent in another jurisdiction).
• Training or experience at a recognised IP or media team in private practice, or within a strong in-house IP function in a relevant sector.

Benefits

• Benefits include access to DAZN, 25 days’ annual leave (increasing by 3 days after 3 years), private medical insurance, life assurance, pension contributions up to 5%, family friendly community including enhanced parental leave, electric vehicle benefit option, learning and development resources, opportunity for flexible working, and access to our internal speaker series and events.