Music Publishers Association

SENIOR LEGAL COUNSEL

London, Full Time, up to £100k per annum (depending on experience)

 An exciting and rare opportunity to work within the UK Music Industry, we are looking for a Senior Legal Counsel to join us, acting as sole/lead counsel in the provision of commercial legal, corporate governance, business affairs and public affairs support to the MPA Group.

This is an exciting and multi-faceted role working at the cutting edge of music publishing, within the MPA executive team that offers the successful applicant a unique opportunity to make an impact within the music publishing industry at both a strategic and operational level.

About the MPA

The Music Publishers Association works on behalf of its wide-ranging membership to protect and enhance the rights of the music publishers and creators at the heart of British music’s extraordinary cultural and economic success story. We strive to be the catalyst for positive change in the music publishing community, by empowering our members and by advocating on behalf of our industry with passion, integrity, respect for others and with the creator at the heart of everything we do.

As well as safeguarding and championing the interests of its members, the MPA also owns and operates subsidiary businesses (together known as The MPA Group), including the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) which is the UK collection society that licenses mechanical (or reproduction) copyrights on behalf of over 30,000 music publisher, songwriter, and composer members; and Printed Music Licensing Ltd (PMLL) which represents the rights of music publishers, issuing licences on their behalf to allow for the photocopying and arranging of sheet music as part of education and beyond.

About the Role

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer and sitting on the Executive Leadership Team, the Senior Legal Counsel will handle all legal, governance and compliance issues across the group companies, supporting us in the service we provide to our membership.

Some of the key responsibilities include:

• Being the first point of contact for all legal issues arising (within reasonable expectation of your experience).
• Drafting, reviewing and assisting negotiations in the full range of commercial agreements entered by the MPA Group (including services agreements, membership mandate agreements, and licensing agreements).
• Attending and providing legal support, guidance and advice to the Boards and (where necessary) Committees of the MPA Group in relation to the latest regulatory updates and to key projects being undertaken across the group.
• Full service corporate governance for the MPA Group Boards, including, preparation of statutory documentation, Director and Shareholder administration and mitigating conflicts of interest.
• Working alongside the Chief Policy, Rights and Public Affairs Officer and Copyright Consultant to monitor legislative, regulatory, parliamentary and industry developments in the UK, and Worldwide to help ensure that the MPA Group and its members remain well-informed of all developments affecting the sector and formulate policy positions.
• Attending, considering and representing the positions of the MPA Group at external forums such as UK Music and the British Copyright Council, and external events including presentations, talks and panel appearances.

About you

Whilst previous experience within the Music Industry would be valued, we are keen to attract applicants from any sector and background. We’d like you to be able to demonstrate the following skills, experience and qualities:

• At least 7 years post qualified experience (PQE) highly desirable, copyright, or commercial experience, corporate law with excellent drafting skills.
• Experience working in or with collection societies and on international business, or a music publisher would be an added advantage.
• The intellectual agility to move easily between the strategic panorama and specific issues, and to ‘join the dots’ between the various issues affecting the MPA Group of Companies.
• A networker with the ability to build strong and effective relationships to convey the MPA Groups’ vision.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• IT literate, numerate and proficient with Microsoft Office.
• Must be able to work on own initiative, disciplined, organised and acts as a positive self-motivated team player.
• A proactive creative and solutions-orientated approach.
• An interest and awareness in music and developing technologies surrounding it.

The Music Publishers Association is a signatory to the Equality & Diversity Charter for Music and is committed to being a fair and inclusive employer. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and appoint on merit.

Please direct all CV’s and cover letters to [email protected]