Associate Legal

Position : Associate- Legal

Reporting into : Senior Lead Counsel - Licensing, Distribution and Legal Enablement

Business/Function : Legal and S&P

Location: Mumbai (Work from Office)

Purpose of the role :

We are looking for a talented lawyer to support our dynamic, aggressive and fast paced work environment of Culver Max Entertainment Private Limited (formerly known as Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited).

Key Result Areas:

The role demands for the lawyer to wear different hats and be responsible for a diverse range of licensing, distribution, underlying works, sales, gaming, marketing, regulatory, privacy and pre-litigation aspects. To achieve the foregoing mentioned tasks, the relevant lawyer would be required to work closely with the Commercial and Business teams, respectively and provide constant support in the best interest of the organisation.

Core Responsibilities

• Content Rights Management: Lead the full cycle of content licensing (acquisition and outbound), including thorough due diligence (chain of title), rights management, and advising on optimal exploitation across all media platforms.
• Music Vertical: Handle all legal transactions for music rights (acquisition, licensing, and management), advising on holdbacks and ensuring compliance with industry nuances, labels, and performance societies.
• Distribution & International Business: Provide comprehensive legal support for domestic channel distribution and international business (affiliate, Telco, barter, and monetization agreements).
• Channel Operations Support: Offer legal assistance for internal channel operations, including program production, talent hiring, PR, marketing, ad sales, contest terms, and digital policies.
• Contracting & Risk Mitigation: Draft, review, and negotiate contracts (low to high complexity) with counterparties, ensuring contractual compliance, providing value-add in commercials, and proactively protecting company assets from regulatory and tax risk.
• Process Optimization: Drive the implementation and management of legal technology and systems (e.g., Contract Lifecycle Management, rights grids), manage master data, and template key agreements to enhance department efficiency.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Education: LLB or other post-graduate qualification in Law from a reputable institution.
• Experience: 3–5+ years of legal experience, with a minimum of 3 years directly in the Media & Entertainment (M&E) industry, specifically focused on content licensing and commercial transactions.

Critical Competencies

• Technical Expertise:
• Excellent research, drafting, negotiation and communication skills.
• Deep knowledge of media rights and media laws including contract Law, The Copyright Act, 1957 and relevant regulatory frameworks
• Demonstrated ability to structure, negotiate, and close complex commercial deals.
• Proficiency in using Microsoft Office Suite and aptitude for learning legal technology tools.
• Good presentation skills and must be well versed with technology and processes.
• Behavioural Skills:
• Strong communication and ability to build effective relationships and work collaboratively.
• Ability to work within tight deadlines and handle pressure situations.
• Self-driven, motivated, capable of balancing strategic thinking with meticulous execution details and developing creative solutions while anticipating and mitigating risks.
• Is an independent thinker and assertive. Can voice his/her opinion and challenge status quo in a professional manner.
• High proficiency in multitasking and navigating ambiguity effectively.

Culver Max Entertainment Private Limited is an Equal Opportunity-Affirmative Action Employer – Minority / Female / Disability / Veteran / Gender Identity / Sexual Orientation.

Why join us?

Culver Max Entertainment Private Limited is home to some of India’s leading entertainment channels such as SET, SAB, MAX, PAL, PIX, Sony BBC Earth, Yay!, Sony Marathi, Sony SIX, Sony TEN, Sony TEN1, SONY Ten2, SONY TEN3, SONY TEN4, to name a few!

Our foray into the OTT space with one of the most promising streaming platforms, Sony LIV brings us one step closer to being a progressive digitally-led content powerhouse.

Our independent production venture- Studio Next has already made its mark with original content and IPs for TV and Digital Media.

But our quest to Go Beyond doesn’t end there. Neither does our search to find people who can take us there.

We focus on creating an inclusive and equitable workplace where we celebrate diversity with our Bring Your Own Self Philosophy and are recognised as a Great Place to Work.

- Great Place to Work - Ranked as one of the Great Places to Work for since 5 years

- Included in the Hall of Fame as a part of the Working Mother & Avtar Best Companies for Women in India study- Ranked amongst 100 Best Companies for Women In India

- ET Human Capital Awards 2021- Winner across multiple categories

- Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Award - Outstanding Learning Practices.

The biggest award of course is the thrill our employees feel when they can Tell Stories Beyond the Ordinary!