Senior Commercial And Compliance Solicitor - Premier League Studios

Premier League Studios is looking for a Senior Commercial and Compliance Solicitor to provide high quality advice on commercial matters and compliance issues that impact the operations of the Premier League Studios.  This will include advising on a whole range of commercial issues including drafting and negotiating a wide range of commercial agreements and advising on compliance areas affecting the business.  

The right candidate will be a qualified solicitor of approximately 5-8 years’ post qualification experience (candidates outside this range with the required skills to be considered) with significant experience in commercial contracts and data protection.

This is an exciting time to join the Premier League’s newly incorporated production business and an excellent opportunity for the right candidate.

Who we are

The Premier League is home to some of the most competitive and compelling football in the world. The League and its clubs use the power and popularity of the competition to inspire fans, communities and partners in the UK and across the world. The Premier League brings people together from all backgrounds. It is a competition for everyone, everywhere and is available to watch in over 900 million homes in 189 countries.

In November 2024, the Premier League announced it was establishing a new in-house media operations business – Premier League Studios – launching at the start of the 2026/27 Premier League Season. Premier League Studios will be responsible for all international media content production and distribution, providing a best-in-class content service to the Premier League’s partners and millions of passionate fans around the world.

The Premier League is an equal opportunities employer and strives to create an inclusive culture where talent can flourish. We believe in the potential of everyone and open our doors to those who share those values. All appointments will be made based on merit; however, we particularly encourage applications from women, people from minority ethnic communities, LGBTQ+ people and disabled people.

Our hybrid-working model also allows you some variety on your place of work, offering you the chance to work from home on some days each week, where possible. You will be expected to attend the office or site visits in line with our company policy. All staff liaise closely with their line manager to manage their time appropriately and according to their work and team requirements.

In your role, you will become Premier League Studio’s senior in-house solicitor, forming part of the Premier League’s wider Legal Department. You will undertake a breadth of work, that will include the following:

Commercial Contracts

• Providing advice to the business on a wide range of commercial issues. 
• Leading on the drafting, reviewing and negotiating of complex, high-value commercial contracts.
• Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a variety of commercial contracts including supply of service agreements, production services agreements, talent agreements, equipment hire agreements, consultancy agreements, licencing agreements (including music licensing) and other commercial contracts relevant to Premier League Studio’s operations.
• Develop and update precedents and standard form legal documentation (including legal policies, standard terms and conditions and tender documentation) wherever possible.
• Instruct and liaise with external counsel on legal matters as required.
• Responsibility for the implementation and refinement of policies and procedures to ensure efficient and effective contract administration and document management processes. 
• Keep abreast of commercial legal developments relevant to the business.

Compliance

• Provide legal and compliance advice to the business as the subject matter expert on data protection to ensure Premier League Studio’s meets its legal, regulatory and ethical obligations.
• Drafting and advising on data protection-related documentation such as data processing agreements, data sharing agreements and data privacy impact assessments.
• Provide legal and compliance advice to the wider business as they arise on a day-to-day basis including in relation to Ofcom regulations, anti-corruption and bribery, modern slavery and tax evasion.
• Working with the Premier League’s Director of Legal – Commercial and Compliance and Head of Procurement (as appropriate) to implement and maintain Premier League group policies and procedures.
• Promote sound practices compliant with relevant legislation and proactively identify opportunities to improve existing practices. 
• Ensure thorough reporting of internal and external risk and compliance issues to the Premier League Studio’s Board and, where appropriate, the Premier League’s General Counsel and Board. 
• Keep abreast of legal developments relevant to the business’s compliance obligations.

• High quality academic background and robust legal training from a reputable law firm or recognised in-house legal department.
•  Qualified solicitor of approximately 5-8 years’ post-qualification experience (candidates outside this range with the required skills to be considered).
• Confident, articulate, and personable with the ability to communicate complex legal concepts into a clear and understandable format both orally and in writing to individuals from all levels of the business.
•  Sound commercial knowledge and ideally experience working in or with the sports industry and the broadcast production industry.
•  Significant experience drafting, reviewing and negotiating a wide range of complex, high-value commercial agreements and advising on intellectual property matters.
• Significant experience of data protection and other compliance areas.
• Strong knowledge of Ofcom regulations to ensure content compliance.
• Team player, highly organised, solution oriented and an outstanding attention to detail.
•  Experience of managing matters autonomously.
• Excellent work ethic and able to cope with pressurised situations and tight timeframes whilst maintaining a professional approach.

The Premier League is home to some of the most competitive and compelling football in the world. The League and its Clubs use the power and popularity of the competition to inspire fans, communities and partners in the UK and across the world. The Premier League brings people together from all backgrounds. It is a competition for everyone, everywhere and is available to watch in over 900 million homes in 189 countries.

We have a wide variety of responsibilities. These include organising the competition and its Handbook as well as managing the centralised broadcast and commercial rights. The work we do in conjunction with the Clubs also goes far beyond the 90 minutes. We support and provide a framework for youth development, we protect the organisation’s intellectual property, support the wider game and community programmes, undertake international development work and liaise with governing bodies and other leagues. 

The Premier League is an equal opportunities employer and strives to create an inclusive culture where talent can flourish. We believe in the potential of everyone and open our doors to those who share those values. All appointments will be made based on merit; however, we particularly encourage applications from women, people from minority ethnic communities, LGBTQ+ people and disabled people.  

Stage 1:

Applied

Stage 2:

Review

Stage 3:

Interview

Stage 4:

Hired