Paralegal

The Paralegal carries out a range of para-professional duties under the supervision of one or more attorneys in ESPN's Legal department. The position assists attorneys with all facets of various transactional deals, including but not limited to contract drafting and analysis. Areas of focus can include, but are not limited to, programming acquisitions, production agreements, marketing and promotion, digital media (including social media) and platforms, and distribution, as well as legal work related to various aspects of direct-to-consumer offerings. Experience with trademark prosecution and enforcement is preferred, and the Paralegal may support trademark matters as needed. The Paralegal will regularly engage with in-house attorneys, outside counsel, and business leads.

What You Will Do:

• Drafts contracts and/or other legal documents, ranging from standard to highly complex. Range of subject matters may include programming, film, sponsorship, talent, trademark, production, intellectual property, and other ESPN functions.
• Teamed with specific attorneys from which some but not all assignments flow; also receives a significant portion of work directly from clients while under the supervision of an attorney.
• Manages vendor approval workflow and drafts vendor master services agreements on a largely independent basis.
• Maintains the department's master and standard contracts and other documents, and updates and distributes as necessary.
• Conducts research, which may include some higher-level analysis, in areas of focus, which may include programming and distribution rights, intellectual property ownership, discovery research in support of litigation, and other legal research.
• May analyze desired contract requirements for translation into contract draft language; may propose original and standard alternate language.
• May assist with trademark matters as needed, such as filing applications and renewals, conducting screening searches, reviewing watch notices, preparing cease and desist letters, and tracking deadlines.
• Tracks key legal deadlines and keeps attorneys and clients apprised so that deadlines are not missed.
• Sets up matters in Legal Tracker and reviews invoices from outside counsel and vendors.
• Interacts with attorneys and other legal department personnel, outside counsel, and internal clients; often interacts, under attorney supervision, with other third parties.
• May conduct administrative support activities for department attorneys and interface with the finance function as necessary.
• Expected to contribute/participate in department-oriented initiatives beyond assigned duties on occasion (e.g., legal department intranet site, presentations to client departments).
• Performs such other duties or functions as the supervising attorney may delegate.

Required Qualifications & Skills:

• Contract drafting experience.
• Expertise in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• The ability to consistently solve problems with a high degree of independent decision-making.
• The ability to communicate effectively with all levels of management.
• Demonstrated strong operational expertise.
• Proven success in judgment in a broad scope of matters.
• Knowledge of selected legal procedures, terminology, and contract policies and standards.
• Ability to handle a high volume of work with minimal supervision while exercising the judgment to appropriately discern when to escalate issues.
• Superior organization skills with the ability to prioritize workload efficiently and effectively, and excellent attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal skills and must be highly team oriented.
• High level of professionalism and ability to maintain absolute confidentiality.
• Ability to build business acumen and understand core elements of the applicable business area(s).

Preferred Qualifications & Skills:

• Experience in trademark prosecution and enforcement, including filing and maintaining applications and registrations, screening searches (e.g., Saegis), and domain name/UDRP matters.
• Knowledge of NetDocs and Serengeti.
• Subject matter familiarity in the sports, media, entertainment, production, and/or music space.

Education

High School Diploma or Equivalent

Preferred Education

Paralegal certification or Associate's or Bachelor's degree

PAY TRANSPARENCY

The hiring range for this position in Bristol, CT is $73,100 to $98,000 per year based on a 40 hour work week. The amount of hours scheduled per week may vary based on business needs. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.

This position is with ESPN, Inc, which is part of a business we call The Walt Disney Company (Corporate).

To learn more about Disney's guidelines on the use of AI for candidates, click here.

ESPN, Inc is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. Disney champions a business environment where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a constantly evolving world.

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION FOR EMPLOYMENT APPLICATIONS

The Walt Disney Company and its Affiliated Companies are Equal Employment Opportunity employers and welcome all job seekers including individuals with disabilities and veterans with disabilities. If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or apply for a position, visit the Disney candidate disability accommodations FAQs. We will only respond to those requests that are related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.

Having technical issues? View the FAQs for help.