Counsel, Legal & Business Affairs

Job Description

Job Description

Counsel, Legal & Business Affairs

Location: NY-based | Type: Full-Time | Reports to: VP, Business Development
Salary Range: $150K to $175K

About Pushkin

Pushkin Industries is an award-winning audio network and production company, committed to producing good, smart, fun audio in any format. Founded in 2018, Pushkin makes narrative and investigative series as well as conversational shows. We have launched many new podcasts into Apple's Top 10, including Against the Rules, The Happiness Lab, Cautionary Tales, Deep Cover, and Revisionist History, which is hosted by Pushkin co-founder Malcolm Gladwell. Pushkin also produces audiobooks such as Gladwell's The Bomber Mafia and Talking to Strangers, Wild and Precious: A Celebration of Mary Oliver, Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon, and So Many Steves by Steve Martin and Adam Gopnik. We make highly-produced client work as well, for companies like IBM, GSK, and TED.

We are dedicated to fostering an environment where everyone can thrive and contribute their best work.

About the Role

Pushkin is looking for a talented and business-oriented attorney to serve as our first in-house counsel. 

You'll report into and work closely with the VP of Business Development, owning the entire contracting lifecycle for Pushkin’s core business – podcasts, audiobooks, talent deals, branded content, work-for-hire, production, and licensing. This role is for someone who can hold commercial goals and risk tolerance in mind simultaneously, who knows when to push back and when to find a creative path forward, and who is ready to roll up their sleeves and dive in. You will negotiate and draft agreements with Pushkin's business goals in mind, think strategically across legal operations to increase efficiencies, and serve as a trusted, business-oriented advisor on complex and time-sensitive production matters.

Our team is small and collaborative. This is an ideal role for a mid-career professional who is eager to join a fast-paced and entrepreneurial environment and who wants to own a critical part of the pipeline for the deal-making, strategy, and day-to-day of a growing media company.

What You'll DoContract Drafting & Negotiation

• Structure, draft, review, redline, and negotiate the full range of Pushkin agreements, including content licensing, distribution, audiobook, custom brand partnerships, talent, work-for-hire, IP derivative, and syndication deals
• Serve as primary legal point of contact for day-to-day contracting work for all standard and recurring deal types 
• Partner with the VP of Business Development to ensure all agreements align with Pushkin's commercial goals and long-term business strategy
• Maintain a consistent legal framework across all deal types — minimizing term shift, standardizing positions, and streamlining contract structures 

Strategic Legal Oversight

• Advise senior leadership on legal risk, contract interpretation, and IP issues, including copyright, trademark, and ownership rights 
• Identify and escalate complex or novel legal issues to outside counsel
• Collaborate cross-functionally with production, marketing, finance, and operations teams to align legal execution with business objectives
• Support the VP of Business Development in evaluating emerging legal and commercial risks across the business
• Advise on corporate and HR matters as needed

Legal Operations & Infrastructure

• Own and maintain Pushkin's boilerplate and template library across all core deal types, ensuring templates are current, consistent, and fit for purpose
• Organize all contracts in the Contract Repository and conduct regular audits/maintenance thereof to ensure Pushkin staff can quickly and easily locate archived agreements.
• Lead the ongoing buildout and maintenance of the contracts and rights management AirTable database
• Maintain and refine the contract negotiation playbook — standardized positions, nonnegotiables, and fallback language — and keep it updated as deal norms evolve
• Maintain documented internal legal workflows, approval processes, and contract lifecycle management practices
• Evaluate and implement AI legal tools to improve team efficiency and modernize legal operations

Production Legal Support

• Oversee production legal matters across podcast and audiobook productions, including rights clearance, liability review, and compliance on a case-by-case basis
• Draft and maintain standard production releases, appearance agreements, and related documents
• Support showrunners and producers on an as-needed basis with contractor agreements, talent negotiations, and production-related legal questions
• Oversee SAG-AFTRA compliance for audiobook productions, including budget contributions and renegotiation of SAG agreements as needed

What We're Looking For

Required:

• JD from an accredited law school and active membership in the New York State Bar, in good standing
• 4+ years of relevant legal experience
• Demonstrated experience independently drafting, negotiating, and closing a broad range of commercial agreements
• Comfort operating as the only lawyer on staff in a lean, fast-moving environment — you're willing to roll up your sleeves and do the work yourself
• Excellent judgment and a practical, business- oriented approach to legal problem solving
• Ability to collaborate effectively across departments and communicate clearly with creative, production, and commercial partners
• Highly organized, detail- oriented, and proactive, with the ability to anticipate issues and propose solutions and manage a high volume of matters 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Genuine curiosity about AI tools and how they can modernize legal operations.

Nice to Have:

• Specialization in media, publishing, and/or entertainment law
• Familiarity with SAG-AFTRA agreements and audiobook production compliance
• Experience building or inheriting legal infrastructure — templates, playbooks, contract repositories
• Knowledge of fair use, music and third-party archival licensing, copyright and intellectual property law, First Amendment law, and personality rights

Why Join Us

• Build something from the ground up — You'll have real ownership over how the legal function develops, with meaningful influence on how the company contracts and scales
• Broad scope, real exposure — this role spans licensing, distribution, audiobooks, branded content, IP derivatives, production legal, and more. It's an opportunity to learn the full breadth of a media and entertainment business in a way that's rarely possible at a larger company
• Work creatively across partnerships — Pushkin makes content with some of the most interesting people in media. The deals are as varied and interesting as the shows
• Lean, high-trust team — you'll work directly with the VP of Business Development and senior leadership, with a clear line of sight to the decisions that matter
• Competitive compensation: $150,000 - $175,000 + a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, retirement plans, and more

Pushkin Industries is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, familial status, or other legally protected characteristics.

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