Legal and Business Affairs Executive

In this role you will join the small, well-established and high calibre legal team at PPL based in central London. Alongside our two other Legal & Business Affairs Executives, you will report into one of the three Senior Legal & Business Affairs Executives, to provide legal and business affairs support to PPL and VPL.

As part of an in-house team which is closely integrated with the rest of the organisation, you will take primary responsibility for certain matters and working together with more senior lawyers in the team on other matters.  The role requires a blend of technical legal skills/knowledge, an understanding of business requirements, and sound commercial awareness.  The role is aimed at the newly qualified solicitor level and you are not expected to be able to fulfil all key responsibilities on day one.  You will work with your manager and the rest of the L&BA team to build on your skills and knowledge.

The L&BA team supports the entirety of our business through working closely with everyone from the tariff development team on tariff reviews, to member services on policy matters and in tandem on projects with teams such as People & Organisational Development, Finance and Communications.

• You will likely be newly qualified as a solicitor (in England and Wales)*, with a university degree or you will have followed another route of entry to qualification as a solicitor
• You will have a strong ability to communicate complex information in a concise and simplified manner (both verbally and in writing) and good contract drafting skills.
• You must have a genuine interest in the music industry and be passionate about PPL’s work
• You will be expected to gain a deep understanding of the organisation and how it fits into the industry
• You will enjoy working as part of multi-disciplinary teams, and finding creative solutions

* This role is aimed at the newly qualified solicitor to 2 years post qualification experience level, but you may be approaching the end of your period of training when you apply.

• Providing legal and business affairs advice in relation to a range of licensing matters with TV and radio broadcasters, music suppliers (e.g. for jukeboxes, in-store music) and some public performance licensees and representative bodies.  Matters might include licensee queries, issues and disputes, enforcement work with smaller broadcast licensees.  Over time, responsibilities will likely extend to negotiation and drafting of licences and other agreements for major licensees and development of new or revised licensing models.
• Providing legal and business affairs advice in relation to membership matters such as recording rightsholder membership documentation, performer registration documentation and queries, issues and disputes arising from PPL’s members and advice in relation to PPL’s international operations and its agreements with CMOs around the world.
• Advising on issues relating to facilities and services required for PPL/VPL operations – as an in-house team we give support across the business from contracts for IT suppliers and kitchen taps, to advice on marketing materials and events documentation and assisting with annual insurance renewals.
• Carrying out supporting work for company secretarial duties where required, such as assisting with the preparation of paperwork for annual general meetings, filing special resolutions and accounts.
• Dealing with PPL PRS Limited as well as other music collective management organisations, ,  and music industry bodies (both in the UK and in other countries).
• Corporate governance and business development projects (e.g. data protection compliance, data improvement, policy documentation, website content and issues).
• You may be asked to support other L&BA colleagues with High Court and Copyright Tribunal litigation (and Alternative Dispute Resolution processes).

COVID-19

PPL continue to follow the government guidance regarding COVID-19 with the priority of keeping of employees safe and well. PPL employees are currently working remotely and we have no imminent plans for this to change.  We will adopt a remote recruitment and on boarding process for this role and expect it to be based remotely for the time being. There will come a time in the future where office working will be required. This can be discussed on a case by case basis.

When you come on board at PPL you can expect to be competitively rewarded for your hard work. In addition to what we offer in terms of salary, discretionary bonus scheme, pension and flexible working, employees are entitled to a wide range of benefits which support their lifestyles and needs. You will also be joining a group of people who are proud to represent our members, who strive to maximise every opportunity, and who genuinely enjoy working together.

View the full list of benefits

At PPL, we are committed to ensuring that:
• our employees are engaged;
• we hire, develop and promote the best people; and
• our talent pool is as wide as possible.
We take equality and diversity seriously, intertwined with our people strategy, so that we can continue to develop and maintain a working culture that is fair and considerate to all.

Submit your application

Unfortunately, due to the high number of applications received for every role at PPL we are only able to contact candidates we’d like to progress to interview stage.