The Associate Director, Licensing role entails drafting and negotiating, and providing legal review and advice related to Platts' agreements. It requires a lawyer who understands intellectual property and contracts law, and related issues, including tax, regulatory and risk allocation. This role must have the ability to manage the demands of the Platts sales organization and business needs while ensuring that Platts' rights are protected and its liability exposure is limited.
Responsibilities:
- Draft and negotiate a variety of agreements. This includes customer agreements related to Platts' licensing and provision of services and content acquisition by Platts. The relevant products and services include data feeds, web-based platforms, publications, licensing of copyrights and trademarks, government contracts, research, advisory, software, consulting, etc.
- Ensure that Platts' agreements contain appropriate legal protections, including applicable regulatory requirements; and establish and follow consistent approved legal and business provisions designed to reduce the company's legal and business risk. In addition, the attorney may have some responsibility for data vendor agreements and other related and ancillary agreements, such as confidentiality, marketing and click agreements.
- Ensuring that policies and procedures are in place for the efficient flow of contracts through the licensing department and communicating established procedures to sales and business personnel of the various units within Platts.
- Working with sales administration, order invoicing, product managers and others in incorporating new products into the contract process. Implementing and monitoring additional requirements, if any, resulting from such new products. Developing, maintaining and updating boilerplate/ standard forms (i.e. local law/language, regulated, advisory and software products) as needed and in response to changing market and industry trends and practice. Addressing tax and regulatory affairs/compliance issues for new products and services.
- Assisting in resolution of day to day matters related to the agreements, such as requests to interpret contract provisions. Using legal knowledge and skills to manage and mitigate the risks of dispute and breach of such agreements by the company. Assisting the business in resolving issues amicably prior to escalation to corporate legal.
- Helping to create and maintain, and leveraging the use of a contracts database, the contracts Web site and the other departmental applications in order to efficiently manage contracts with both internal and external clients. Requires solid understanding of contracts database and other applications in order to report on customer and other information.
Required Education/Skills:
- Juris Doctorate degree
- 6+ years of legal experience
- Strong working knowledge of contracts and licensing law, especially with respect to the protection of copyright and other proprietary rights, warranties, indemnification, disclaimer of liability and information reuse provisions.
- Understanding of and familiarity with current trends in the marketplace as well as legal aspects of same are important.
- Detail-oriented, have excellent legal drafting and organizational skills, the ability to think outside the box in order to create efficiencies in the contract administration process and excellent communication skills in order to communicate and fulfill the goals of the Department to business managers and salespeople.
Benefits
Regular full-time employees of The McGraw-Hill Companies routinely receive the following benefits:
- Medical, Dental, Vision insurance, Flexible spending accounts with company contribution
- 401K with company matching, long-term and annual incentives, stock purchase program
- Many work/life benefits such as low-cost emergency child- and elder-care, parental leave for birth or adoption, flexible work arrangements, volunteer opportunities, employee assistance programs, tuition reimbursement, employee discounts, and much more
About the Company
The future of energy is in your hands. At Platts, the world's leading energy information provider, traders, risk managers, analysts, and industry leaders will depend on you to help them make better trading and investment decisions in the all-important energy markets. Our real-time news, pricing, analytical services and conferences help markets operate with transparency and efficiency. With more than 600 employees in 17 offices spanning five continents, you get the best of a small company and a Fortune 500 corporation at Platts. We have a highly diverse workforce, a global perspective, and a "business casual" culture. Platts is a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a Fortune500 corporation with over 20,000 global employees and over 10,000 U.S. employees. Around the world, McGraw-Hill provides people with the information and insights they need to adapt and grow in changing times. Our business spans the fields of financial services, education, and business information with leading brand names such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, Platts, and J.D. Power & Associates. By working together with our customers and partners, these brands are laying the foundation for a smarter, better world.
The McGraw-Hill Companies is an equal opportunity employer. Only electronic job submissions will be considered for employment. For special accommodation due to disability, please email webmaster -at- mcgraw-hill.com and your request will be forwarded to the appropriate individual.
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