Walt Disney
Location
Bristol, CT | United States
Job description
This role sits in Bristol, CT and this person is required to be on-site 4x/week in Bristol.
The Paralegal Specialist position carries out a range of para-professional duties under the supervision of one or more attorneys in ESPN’s Legal department, spending the majority of time handling trademark-related matters. This role will be focused mainly on trademark prosecution and enforcement and drafting and reviewing trademark-related contracts, but will also include the drafting, review, and analysis of non-trademark contracts as well, handling the contract drafting process from term sheet through signature. The Paralegal Specialist position will regularly engage with in-house attorneys, outside counsel, and business leads.
Standard Introduction
ESPN, Inc., The Worldwide Leader in Sports, is the leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment company featuring the broadest portfolio of multimedia sports assets with over 50 business entities. Headquartered in Bristol, Connecticut, ESPN is 80% owned by ABC, Inc. (a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company), and 20% by the Hearst Corporation.
ESPN was founded by Bill Rasmussen and launched on September 7, 1979. Now with over 6,500 employees, each year ESPN televises more than 5,100 live and/or original hours of sports programming. The company’s mission is to serve sports fans. Anytime. Anywhere.
Responsibilities
Maintains ESPN’s global trademark portfolio by filing US and global trademark applications and renewals, including preparation of specimens, first use dates, and identifications of goods and services, working closely with outside counsel in doing so.
Reviews watch notices for trademarks and domain names and tracks infringing domain names.
Conducts preliminary US and international screening searches via Saegis and the Internet.
Analyzes comprehensive screening and search results and drafts reports for internal clients.
Prepares cease and desist letters and processes takedowns for online IP infringement.
Reviews and edits opposition-related documents and works with business units and outside counsel to collect information and evidence for UDRP and other trademark proceedings.
Reviews product, marketing, and other materials for proper trademark use.
Tracks trademark deadlines and ensures deadlines are not missed by keeping trademark attorney and clients apprised of such deadlines.
Drafts contracts and/or other legal documents, ranging from standard to highly complex, for attorney review and approval, with a high degree of competence, knowledge, legal judgment and drafting skill. Range of subject matters may include all matters handled within the Legal Department.
Conducts legal issue identification and analysis, including regarding intellectual property ownership (e.g., trademark, copyright, name and likeness); legal risk assessment at a high para-professional level.
Conducts research, which may include some higher-level analysis, in areas of focus.
Sets up matters in Serengeti (billing system), reviews invoices from outside counsel and vendors, and processes quarterly billing reconciliation.
May conduct administrative support activities for attorneys and interface with 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).
Basic Requirements
Minimum of 5 years of applicable legal experience required.
Expertise in all areas of trademark prosecution and enforcement.
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.
Full 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 Requirements
Knowledge of SharePoint and Serengeti.
Subject matter expertise in trademarks and other categories of agreements in the sports/media/entertainment/music space.
Basic Education
Preferred Education
Additional Information
Imagine a career with an organization that brings smiles to millions every day. Imagine working with people whose passion for what they do is simply indescribable. We are The Walt Disney Company, live with a rich legacy of innovation, entertainment, and lifelong memories. With our vast array of both businesses and professionals, you’ll have the opportunity to join a team that’s beloved around the world, and to find out how it feels to love what you do. We invite you to discover for yourself why a career with Disney is the opportunity you‘ve been looking for.
ESPN, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
Our goal is to create an inclusive workplace for all.
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