Legal Counsel, M&A
Added 10 Oct · still live
Possible
Sponsorship likelihood
This employer issued few or no visas recently
Not disclosed
Salary
Not disclosed by employer
£51,600
Going rate
Skilled Worker going rate
This role likely qualifies for a Skilled Worker visa
SOC 2412 (100% match) is an eligible occupation, with a going rate of £51,600, and Sony Pictures Entertainment is a licensed sponsor. That is our reading of the rules. Whether they issue a Certificate of Sponsorship is still their call.
Your salary route
New graduate or PhD holder? Pick one of the lower rates.
What each route needs for this job
| Occupation code | New entrant 70% of going rate | STEM PhD 80% of going rate | Relevant PhD 90% of going rate | Standard rate 100% of going rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2412 Solicitors and lawyers Most likely code | £36,100 | £41,300 | £46,500 | £51,600 |
We use the lowest threshold across the plausible codes. Likelihood is Possible at most when the pay clears only a lower rate, or only under a less likely code. How the Home Office picks the code
About the role
Please note that this role is based in the United Kingdom. To enable us to meet the statutory and regulatory obligations of the United Kingdom immigration system, you must have the appropriate immigration permission needed to work and reside in the United Kingdom for the duration of the employment.
The Corporate Legal Counsel role forms part of the Sony Pictures Entertainment Legal team and is based in London. The role has a primary focus on transactional work, including M&A, joint ventures and investments, as well as commercial work.
The successful candidate will have the ability to work independently and work closely with business executives, providing them with practical legal advice on complex transactions in a rapidly evolving industry. The role is suited to qualified lawyers with 3+ years post post-qualification experience and prior industry specific experience is beneficial. The Legal Counsel role will report directly to, and work closely with, the Senior Vice President, Corporate Legal, EMEA, advising on transactional and commercial matters across EMEA, working as part of a high calibre team covering transactions across all lines of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s businesses, including motion picture, television, digital media and technology.
We are seeking an exceptional legal professional with strong technical expertise, including the ability to draft, negotiate, and advise on complex agreements. This role offers the opportunity to advise and work closely with executives across Sony Pictures’ strategy and corporate development teams, as well as stakeholders from all business divisions, gaining a strong understanding of its strategic priorities, commercial objectives, and operational needs.
The ideal candidate will combine excellent legal skills with intellectual curiosity and a genuine enthusiasm for learning new areas of law and business. They will be highly organised, adaptable, and capable of managing multiple priorities in a dynamic environment. Strong interpersonal and communication skills are essential, along with the ability to build effective relationships, collaborate across teams, and deliver practical, business-focused legal advice.
What You'll Do
The Corporate Legal Counsel role forms part of the Sony Pictures Entertainment Legal team and is based in London. The role has a primary focus on transactional work, including M&A, joint ventures and investments, as well as commercial work.
The successful candidate will have the ability to work independently and work closely with business executives, providing them with practical legal advice on complex transactions in a rapidly evolving industry. The role is suited to qualified lawyers with 3+ years post post-qualification experience and prior industry specific experience is beneficial. The Legal Counsel role will report directly to, and work closely with, the Senior Vice President, Corporate Legal, EMEA, advising on transactional and commercial matters across EMEA, working as part of a high calibre team covering transactions across all lines of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s businesses, including motion picture, television, digital media and technology.
We are seeking an exceptional legal professional with strong technical expertise, including the ability to draft, negotiate, and advise on complex agreements. This role offers the opportunity to advise and work closely with executives across Sony Pictures’ strategy and corporate development teams, as well as stakeholders from all business divisions, gaining a strong understanding of its strategic priorities, commercial objectives, and operational needs.
The ideal candidate will combine excellent legal skills with intellectual curiosity and a genuine enthusiasm for learning new areas of law and business. They will be highly organised, adaptable, and capable of managing multiple priorities in a dynamic environment. Strong interpersonal and communication skills are essential, along with the ability to build effective relationships, collaborate across teams, and deliver practical, business-focused legal advice.
What You'll Do
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- Will handle, manage & coordinate a wide variety of legal activities, including:
- Supporting and executing corporate activity and working closely with executive teams.
- Partnering with the business units and support functions on acquisitions, dispositions, investments and JVs, corporate restructuring and other corporate projects.
- Drafting and negotiating all forms of corporate agreements, including all contracts on M&A transactions, conducting and coordinating legal due diligence, and advising on corporate law requirements during all stages of transactions and corporate activity.
- Supporting the Corporate Legal team with a wide variety of legal advisory matters, including projects relating to corporate maintenance, commercial matters and compliance and regulatory matters.
- Managing the current portfolio of companies across all EMEA territories.
- Providing commercial legal advice and contract drafting and negotiation to the television, production and home entertainment groups on UK and International matters, where required
- Keeping up to date with technical and legal developments relevant to corporate law and in media and technology worldwide to identify key changes and updates that impact the team and the business, identifying regulatory enforcement focus, providing updates and summaries to the Corporate Legal team, and assisting with taking appropriate compliance action across the enterprise, including developing and presenting training and legal updates to help foster communication, create awareness and enhance collaboration on corporate and related matters.
- Managing and maintaining relationships with business partners on an individual level and as part of a cohesive legal team within a wider legal group.
- Supporting and implementing the vision, strategy and values of the business.
- A solid understanding of corporate law and compliance.
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- A qualified solicitor with typically a minimum of 3 years of post-qualification experience including significant corporate experience in both private practice and, ideally, in-house roles.
- Background in working in or with multimedia international corporations is helpful but not a pre-requisite.
- Competitive salary, with annual bonus eligibility.
- A choice of comprehensive health plan options that fit your lifestyle, including private medical insurance.
If you require any reasonable adjustments with any part of the recruitment process, including the application or interview process, please contact us at [email protected]. Please put Reasonable Adjustment Request in the subject line of the email.
Sony Pictures does not allow audio recording, video recording or use of AI note-taking tools during interviews. Candidates requiring these tools as an accommodation during an interview should submit a reasonable adjustment request at the point they are invited to interview.
Sony Pictures Entertainment is committed to equal opportunity in all its employment practices, policies and procedures. No worker or potential worker will therefore receive less favourable treatment due to their race, age, creed, sexual orientation, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, disability, religion, gender, marital status or Trade Union membership (if applicable).
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This description is the source posting as it read when we added it. We are not affiliated with Sony Pictures Entertainment, so check their own site for the current details.
Where this offer sits in the market
Solicitors and lawyers (SOC 2412) · UK · ONS ASHE 2025 · basic pay · ~129k in sampleSOC 2412
- Middle half £41,392–77,584
- Median £57,304
- Going rate £51,600
- Threshold £41,700
- New entrant £36,100–46,500
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About sponsorship for this role
Does this job guarantee visa sponsorship?
Not necessarily. Sony Pictures Entertainment holds a sponsor licence, but sponsorship for a specific hire is always the employer's decision. Be upfront in your application that you'll require it.
What salary is needed for this role to be eligible?
The offer must clear both the general threshold and the SOC 2412 going rate of £51,600. New-entrant and shortage discounts can lower it.