Associate Counsel

Job Summary

About NYRR

New York Road Runners was founded in 1958 when a small group of passionate runners vowed to bring running to the people and has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization.  NYRR’s mission is to empower everyone, of all ages and abilities—beginners and competitive athletes, the young and the elderly, adult professionals and underserved schoolchildren—to improve their health and well-being through the power of running and fitness. 

NYRR’s races, community events, instruction and training resources, and youth programs give hundreds of thousands of people each year the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to start running and keep running for life. NYRR’s premier event, the famed TCS New York City Marathon, attracts the world’s top pro runners and committed amateurs alike while also raising millions of dollars annually for charity and driving economic impact for the City.  But NYRR is equally committed to the runners of tomorrow, passionately providing youth fitness programs that educate and inspire more than 100,000 kids in underserved communities in New York City, all 50 states, and around the world. 

Headquartered in New York City, NYRR implements a unique nonprofit model that teams contributed and earned income to make all its efforts possible.  To learn more, please visit www.nyrr.org.   

New York Road Runners is an Equal Opportunity Employer 

About the Department

The mission of the Legal Department is to provide NYRR with the highest quality legal services, facilitate the operations of NYRR, and protect the organization’s interests. The central duties of the Legal Department are identifying and overseeing the legal issues affecting the organization, supporting the Executive Office and the Board of Directors, conducting legal research, preparation of contracts, litigation and litigation management, and policy creation and implementation. The Legal Department works closely with all of NYRR’s departments. 

About the Position

The Associate Counsel reports to the General Counsel and helps protect NYRR’s legal interests within an evolving regulatory framework and in alignment with best practices. The Associate Counsel is responsible for identifying and analyzing legal issues, drafting key documents, presenting clear recommendations, and assuring compliance.  The Associate Counsel performs a variety of complex tasks for which a wide degree of creativity and latitude is expected. This attorney must possess excellent judgment, discretion, diplomacy, and communication skills in support of NYRR’s mission of improving health and well-being through running and fitness in the form of flagship in-person and virtual races, including the TCS New York City Marathon, community events, instructional, training, and youth programs.  

Key Responsibilities include:

• Work closely with the General Counsel on strategic and tactical legal initiatives for the organization;
• Work with business units to develop creative and proactive solutions to legal issues;
• Provide advice and serve as a resource for internal clients on legal matters, including intellectual property, non-profit, employment, social media, promotions, marketing and advertising, tax and compliance matters;
• Structure, draft, review, and negotiate a variety of contracts, including, but not limited to, collaboration, production, license, consultant, vendor, sponsorship, technology, media, talent, athlete, software, and various other documents relevant to the diverse activities and operations of the organization;
• Create, review, and update standard agreement templates in web-based platform for day-to-day operations and contribute to the formulation of playbook positions;
• Manage procedures for Legal Department’s administration of Agreements, as well as provide training as necessary on established procedures for business units;
• Help to develop and participate in multifaceted education and training program to ensure that all employees and management are knowledgeable of, and comply with, pertinent regulations and NYRR’s policies;
• Support maintenance of NYRR registered trademarks and other institutional documents;
• Manage a wide variety of demands and projects, big and small, that arise in an in-house legal department;

Job Requirements: 

Experience:

• Minimum of 4+ years relevant legal experience in a law firm and/or in-house legal department, preferably within a not-for-profit or sports/entertainment industry setting.
• Litigation and/or advertising/marketing/intellectual property experience is a plus.

Education & Certifications:

• Juris Doctorate from an ABA accredited law school
• Admission and member in good standing of the New York Bar

Skills and Attributes:

• Knowledge of principles and practices in a variety of areas of law, including corporate law, contracts, employment, litigation, insurance, administrative, intellectual property, privacy, marketing and advertising, non-profit, and regulatory compliance
• Strong organizational skills and excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to create and lead power point presentations
• Demonstrated ability to analyze issues and think strategically
• Capable of building relationships and possess the judgment and interpersonal skills to effectively attain beneficial outcomes
• Results oriented, ability to work in a fast-paced, decision-making environment
• Demonstrated integrity and high ethical values in decisions and dealings with others.
• Handles confidential information using discretion making, professional sensitivity and sound judgment.
• Superior attention to detail and ability to multi-task
• Strong computer skills (Microsoft Office/Sharepoint) and an aptitude for learning new technologies.