Legal Counsel

About Us:

A-Leagues is a team of people who are passionate about our vision to be the league of choice for modern Australians & New Zealanders, uniting communities through a shared love of football. Our team champions our leagues by empowering clubs to deliver football excellence and build lifelong connections with fans, to unlock our potential for growth within the global game.

The Opportunity:

The Legal Counsel will play a critical role in supporting the A-Leagues' legal function by managing a broad range of commercial legal work across the business. While the role will primarily focus on contract negotiation and execution, you will also be contributing to strategic projects including collective bargaining agreement negotiations. Working closely with the General Counsel, the Legal Counsel will be expected to independently manage day-to-day legal matters, maintain strong internal relationships, and provide timely, commercially informed legal advice.

This role is advertised as full-time, but APL welcomes part-time (4 days) options for the right candidate. Please state your preference in your cover letter.

The Responsibilities:

• Advising on and drafting a wide range of commercial agreements, including sponsorships, licensing, consulting, technology, media / broadcast, and supplier agreements as well as providing legal support for larger ad-hoc transactional and project work
• Support contract execution and contract management processes, including maintaining internal systems and workflows
• Assist with legal input into key strategic projects including collective bargaining negotiations and domestic media rights negotiations
• Advising on governance matters including best practice governance standards, and rights and obligations under constitutions and other related governance documents
• Draft and review internal policies and procedures to ensure legal compliance, consistency with best practice, and alignment with APL's operational needs
• Prepare and review Board and Committee minutes in collaboration with the General Counsel
• Provide legal support on regulatory compliance and privacy matters
• Advising on and drafting rules and regulations and competition policies.
• Contribute to legal risk management initiatives and internal policies
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders across departments to provide commercially sound legal advice
• Liaise with key external stakeholders including Clubs, Football Australia and the PFA.
• Conducting ad-hoc research on legal, regulatory or commercial issues and frameworks.
• Monitor developments in relevant legal and regulatory areas, and provide updates to the General Counsel and internal teams.

Our Values:

EVERY FAN IN MIND - We respect the privilege and responsibility that comes with our mission to unite, entertain and grow our game.

PLAY OUR OWN WAY - In order to get and stay ahead of the game, we create and innovate.

WIN TOGETHER - The only way to win is to win together; who makes the assist is as important as who scores the goal.

GET OFF THE BENCH - We don't sit on the bench - we expect everybody to get up and involved.

PLAY FAIR - Sport is all about competitiveness and fierce rivalry, but we always play fair

We believe in creating an inclusive environment, and we encourage anyone interested in this role to reach out and start a conversation, regardless of gender or the number of skills that match your profile.

About You:

• Bachelor of Laws and current Australian practising certificate.
• 1–3 years post-admission legal experience in a reputable law firm or in-house environment
• Strong foundation in contract law and experience leading commercial negotiations
• Demonstrated ability to manage legal matters independently with appropriate oversight
• High level of commercial acumen and ability to provide pragmatic legal advice
• Interest or experience in company secretarial duties, board governance, and statutory compliance.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to build trusted relationships
• Working with Children Check.

Why work for us?

You'll get to work as part of an elite team of passionate and like-minded individuals. On top of that, there's:

• Hybrid working arrangements.
• Generous leave entitlements including company paid parental leave.
• Monthly mobile phone allowance.
• Employee Recognition Program.
• Plus benefits, discounts and tickets.

Above all, we love football and, if you do too, you'll love working with us. So if you're excited about this opportunity, please 'Apply now'.

APL does not accept unsolicited CVs from recruiters or employment agencies. Please note only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. Thanks for your understanding.