Legal Counsel Event Legal

The Event Legal team at FIFA provides legal advice and support on the organisation and hosting of FIFA tournaments and events around the world, including the FIFA World Cup™, FIFA Women's World Cup™, FIFA Club World Cup™ and other youth, futsal and beach soccer tournaments. The team supports divisions across FIFA, with a focus on the World Cup, Women's Football and Tournaments and Competitions divisions. The role involves building relationships with internal stakeholders and delivering legal services through a solutions-based approach, with a significant international focus and stakeholder management in countries around the world.

• Develop and implement the legal framework for hosting and staging FIFA tournaments and events, including drafting and advising on the implementation of hosting agreements, host city agreements, stadium agreements, training site agreements, airport agreements
• Accommodation agreements and related contractual documentation.
• Supervise the implementation of guarantees from Governments of host countries across taxation, immigration, employment and customs, including implementing legislative changes as necessary.
• Support the bidding process for the hosting and staging of FIFA tournaments and events, including undertaking the legal evaluation of bids received from potential host countries.
• Plan and implement, in collaboration with FIFA Finance, the tax and corporate structures of FIFA subsidiaries in host countries of FIFA tournaments and events.
• Provide legal support to establish initial operational functionality of FIFA subsidiaries in host countries of FIFA tournaments and events, including developing the legal strategy for the ongoing provision of legal support to such subsidiaries.
• Provide legal services and support to the Ticketing, Hospitality and Accommodation divisions, including advising on contracts for the procurement of ticketing systems and services, hospitality sales and production services and hotels for use across stakeholder groups
• Ticketing and hospitality terms and conditions
• And assessment of local laws and their impact on FIFA's ticketing strategies and hospitality programmes.
• Provide legal services and support in respect of FIFA's tournament and event regulations, including Competition Regulations, Media & Marketing Regulations and Equipment Regulations.
• Advise on local laws in host countries and their impact on the delivery of FIFA's tournaments and events.
• Coordinate and work closely with other legal divisions within FIFA in relation to the hosting and staging of FIFA tournaments and events, including in relation to media rights, TV production, content, music, technology, intellectual property, brand protection, sponsorship, marketing
• Corporate and institutional matters.
• Engage and manage external legal counsel.

• Minimum of 3 years' experience of legal practice in a leading law firm or in-house with a major corporate.
• Fully qualified to practise law (registered on the roll or admitted to the bar of the relevant jurisdiction) having completed academic and practical training.
• Substantial professional experience of working with and drafting legal documents in English, including legal agreements for the provision of services.
• First class written and spoken English language skills, consistent with drafting and negotiating complex, high value and nuanced English language agreements.
• Native level English (or equivalent), consistent with the requirement to draft and negotiate complex and nuanced English language agreements and advice.
• Ability to provide and communicate effectively practical and solutions-based legal advice.
• Excellent negotiation, drafting, problem solving and analytical skills.
• Structured, reliable and well-organised with a strong eye for detail.
• Ability to work as part of a high-performing team, fostering collaboration, driving results and ensuring the successful achievement of organisational goals.
• Proactive, with a strong sense of personal responsibility and the ability to work autonomously on a wide variety of projects.
• Resilient with the ability to competently handle a large workload amid rapidly shifting priorities.
• Open-minded team player with an affinity for working within a variety of cultures and excellent communication skills.
• High degree of professionalism and a confident demeanour.
• Ability to be a good ambassador for FIFA in all manner of external-facing situations, including during contractual negotiations, external workshops and FIFA competition-related assignments.
• Ability to create, develop and maintain strong and reliable relationships with FIFA Senior Management as well as external legal and commercial counterparts.

• Previous legal experience in the sports industry is desirable, particularly experience with the bidding, hosting and staging of major sports events, including in relation to hosting contracts, ticketing, hospitality and accommodation.
• A demonstrable interest in the sports industry and a strong commercial legal background will also be considered.
• Proficiency in any other FIFA language (French, Spanish or German) is an asset but not necessary.

• The privilege to work for the beautiful game and create something that matters.
• Generous medical, vision and dental insurance coverage.
• Continuous learning and development, with encouragement of internal mobility and a variety of training and education.
• Generous 401(k) employer contributions.
• Generous vacation allowance to support a healthy work/life balance.

We govern the beautiful game and ensure it's run with transparency and integrity. We work hard at FIFA and are dedicated, ambitious and innovative. We respect our values always.