The Legal and Business Affairs Department at Working Title Films …
… consists of a barrister, two qualified solicitors, a trainee solicitor and three assistants. The department deals with every legal and business aspect of developing, producing, distributing and marketing a feature film.
The “business affairs” role within the department involves the lawyers negotiating and concluding deals terms for talent (e.g. writers, actors, producers, directors). “Business affairs” also encompasses the negotiation of rights deals with parties who own underlying rights in film projects, whether it’s the owner of film rights in a book or another film producer that owns rights in a project and wants to make the film with Working Title.
Once a business deal has been concluded with the agent or lawyer representing the talent or other party, the legal paperwork is then drawn up, negotiated and concluded by the lawyers within the department.
Almost every aspect of a film will have some legal consequence or implication. To take a typical scene shot in a location like a restaurant, every one behind the camera (from the director and cinematographer through to the electricians) will be on a legal contract. There will be a location agreement with the restaurant owner. There will be contracts for the actors, make-up artists, and costume designers. The writers of the script, and if the script is based on a book, the author, will be contracted. If a famous brand of bottled water is used in the scene, there may well be legal paperwork with the owner of such a brand. If there are paintings hanging on the restaurant walls, a legal release document may be needed to be signed to grant permission for its use in the film.
The legal department will also supervise the review of scripts to ensure that nothing defamatory or otherwise controversial is included. It is the responsibility of the department to make sure that all such aspects are covered adequately and the company is conducting itself responsibly and legally. Needless to say, the paperwork is plentiful and demanding!
Successful applicants for the ACTION! Legal Scheme …
… can expect to be thrown into the deep end and assist on all aspects of the work conducted by the Legal department. You will mainly be assisting the qualified solicitors and trainee with their work, including preparing contract and deal summaries, checklists, helping on clearance, researching legal and other issues and general administrative duties.
The ACTION! Legal Scheme .…
… should provide an unparalleled insight into the legal workings of a successful British film company, It should be noted, however, that the scheme is specifically directed at lawyers who are serious about a legal career in the film business and aspiring film producers wanting to get their foot in the door need not apply! (There is a separate scheme available to those who wish to get involved in the creative, development and production side of the business). There is no full time position available at the end of the placement, but we hope this will be an invaluable experience for talented young lawyers who might otherwise not have an entry into the industry. We are awarding bursaries of £14,000 p.a. (pro rata). We will be accepting one Intern for 3 month sessions.
Applicants should send a covering letter, CV (with two referees) and a recent passport sized photograph to:
The Head of Legal & Business Affairs
Working Title Films Limited
26 Aybrook Street
London W1U 4AN
There are no closing dates as the internship is rolling. As we receive so many applications throughout the year, we are not able to respond to everyone other than those selected for interview. However, we do keep applications on file for consideration for the next available internship and some applicants may be called some time after their original application.
PLEASE ENSURE YOU SPECIFY WHAT PERIOD YOU ARE AVAILABLE TO START
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