Counsel, Event Partnerships

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.

Airbnb’s Legal Department is a global team that will require working with diverse international colleagues around the world. The successful candidate will be someone who is adaptable, collaborative and embodies Airbnb’s Core Values. Candidates will be required to approach complex legal issues with a balance for local and global perspectives, while being adaptable to cultural differences and nuances. A genuine and demonstrated interest in Airbnb and a commitment to ethics, integrity and fostering a workplace that emphasizes diversity and belonging is a must.

The Community You Will Join:

Airbnb’s Legal team embodies the company’s innovative, forward-thinking spirit. At the frontier of the sharing economy, Airbnb is breaking new ground in matters of policy, law, and government relations. Where some see obstacles, we see the opportunity to find creative, practical solutions, right at the cutting edge. Our adventurous, fast-moving legal team is committed to building a team of talented, collaborative and self-motivated legal professionals across the globe who believe in Airbnb’s mission and leading as a 21st century company.

The Difference You Will Make:

Airbnb is seeking a seasoned commercial lawyer to serve as Counsel, Event Partnerships. Reporting to the Lead Counsel, Event Partnerships, you will be a primary day-to-day legal partner to the teams that plan, produce, and execute Airbnb’s most visible event partnerships, from global sports and entertainment sponsorships to athlete and artist experiences, fan activations, and other in-person events.

You will draft and negotiate the commercial agreements that bring these partnerships to life, advise on the diverse array of legal issues they raise, help protect Airbnb’s rights as a sponsor, and guide business teams through the practical trade-offs of moving quickly and in the public eye. Working closely with the Lead Counsel and partnering across business and legal teams, you will help create and execute impactful partnerships at speed and scale, often managing many high-profile matters at once and against tight deadlines.

This role calls for someone who excels as a partner, building trusted relationships and earning the confidence of the teams and counterparts they work with, and as a lawyer, bringing substantive expertise across commercial transactions and the sports, entertainment, marketing, and intellectual property landscape. Success calls for sound judgment, an eagerness to take on increasing responsibility, and a creative, flexible, and client-focused approach, paired with a willingness to learn and an adaptable and curious personality.

A Typical Day:

• Draft, review and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements behind event partnerships and experiences, including sponsorship, talent, agency, venue, production and vendor agreements, licenses, NDAs, and term sheets, and advise teams on contractual terms.
• Serve as legal advisor for event sponsorship activations, while collaborating with the broader legal team.
• Monitor and report rights infringement and ambush marketing under the rights-protection programs of marquee partnerships.
• Own matters end-to-end, from intake and term sheet through negotiation, execution, and post-execution activations, maintaining trackers and reporting updates to leadership.
• Navigate cross-border, multi-entity, and localization complexity, working across time zones with international partners.
• Give business partners and cross-functional stakeholders practical, decisive guidance that balances business goals, legal risk, and company policy.
• Contribute to high-impact legal and cross-functional projects, including operational improvements, template and process automation, and cross-team education.
• Champion Airbnb's mission, ethics, and integrity, and its commitment to a diverse, inclusive workplace free of discrimination and harassment.

Your Expertise:

• JD and 6+ years of relevant experience at a company or law firm, focused on commercial transactions, with a track record of independently negotiating complex agreements. In-house experience preferred.
• Direct experience working within or advising on sports or entertainment industries.
• Background in advertising and consumer marketing law, with a focus on providing guidance for co-marketing initiatives, promotional activities, communications, consumer protection regulations, and the management of partner intellectual property and assets.
• Knowledge of copyrights, trademarks, persona and publicity rights, privacy and data protection, cross-border and multi-entity contracting, dispute resolution, litigation, risk allocation, security, tax, insurance, and international legal issues.
• A creative thinker and practical problem-solver who can find workable paths forward, hold firm on non-negotiables, and structure solutions to achieve objectives.
• Proven ability to build and maintain strong partnerships across business teams, with legal colleagues, and external counterparts and partners, and to draw on those relationships to negotiate effectively, resolve issues, and reach aligned outcomes.
• Demonstrated success in managing multiple projects in a fast-paced environment, with the ability to exercise sound judgment, prioritize tasks effectively under strict deadlines while ensuring precision and attention to detail.
• Excellent organizational, verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to tailor communications to both legal and non-legal audiences.
• High level of integrity, professionalism, and curiosity, with a genuine desire to grow.
• Licensed in a U.S. state.
• A highly developed sense of humor, a willingness to Embrace the Adventure, and genuine excitement for the Airbnb mission.

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