Legal Counsel (fixed-term, parental leave cover)

About the Role & Team

In this role at Counsel at Disney, you will focus predominantly on the development, production, licensing and pre-buy of programming across all genres, from live and unscripted content to scripted and live-action productions. The position plays a critical role in structuring agreements that maximise value for Disney services, with a particular focus on Disney+, while ensuring full compliance with regulatory frameworks and internal policies across local markets and EMEA.

Working as part of the Legal Global Affairs (Legal Team), you will collaborate closely with Business Affairs, Production Management, Content Acquisition, creative teams, Marketing & Communications, and legal colleagues across EMEA and the US. You will bring strong legal and commercial judgement, a forward-looking mindset, and a commitment to building trusted relationships across the business.

This role will be based in our Milan office, 4 days a week, with either Monday or Friday working from home. This role is a fixed-term contract as a parental leave cover (with a preferred start early summer).

You’ll join a team grounded in our Disney values — acting with Integrity, welcoming everyone through Inclusion, embracing boundless Creativity, working together through Collaboration and caring deeply for our Community. These values shape how we work and how we support one another every day.

What You Will Do

• Support the development, negotiation and execution of content deals, including development, pre-buy and co-production agreements.

• Apply legal and commercial expertise to structure agreements aligned with Disney’s EMEA strategy and local legislation.

• Collaborate with EMEA and US-based stakeholders to establish best-practice frameworks for Disney+ Originals.

• Ensure compliance with local, EU and international regulatory requirements and Disney internal policies.

• Monitor legal, industry and technical developments and assess business impact.

• Enable effective information flow across Finance, Administration and the wider Legal Team.

• Drive efficient, value-for-money legal processes that protect the business.

• Foster a continuous improvement culture and build strong cross-functional relationships.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Qualified legal professional with expertise in media, entertainment or content acquisition law.

• Proven experience negotiating complex commercial and content agreements.

• Strong understanding of local and EU regulatory frameworks.

• Expert knowledge of data protection law.

• Strong commercial awareness aligned to business strategy.

• Excellent stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration skills in a complex international matrix organisation.

• Highly organised, detail-oriented and process-driven.

• Business fluency in Italian and English

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with streaming platforms and linear/non-linear rights.

• Experience supporting Original productions and co-productions across territories.

The Walt Disney Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strive to be a diverse workforce that is representative of our audiences, and where all can thrive and belong. Disney is committed to forming a team that includes and respects a variety of voices, identities, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.