Senior Assistant General Counsel-Editorial Counsel (Hybrid) at American Medical Association

Senior Assistant General Counsel-Editorial Counsel (Hybrid)
Chicago, IL (Hybrid)

The American Medical Association (AMA) is the nation's largest professional Association of physicians and a non-profit organization. We are a unifying voice and powerful ally for America's physicians, the patients they care for, and the promise of a healthier nation. To be part of the AMA is to be part of our Mission to promote the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health.

We continuously work to embed equity in our internal practices and are committed to increasing the diversity of our staff across all levels of the organization. We intentionally work to create the right conditions to enable our employees to feel that they can be their authentic selves and fully participate in the life of the enterprise.

We encourage and support professional development for our employees, and we are dedicated to social responsibility. We invite you to learn more about us and we look forward to getting to know you.

This role has two components; the role will specialize and serve as legal counsel and partner to JAMA and the JAMA Network business units on matters that deal with editorial independence and integrity, reports only to the Editor in Chief in order to provide privileged legal advice and counsel on confidential editorial issues. Includes counseling top editors across the JAMA Network on defamation, privacy, subpoenas, research integrity and scientific misconduct issues, while protecting intellectual property assets. Additionally, this role will serve as a senior attorney on the Office of General Counsel, reporting to the General Counsel. Will draft, review and negotiate supporting legal documents, including appropriate agreements and related documentation for other business units; maintain publishing, technology, intellectual property work and artificial intelligence expertise while conducting highly complex work critical to the AMA and other business units as assigned. Supervise and mentor junior attorneys.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

General Legal, Editorial and Publishing Responsibilities

• The position is dedicated to working primarily on editorial and business publishing contracts, projects and operational issues, collaborating with the Editor in Chief and Publisher of JAMA Network and their teams’ missions to create compelling content that advances clinical research, practice and patient care, while generating revenue and maximizing the reach and impact of the journals and related assets.
• Serve as legal counsel to the Editor in Chief and senior editors of JAMA and JAMA Network journals on a host of issues, providing objective, thorough, timely and informed legal advice.
• Review JAMA Network editorial and multimedia material for defamation, subpoena, privacy and other torts and intellectual property issues and advising the Editor in Chief, senior JAMA editors and the editors of the 12 specialty journals (including identifying points of risk and recommending solutions).
• Respond to claims relating to editorial matters and decisions, serving as a member of the JAMA Network Problems Team to ensure consistent, equitable and defensible evaluation and resolution of appeals, complaints, calls for retraction and allegations of scientific misconduct.
• Support content creation and the protection of intellectual property assets, permitting the publishing team to maximize product offerings and potential revenue.
• Vet the potential conflicts of interest of proposed associate and deputy editors prior to negotiating contracts with them for JAMA Network editorial services.
• Conduct and supervise the preparation and negotiation of author/editor agreements.
• Develop, negotiate and document complex transactions related to major editorial and publishing projects, including licensing of content, acquisition of editorial software, and hosting and distribution platforms.
• Prepare and present educational sessions for the Editors and Editorial staff on emerging intellectual property, legal and ethical issues.
• Serve as Secretary to the AMA’s Journal Oversight Committee, with responsibility for the Editorial Governance Plan, support of the JOC and its meetings, and vetting of potential nominees.
• Collaborate with AMA’s Advocacy business unit on the legal, business and regulatory issues that impact the operations, opportunities and challenges of JAMA Network.
• Monitor, if not master, emerging trends on copyright, open access, funder mandates, artificial intelligence, research integrity, social and multimedia, and defamation law.
• Supervise, liaise with outside counsel retained to provide expertise or litigation services.

Business Transactions and Legal Agreements

• This role will also provide advice and counsel on business, mission related and operational issues, including:
• Negotiate and supervise the preparation of vendor, consultant, independent contractor and service provider agreements.
• Support content creation and the protection of intellectual property assets, permitting AMA business units to maximize product offerings and potential revenue, and helping mission units achieve maximum reach and adoption.
• Review and respond to instances of trademark or copyright infringement, collaborating with OGC colleagues regarding IP product development and distribution strategies.
• Advise mission and business unit leaders on emerging legal, regulatory and tax issues and trends, toward managing risk, devising new products and protecting existing business lines. Navigate situations of mutual concern and interest to the AMA and the journals, providing candid assessments toward minimizing conflicts.
• Supervise and mentor junior attorneys and paralegals.

May include other responsibilities as assigned

REQUIREMENTS:

1. J.D. from an accredited leading law school.
2. Licensed to practice law in Illinois.
3. Experience in editorial matters including pre- and post-publication review for litigation risk, conflict of interest analysis, and defense against defamation and other tort claims, subpoenas and FOIA requests required. In-house or law firm experience working directly with editorial decision makers preferred.
4. Basic knowledge of laws, regulations and ethics applicable to AMA, such as scientific medical research, healthcare, patient data and privacy.
5. Minimum 10 years of experience in corporate law, including copyright, trademark and emerging intellectual property law, such as artificial intelligence and sophisticated content licensing.
6. Experience in negotiation and documentation of complex corporate and commercial arrangements.
7. Outstanding analytical and critical thinking skills with a focus on practical outcomes.
8. Demonstrated ability to exercise appropriate discretion, treat editorial issues with complete confidentiality, and be confident in their independent judgment.
9. Superior interpersonal skills including demonstrated ability to build and maintain business relationships and gain the respect, trust and confidence of clients and colleagues.
10. Excellent oral communication and writing skills with the ability to inform, discuss and persuade confidently.
11. Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a team environment as well as to be a strong individual contributor within a complex organization.

The American Medical Association is located at 330 N. Wabash Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 and is convenient to all public transportation in Chicago.

The salary range for this position is $167,000 - $226,000. This is the lowest to highest salary we believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s pay within the salary range will be determined by a variety of factors including but not limited to business consideration, geographical location, and internal equity, as well as candidate qualifications, such as skills, education, and experience. Employees are also eligible to participate in a bonus plan. To learn more about the American Medical Association’s benefits offerings, please click here.

We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to diversity in our workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. As an EOE/AA employer, the American Medical Association will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and veteran or disability status.

THE AMA IS COMMITTED TO IMPROVING THE HEALTH OF THE NATION