Sarah Kirschenheiter (Corporate IP, 2017–2022), senior counsel, Business and Legal Affairs at Paramount Global, practiced in the firm’s Corporate Department. Sarah received her B.A. from the University of Rochester and her J.D. from Cardozo School of Law.

1. What is the most interesting and/or rewarding aspect about your job at Paramount from a legal perspective?

In my role, I primarily support an internal business unit known as Paramount Brand Studio. The Paramount Brand Studio team builds out custom activations for our advertisers, which may include in-show integrations and co-branded content. From a legal perspective, my team not only drafts and negotiates agreements with the advertisers, but we also handle production business and legal affairs for content produced by Paramount Brand Studio (e.g., talent offers/negotiations, talent agreements, production releases, etc.). One of the most rewarding aspects about my job is getting to watch the content come to life after working so closely with various internal teams on all the steps leading up to the content launch.

2. What advice would you give a junior lawyer considering a career in the entertainment industry?

Getting a base set of foundational skills is incredibly important, and you can do that from any department at Paul, Weiss. I think Paul, Weiss does a great job preparing junior lawyers – you have the opportunity to learn how to draft documents, analyze risk and make judgment calls. Regardless of your specialty, these foundational skills will be invaluable and can be translated to any industry. If you know you want to go into the entertainment industry, I do think it’s important to find ways to get entertainment experience where you can, whether that’s through pro bono efforts or participating in clinics focused on the entertainment sector. It’s also important to stay on top of the industry news – so much change is happening within the entertainment industry, so it’s helpful to stay up to date.

3. Tell us about the professional accomplishment or pursuit that you’re proudest of.

Making the transition from Paul, Weiss to in-house was quite a big change. Not only was I learning the ropes at a new company, but I was quickly asked to start managing two team members. Stepping into my new role as a manager brought an entirely different set of challenges, and I am proud of how I was able to adapt and find ways to support my team – especially during massive change at our company – all while still adjusting to being in-house myself.