Commercial Counsel

Overview

A legal services organization serving startups is seeking a hands-on Commercial Counsel to manage a high volume of commercial work. This role involves advising startup founders and in-house teams, helping close deals, and developing practical legal processes for a growing commercial practice.

Responsibilities

• Independently negotiate MSAs, SaaS agreements, NDAs, DPAs, vendor contracts, partnership deals, and other commercial agreements.
• Draft new agreements and templates efficiently across a variety of contract and business types.
• Advise founders and in-house teams through Slack and calls, providing clear, business-oriented guidance to help move deals forward.
• Develop playbooks and AI-enabled workflows based on negotiation positions and review standards.
• Assist with onboarding and support of an additional commercial counsel as the team grows.

Requirements

• At least 3 years of commercial law experience as an associate, senior associate, or hands-on in-house counsel; 2 years may be considered with strong law firm training.
• JD and active US bar membership in good standing.
• Independent experience negotiating and drafting a broad range of commercial agreements, including SaaS, technology, vendor, and channel or partnership contracts.
• Strong working knowledge of market terms for liability, indemnity, intellectual property, data, and termination, with the judgment to explain tradeoffs in plain language.
• Pragmatic, deal-closing approach; comfort with a high-volume individual contributor role; experience turning redlines around quickly and refining them collaboratively.
• Experience using AI tools in legal practice, or willingness to develop AI-supported legal workflows.
• US-based and able to travel to San Francisco periodically.

Preferred Qualifications

• California is preferred, and New York is also considered.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base salary: $170,000 to $220,000 annually
• Equity: 0.2% to 0.5%
• Visa sponsorship is not available.

Location

• Remote within the United States, with San Francisco as the primary location and periodic travel to the office.
• Bay Area candidates may also work from the office a few times per week.