Legal Counsel - Commercial, Contracts & Compliance

Overview

This is a remote, full-time role for a founding legal hire.

The organization is seeking a Legal Counsel – Commercial, Contracts & Compliance with 3–4 years PQE (in-house or law firm). Reporting will be directly to the Co-Founders.

Responsibilities

1) Commercial Contracts & Agreement Management

• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial agreements across the business, including:
  • Client-side: Master Warehouse Services & Operations Agreements (MSAs), Location Annexures, SLAs, SOWs, Rate Cards, and Amendment Letters
  • Landlord-side: warehouse lease/licence agreements, leave & licence, lock-in and exit terms
  • Vendor-side: transporter agreements, labour contractor agreements, manpower supplier terms
  • Technology: technology vendor MSAs (WMS, ERP, fleet management)
• Review commercial terms with focus on: indemnities, limitation of liability, insurance obligations, SLA penalties, termination and exit costs, force majeure, lien rights over stored goods, and dispute resolution clauses.
• Maintain a contract repository and renewal tracker to flag upcoming renewals, lock-in expiries, and auto-renewal deadlines.

2) Dispute Resolution & Recovery

• Manage commercial disputes involving:
  • Client debit notes for stock damage/loss/shortage
  • Vendor payment defaults
  • Landlord security deposit recoveries
  • Transporter claims
• Draft and issue legal notices, demand letters, settlement proposals, and reply notices.
• Coordinate with external counsel for litigation and arbitration (including SIAC and ad hoc), and for Section 9/11 applications and enforcement proceedings.
• Handle insolvency-related matters, including protective filings and operational creditor claims under IBC if a client/vendor enters CIRP.
• Handle cheque bounce cases (NI Act Sec. 138) against defaulting clients/vendors.

3) Regulatory & Compliance Advisory

• Advise on warehousing-specific regulations, including:
  • Essential Commodities Act
  • Warehousing (Development & Regulation) Act
  • State APMC laws
  • FSSAI (food storage)
  • Drug & Cosmetics Act (pharma storage)
  • Pollution Control Board (PCB) consents
• Support labour law compliance across 23+ cities, coordinating with HR and operations, including:
  • Contract Labour Act (CLRA)
  • Minimum Wages
  • PF/ESI
  • Shops & Establishments
  • Building & Other Construction Workers
• Provide GST advisory for warehousing services, including e-way bill compliance and place-of-supply rules for multi-state operations.
• Support insurance advisory for stock-in-transit, warehouse all-risk, employer’s liability, and 4PL back-to-back liability structuring.
• Provide basic DPDP Act readiness support (employee data, CCTV, biometric attendance) and ensure client data handling clauses in MSAs.

4) Corporate & Investor Relations Support

• Support Series A fundraise documentation, including:
  • SHA, SSA, and term sheet review
  • Due diligence responses
• Maintain statutory corporate records, including board resolutions, annual filings, and ROC compliance.
• Review and negotiate investor-side agreements, OCRPS/CCD terms, founder vesting, and IP assignment.

5) Operational Legal Support

• Advise operations teams on goods lien rights and liability for stock damage (fire, flood, theft, pest), plus handover/takeover documentation and client exit protocols.
• Draft and standardise SOPs for:
  • incident reporting (stock loss/damage)
  • FIR filing support
  • insurance claim documentation
  • client dispute escalation
• Support new warehouse onboarding, including lease review and local regulatory clearances (fire NOC, PCB consent, trade licence, Gumasta) and landlord negotiations.

Requirements

• Education: BBA LL.B (5-year integrated) or LL.B from a recognised university
• Bar Enrolment: Enrolled with the Bar Council of India
• Contract Drafting: Ability to independently draft and negotiate complex commercial agreements (MSAs, leases, vendor terms)
• Dispute Resolution: Hands-on experience with commercial litigation, arbitration, and recovery proceedings
• Regulatory: Working knowledge of labour laws, GST, and warehousing regulations (preferred)
• Cross-Border: Exposure to international trade or multi-jurisdictional matters is a plus (not mandatory)
• Languages: English (mandatory); Hindi (required for operations coordination); French/Italian (bonus)

Compensation & Benefits

• Not specified in the description.

Location

• Remote