Special Counsel, Transactions (M&A and Bank Partnerships)

Overview

This role involves joining the Transactions team within the Legal department as an experienced transactional attorney. The position primarily supports two connected areas:

• Corporate Development and Ventures, including mergers and acquisitions, strategic transactions, and venture investments
• Financial Partnerships, including agreements with banks and other financial institutions supporting reserve, treasury, and payments operations

As needs arise, the role may also support select commercial transactions involving the organization’s products and services for banks and other financial institutions.

Responsibilities

• Support mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, asset purchases, and other strategic transactions, including:
  • Structuring deals
  • Conducting due diligence
  • Drafting definitive agreements
  • Coordinating signing, closing, and integration matters
• Advise on joint ventures, minority and venture investments, strategic partnerships with an equity component, and other non-ordinary-course transactions, including drafting and negotiating:
  • Term sheets
  • Investment agreements
  • Side letters
  • Ancillary agreements
• Structure, draft, and negotiate agreements with banks and financial institutions supporting reserve, treasury, and payments operations, including:
  • Deposit, custody and safeguarding, account control, and cash management arrangements
• Serve as a trusted advisor to internal teams across Corporate Development and Ventures, Treasury, and Financial Partnerships by:
  • Leading transactions that involve Legal, Regulatory, Risk, Compliance, Tax, Corporate Governance, Product, and other stakeholders
  • Coordinating with outside counsel where appropriate
• When needed, support select commercial transactions where products, services, or technology are provided to banks and other financial institutions, partnering with Business Development and Product subject matter experts to translate business objectives into practical contractual terms
• Develop and expand transaction templates, playbooks, diligence tools, processes, and metrics to improve speed, consistency, and effectiveness across recurring transaction types
• Help design and lead the adoption of AI-enabled workflows across the Transactions team, including:
  • Rethinking how transactional legal work is structured and delivered
  • Using AI and other technology to improve diligence, contract review, issues lists, drafting, and deal tracking
  • Experimenting with new approaches, developing scalable processes and playbooks
  • Reviewing and validating AI-assisted work product for accuracy, confidentiality, privilege, and risk

How AI Is Used in This Role

AI is used as a core part of day-to-day transactional work, including accelerating due diligence, reviewing counterparty drafts against playbooks and prior positions, preparing first drafts of issues lists and ancillary documents, and keeping deal trackers and precedent current.

You will remain fully responsible for all work product by reviewing and validating AI-assisted outputs for accuracy and legal judgment, protecting privilege and confidentiality, safeguarding material non-public information, and following applicable AI, security, and data policies.

Requirements

• J.D. or foreign equivalent and active membership in good standing of at least one U.S. State Bar
• 7+ years of transactional legal experience at a leading law firm, an in-house legal department, or a combination of both
• Substantial experience with M&A and other corporate transactions, financial services transactions, or both, including:
  • Structuring transactions
  • Drafting first-turn agreements
  • Leading negotiations and diligence
  • Independently driving complex matters through signing and closing
• Strong working knowledge of corporate and commercial law and the ability to coordinate legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, securities, and operational considerations while balancing legal risk and commercial objectives
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong ownership and organization, and the ability to manage multiple matters in a fast-moving environment prone to rapid change
• Demonstrated familiarity with and practical use of generative AI in legal or other professional workflows, including judgment about when and how to use AI, validation of outputs, and protection of privileged, confidential, and material non-public information in a public company environment
• Interest in financial technology and the potential of stablecoins, digital assets, and blockchain technology

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with banking and financial services agreements or transactions, including deposit, custody, safeguarding, treasury, and related arrangements, particularly involving regulated financial institutions, digital assets, stablecoins, payments, cross-border transactions, or other fintech businesses
• Experience building, implementing, or scaling AI-enabled workflows, prompts, templates, playbooks, or tools for a legal team

Compensation & Benefits

• Base Pay Range: $200,000 - $262,500
• Starting pay is determined by factors including relevant experience, skill set, qualifications, and other business and organizational needs. Compensation ranges may differ for candidates in other locations.

Equal Opportunity

The organization is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, or any other protected status required by the laws in the locations where it hires.

Work Authorization

The organization participates in the E-Verify Program in certain locations as required by law.

Location

The posting does not specify a work location. Compensation may vary by location.