Commercial Counsel

About the Role

A fast-growing legal services company serving startups is seeking a hands-on Commercial Counsel to manage a high volume of commercial work. You will advise startup founders and in-house teams, help close deals, and develop practical legal processes for a growing commercial practice.

What You'll Do

• 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 that helps move deals forward.

• Develop playbooks and AI-enabled workflows from negotiation positions and review standards.

• Help onboard and support an additional commercial counsel as the team grows.

What We're Looking For

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

• 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.

• A pragmatic, deal-closing approach, comfort with a high-volume individual contributor role, and experience turning redlines around quickly and refining them collaboratively.

• Experience using AI tools in legal practice, or willingness to develop AI-supported legal workflows. Slack is used for day-to-day client communication.

• US-based and able to travel to San Francisco periodically.

Compensation & Benefits

Base salary is $170,000 to $220,000 annually, with 0.2% to 0.5% equity. 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.