Contracts Lawyer

Menlo Ventures; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Carta Law is seeking a Contract Lawyer to join its UK pre‑M&A practice. You’ll independently negotiate high volumes of pre‑M&A contracts for sophisticated investment fund and asset manager clients, while serving as the primary day‑to‑day contact.

Licensed to practise in UK/Europe/US/Canada with 3+ PQE, you’ll combine commercial judgement with advanced AI‑assisted review tools (Carta Ava, HighQ) to drive speed and consistency across matters.

Qualifications

• Qualified and licensed to practise law in UK/Europe/US/Canada with 3+ PQE.
• Experience negotiating pre‑M&A contracts (NDAs, NRLs, joinders, engagement letters) in a financial services legal environment.
• Proven ability to manage high-volume contract work and client relationships.
• Proficient with AI-backed contract review tools (Carta Ava, HighQ) and CLM/e-signature systems.

Responsibilities

• Independently negotiate and execute high volumes of pre‑M&A contracts – NDAs, NRLs, joinders, and engagement letters – liaising directly with counterparties against agreed SLAs.
• Serve as the primary day‑to‑day contact for sophisticated investment fund and asset manager clients, building trusted advisor relationships.
• Maintain and evolve client‑specific contract playbooks, ensuring consistency and quality across every negotiation.
• Mentor junior lawyers and paralegals, reviewing their work and contributing to a high‑performing team culture.
• Use and continuously improve Carta’s legal technology suite, including Carta Ava and HighQ, to increase speed and consistency.
• Manage the full contract lifecycle for each matter, from first review through execution and system logging.

Skills

Pre-M&A contract negotiation

Client relationship building

Commercial awareness

Leadership & mentoring

AI-assisted contract review

Education

Qualified and licensed to practise law in UK/Europe/US/Canada, 3+ PQE

Tools

Carta Ava

HighQ

CLM/e-signature

Job description

The Company You’ll Join

Carta connects founders, investors, and limited partners through world‑class software, purpose‑built for everyone in venture capital, private equity and private credit. Trusted by 65,000+ companies in 160+ countries, Carta’s platform of software and services lays the groundwork so you can build, invest, and scale with confidence.

Carta’s Fund Administration platform supports 9,000+ funds and SPVs, representing nearly $185B in assets under management, with tools designed to enhance the strategic impact of fund CFOs. Recognized by Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company, Inc. and Great Places to Work, Carta is shaping the future of private market infrastructure.

Together, Carta is creating the end‑to‑end ERP platform for private markets. Traditional ERP solutions don’t work for Private Funds. Private capital markets need a comprehensive software solution to replace outdated spreadsheets and fragmented service providers. Carta’s software for the Office of the Fund CFO does just that – it’s a new category of software to make private markets look more like public markets – a connected ERP for private capital.

For more information about our offices and culture, check out our Carta careers page.

The Team You’ll Work With

You’ll be joining Carta Law’s UK Contracts team at the heart of its pre‑M&A practice. Carta Law is the largest AI‑native law firm for private capital, born from the combination of Avantia Law and Carta. Our lawyers and paralegals work alongside embedded AI agents to deliver investor onboarding, transaction KYC, and high‑volume legal work with a speed and consistency traditional firms can’t match. As a Contract Lawyer, you’ll independently negotiate high volumes of pre‑M&A contracts while acting as the primary day‑to‑day contact for sophisticated investment fund and asset manager clients.

The Problems You’ll Solve

At Carta, our employees set out on a mission to unlock the power of equity ownership for more people in more places. We believe that the problems we solve today unlock the opportunities of tomorrow. As a Contract Lawyer, you’ll work to:

• Independently negotiate and execute high volumes of pre‑M&A contracts – NDAs, NRLs, joinders, and engagement letters – liaising directly with counterparties against agreed SLAs.
• Serve as the primary day‑to‑day contact for sophisticated investment fund and asset manager clients, building trusted advisor relationships.
• Maintain and evolve client‑specific contract playbooks, ensuring consistency and quality across every negotiation.
• Mentor junior lawyers and paralegals, reviewing their work and contributing to a high‑performing team culture.
• Use and continuously improve Carta’s legal technology suite, including Carta Ava and HighQ, to increase speed and consistency.
• Manage the full contract lifecycle for each matter, from first review through execution and system logging.

About You

• Qualified and experienced. You’re licensed to practise law in the UK, Europe, US, or Canada, with 3+ PQE
• Track record. You’ve independently negotiated pre‑M&A contracts like NDAs, NRLs, joinders, and engagement letters in a financial services legal environment.
• Trusted advisor. You build lasting relationships with sophisticated investment fund and asset manager clients and communicate legal advice crisply.
• Commercially minded. You balance legal risk against business objectives and flag issues before they escape.
• Tech‑forward. You’re proficient with AI‑backed contract review tools like Carta Ava, HighQ, and CLM/e‑signature systems, and look for ways to improve them.
• Collaborative leader. You mentor junior lawyers and paralegals and take ownership of your work in a fast‑paced environment.

At Carta, you’re not just an employee. You’re a builder who is creating infrastructure that accelerates innovation and empowers more ownership. Cartans are helpful, relentless, unconventional and kind; representing Carta’s Identity Traits. They work collaboratively and cross‑functionally to challenge the status quo; working towards a common goal of creating more owners in the private markets.

Disclosures:

• We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to providing a positive interview experience for every candidate. If accommodations due to a disability or medical condition are needed, please connect with the talent partner via email.
• Carta uses E‑Verify in the United States for employment authorization. See E‑Verify and Department of Justice websites for more details.
• For information on our data privacy policies, see Privacy, CA Candidate Privacy, and Brazil Transparency Report.
• Please note that all official communications from us will come from an @carta.com or @carta‑external.com domain. Report any contact from unapproved domains to [e-mail].