General Counsel

Lupa Pets; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Job summary

Lupa Pets is looking for its first in-house solicitor to build the legal function from the ground up in London. You will own commercial contracts, lead UK/EU GDPR and privacy initiatives, and navigate AI/regulatory frameworks as we expand US and Europe.

You’ll support governance, equity matters, and fundraising while managing employment law across international teams and guiding product teams on compliance and liability.

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor or barrister with 7+ PQE; English and Welsh qualification essential, US bar improves prospects.
• Experience in technology, SaaS or digital health law, preferably in-house at a scale-up.
• In-depth UK/EU GDPR data privacy knowledge; operationalising compliance in product-led businesses.
• Strong commercial contracting experience, able to move quickly with risk awareness.
• Regulatory exposure for AI or health tech products is a plus.
• Experience supporting fundraising rounds (Series A/B or beyond) is a bonus.
• Background at a top-tier law firm before moving in-house is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Build the legal function from scratch and own commercial contracts.
• Lead data privacy and security compliance across UK GDPR, EU GDPR, US state laws.
• Navigate AI/regulatory frameworks across UK, EU, and US.
• Support governance, equity matters, and fundraising processes.
• Manage employment law across international teams.
• Advise product/engineering on compliant AI features and liability.
• Build relationships with external counsel.

Skills

Commercial contracts

Data privacy

Regulatory compliance

Stakeholder management

AI/Health tech regulation

Education

Qualified solicitor or barrister (England & Wales)

Job description

About Us

Lupa is building a category defining product the industry has never seen before.

We are the AI-native operating system for veterinary practices and pet parents, replacing the fragmented, clunky systems vets have tolerated for years with a single intelligent platform for scheduling, client communication, clinical documentation, and AI-driven care guidance. Practices run more efficiently, vets get back to doing what they love, and pet parents feel more connected to their animals health than ever.

The traction speaks for itself: one of Europe's top 100 AI startups with a team of 70 people, 10x growth in twelve months, the UK market leader, and now charging hard into the US and Europe. We have $25M in funding, 2.5M+ pets on the platform, and a buzzing HQ in Paddington, London.

This is a rare chance to join a rocket ship at exactly the right moment and we are looking for exceptional people to help us fly it.

In this role, you will:

• Be Lupa's first in-house legal hire, building the legal function from scratch and owning everything from commercial contracts to regulatory compliance across multiple jurisdictions
• Own and negotiate all commercial agreements including enterprise SaaS contracts, partner deals, vendor agreements, and everything in between, moving at the pace the business demands
• Lead data privacy and security compliance across UK GDPR, EU GDPR, and US state privacy laws as we expand internationally
• Navigate the regulatory landscape for AI-powered clinical tools in veterinary and adjacent healthcare markets across the UK, EU, and US
• Support the board and leadership on corporate governance, equity matters, and future fundraising processes
• Manage employment law across an increasingly international team including UK, US, and other jurisdictions as we scale
• Partner with Product and Engineering to ensure our AI features are built and deployed compliantly, from data handling to clinical liability
• Own IP strategy, protecting what we build and making sure we are not infringing on what others have built
• Build relationships with external counsel and manage those relationships commercially and strategically

Your background looks something like:

• Qualified solicitor or barrister with 7+ years PQE. English and Welsh qualification essential, US bar admission a strong advantage
• Significant experience in technology, SaaS, or digital health law, ideally with in-house experience at a high-growth startup or scale-up
• Deep knowledge of data privacy law including UK/EU GDPR and experience operationalising compliance in a product-led company
• Commercial contract experience at pace. You have negotiated complex enterprise deals and know how to move quickly without creating unnecessary risk
• Exposure to regulatory frameworks for AI or health tech products (nice to have)
• Experience supporting a fundraising process at Series A, B, or beyond (nice to have)
• Background at a top-tier law firm before moving in-house (nice to have)

As a person, you:

• Are a pragmatic, commercially minded lawyer. Your job is to help the business move fast safely, not to find reasons to slow things down
• Are comfortable being the only lawyer in the room and making confident calls with incomplete information
• Build trust quickly across a business, from engineers who need a quick data handling answer to the CEO who needs a board-ready governance opinion
• Are genuinely excited by the intersection of AI, health tech, and regulation. This space is moving fast and you want to be at the front of it
• Are excited to work in-person from our Paddington, London HQ
• Value working with people who are kind, ambitious, and pragmatic

What does success look like in 6 months?

• The legal function exists. Contracts are standardised, compliance frameworks are in place, and the business is no longer making it up as it goes
• You are a trusted voice at the leadership table, pulled into strategic decisions early rather than brought in to review at the end
• The US expansion has legal infrastructure behind it. Entity structure, contracts, employment, and privacy are all covered