Associate General Counsel

Agora Finance; New York (NY); On-site; USD 250,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Agora is hiring an Associate General Counsel to lead the legal function as the first dedicated in-house lawyer. You will report to the General Counsel, craft a scalable playbook, and guide the business through complex regulatory and commercial matters in a fast-growing crypto-fintech environment.

The role demands broad generalist capabilities, risk-aware judgment, and ability to work autonomously with external counsel when needed. Strong drafting and negotiation skills are essential.

Qualifications

• J.D. and NY bar admission in good standing.
• 8–12 years of legal experience, mix of law firm and in-house.
• Experience across commercial contracting, regulatory/product counseling, governance and compliance.
• Experience with digital assets or fintech is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Advise the General Counsel and executive leadership on diverse legal matters.
• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial and technology contracts.
• Advise on digital-asset regulatory landscape and liaise with compliance/outside counsel.
• Support entity management, governance, and financing activities as the company grows.
• Partner on compliance, risk, disputes, and outside counsel management.
• Help build templates, playbooks, and processes for a scalable legal function.
• Handle broad, early-stage questions across employment, privacy, IP, marketing, etc.

Skills

Drafting & Negotiation

Communication

Stakeholder management

Regulatory & compliance counseling

Contract management

Education

J.D. from an accredited law school

Bar admission in NY or eligible for in-house NY

Job description

ABOUT AGORA

At Agora, our mission is to transform how money moves. We believe stablecoins will underpin a new financial fabric, one that is faster, more global, and more efficient than today's siloed systems. That is why we are building AUSD and the Agora stack, a full service platform that makes issuing, managing, and integrating stablecoins seamless, whether you're a developer, fintech, or institution. With AUSD, stablecoins become programmable, composable, and ubiquitous by default.

We believe digital dollars should be a public good: trusted, accessible, and built for real-world utility. Our mission is to drive adoption through customizable, user-friendly on-ramps that make stable, dollar-based value available onchain.

We're backed by world-class investors including Paradigm and Dragonfly, and we're growing a team to reimagine how value moves online.

We're intentional about who we bring on. If you're passionate about stablecoins and want to help create more open, intuitive ways for people to engage with money, let's talk.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Agora Legal team is a strategic partner across the company, touching every aspect of the business.As the company and its regulatory footprint scale, we are hiring our first dedicated lawyer to work directly alongside the General Counsel.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The role of Associate General Counsel is a rare chance to join a company early and help build its legal function from the ground up. You will work directly with, and report to, the General Counsel as the first dedicated member of the legal team. There is no established playbook to inherit so you will help write it.

We are looking for a broad, versatile lawyer who is energized by variety. This is a high-impact, high-visibility role. The ideal person has a generalist’s range, a builder’s instinct, and the judgment to know when to decide, when to elevate, and when to bring in outside help. If you want to touch nearly everything a fast-growing company throws at its legal team, this is the opportunity for you to grow with the company and gain valuable experience.

What you’ll do

• Trusted Advisor. Advise the General Counsel and executive leadership on diverse legal matters.
• Own commercial and technology contracts. Draft, review, and negotiate the full range of agreements the business runs on, including vendor and technology agreements, partnerships, customer and platform terms, NDAs, and services arrangements — balancing risk against the need to move quickly.
• Advise the business on the digital-asset regulatory landscape. Serve as a practical, business-minded advisor on how the evolving regulatory environment as they apply to our products and plans, partnering with compliance and outside counsel on the questions that need specialist depth.
• Support corporate, governance, and financing work. Help with entity management, board materials, corporate housekeeping, and financing and equity matters as the company grows.
• Partner on compliance, risk, and disputes. Work alongside compliance on policies and controls, help manage inquiries, disputes, and any litigation, and direct outside counsel efficiently when specialized expertise is required.
• Build the legal function. Work with the General Counsel to create the templates, playbooks, intake, and processes that let a small team scale.
• Take on whatever comes in. As an early legal hire, you’ll be the first call on a wide range of questions — employment, privacy, IP, marketing, and the issues no one anticipated. Comfort with ambiguity and a willingness to dig into unfamiliar areas are essential.

What we’re looking for

• J.D. from an accredited law school and admission to a U.S. state bar in good standing (New York admission or eligibility to register as in-house counsel in New York preferred).
• Approximately 8–12 years of legal experience, ideally combining a strong law-firm foundation with in-house experience.
• Genuine breadth with a track record across commercial contracting, regulatory/product counseling, corporate/governance, and compliance with a willingness to learn and expand.
• Exposure to digital assets, crypto, banking or another regulated financial-services or fintech environment.
• Experience working across different functions and building trust with stakeholders.
• Excellent drafting, negotiation, and communication skills, with the ability to give clear, actionable advice to non-lawyers.
• Sound, risk-adjusted judgment, analytical rigor paired with pragmatism about what actually moves the business forward.
• High autonomy and low ego. Comfortable being resourceful, owning work end-to-end, and building process where none exists.

Nice to have

• In-house experience, particularly at an early-stage or high-growth company.
• Familiarity with the regulatory frameworks relevant to digital assets, stablecoins, money movement, or bank/financial-services activities. U.S. bank regulatory background is a plus.
• Experience managing outside counsel and legal budgets.
• Experience selecting or implementing legal tooling and repeatable, self-serve processes.

For New York Metro the expected salary range for this position is between $250,000 and $300,000. This position is also eligible for annual bonus opportunities and an option grant. The actual compensation will be determined based on experience and other factors permitted by law.

Agora operates a centralized USD-pegged stablecoin platform with robust compliance, security, and governance. We are equally committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace.

We are an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.