Commercial Counsel

Retell AI Inc.; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 230,000 - 270,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

DoorDash credit

Wellness reimbursement

Commuter reimbursement

Phone bill reimbursement

Internet reimbursement

Job summary

Retell AI is hiring its first Senior Counsel to build the legal function from the ground up, reporting to the founder and partnering with Sales on enterprise deals. You will help address consent, AI disclosure, and outbound calling questions as the company scales its AI voice platform.

Based in Redwood City, CA, the role demands strong judgment, clear guidance for non-lawyers, and the ability to close complex agreements (MSA, DPA, BAA, orders) efficiently with minimal reliance on outside counsel.

Qualifications

• JD and active CA bar membership required.
• 6+ years in commercial/tech transactions or 4+ years in top law firm.
• Experience with privacy/AI regulation preferred.

Responsibilities

• Close enterprise agreements quickly with minimal outside counsel.
• Build contract templates, negotiation playbook, and SLAs.
• Set position on voice AI legal issues: consent, TCPA, disclosure.
• Own platform terms, privacy policy, and outside counsel spend.

Skills

Contract negotiation

Legal risk assessment

Cross-functional collaboration

Explain legal issues clearly

Education

JD required

California Bar admission

Job description

ABOUT RETELL AI

Retell AI is using first-principles thinking to reimagine the call center with cutting-edge voice AI. Thousands of companies now use Retell's AI voice agents to handle sales, support, and logistics calls that once required large teams of human agents. Backed by Y Combinator, Alt Capital, and other leading investors, we've scaled to $80M in ARR with a team of 50, up from $5M at the start of 2025, and are now valued at over $1.5B.

Our vision for 2026 is to build a modern CX platform where entire contact centers are powered by AI. Instead of basic automation that needs constant human tuning, we're creating intelligent AI “workers” that act as frontline agents, QA analysts, and managers, continuously executing, monitoring, and improving every customer interaction.

We're growing fast and looking for ambitious builders who want to tackle hard technical problems, move quickly, and have a real impact on one of the fastest-growing voice AI companies in the world.

Let's build the future together.

Recent recognition:

• No. 1 Best Places to Work in the Bay Area, San Francisco Business Times 2026

• Top 50 AI Apps, a16z (2025)

• #3 Fastest-Growing Software Company, G2 Best Software Awards 2026

• Best Agentic AI Software, G2 Best Software Awards 2026

• #4 Fastest-Growing Software Vendor, Brex Benchmark 2025

• Enterprise Tech 30 Class of 2026, Nasdaq & Wing VC

• Top-Ranked Startup, Lean AI Leaderboard

• Backed by Y Combinator

ABOUT THE ROLE

Retell AI transforms customer experience with voice AI for enterprises, including customers like CVS/Aetna, American Airlines, Lenovo, and Grab. We have more customer stories than we can tell!

We're hiring our first Senior Counsel to build Retell's legal function from the ground up. You'll report directly to the founder and be Sales' go-to partner on every enterprise deal. Voice AI raises new legal questions around consent, AI disclosure, and outbound calling, and you'll help set how we answer them.

KEY RESPONSIBILITY

This hire has fast, safe contracting that keeps enterprise deals moving.

• Close enterprise agreements (MSA, DPA, BAA, order forms) quickly, with minimal reliance on outside counsel

• Build contract templates, a negotiation playbook, and turnaround SLAs, so sales are never blocked

• Set Retell's position on voice AI legal issues: call recording consent, TCPA, AI disclosure, and customer use-case reviews

• Own platform terms, acceptable use policy, privacy policy, and outside counsel spend

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Must have:

• JD and active US bar membership in California State

• 6+ years of commercial or technology transactions experience OR 4+ years in a tech transactions group at a top law firm

Nice to have:

• Experience with privacy and AI regulation (GDPR, CCPA, EU AI Act)

• Background in telecom, TCPA, or healthcare (BAA) matters

HOW WE EVALUATE

We care less about checkboxes and more about:

• Judgment that balances legal risk with deal speed

• Precision and speed in real redlines

• Explaining legal issues clearly to non-lawyers

• Ownership under ambiguity

YOU MIGHT THRIVE IF

• You'd rather find a path to yes than write a memo on why not

• You enjoy high deal volume and fast turnarounds

• You want to build a legal function, not inherit one

JOB DETAILS

Cash: $230,000 - $270,000

Equity: 4-year vest / 1-year cliff

Location: Redwood City, California (Relocation support provided)

US Visas: Retell AI is open to sponsoring work authorization for qualified candidates, including H-1B, TN, L-1, E-3, and F-1 (OPT/CPT).

OTHER BENEFITS

• 100% coverage for medical, dental, and vision insurance

• $70/day DoorDash credit for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks

• $200/month wellness reimbursement (gym, fitness classes, etc.)

• $300/month commuter reimbursement (gas, Caltrain, etc.)

• $75/month phone bill reimbursement

• $50/month internet reimbursement

COMPENSATION PHILOSOPHY

• Best offer upfront: Choose from three cash-equity balance options; no negotiation needed

• Top 1% talent: Above-market pay (top 5th percentile) to attract exceptional builders

• High ownership: small teams, >$1M revenue per employee, and significant equity

• Performance-based: Offers tied to interview performance, not tenure or past salary

INTERVIEW PROCESS

• Recruiter screen (15 min)

• Live contract redline (45 min)

• Hiring Manager interview (45 min)

• Onsite (2.5 hours)

  • Negotiation role-play

  • Voice AI legal case

  • Cross-functional conversation with Sales and Deal Desk