Corporate Counsel

Emerald AI; Oakland (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay + equity

Comprehensive benefits

Flexible location

Job summary

Emerald AI in California is seeking a Corporate Counsel to provide legal guidance across various departments, focusing on commercial agreements and regulatory decisions. The ideal candidate will have a JD, an active bar membership, and over three years of legal experience. This position offers a flexible work location and comprehensive benefits including medical plans and competitive pay with equity. Join an impactful team at the forefront of AI and energy innovation.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of legal experience in a law firm or in-house.
• Strong foundation in commercial contracts and corporate matters.
• Experience with technology, AI/ML, or infrastructure-related companies preferred.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate agreements.
• Develop templates and streamline contracting activities.
• Advise on product, data usage, and privacy matters.
• Partner with teams to manage legal risks.

Skills

Commercial contracts expertise

Ability to balance legal risk

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

JD and active bar membership

Job description

About Emerald AI

We’re at a pivotal moment for AI and energy. Demand for compute is skyrocketing, but power constraints are becoming a critical bottleneck. Emerald AI sits at the intersection of these two worlds, enabling AI data centers to scale without overwhelming the grid. Our Emerald Conductor software platform makes data centers flexible and responsive, allowing them to adjust power usage dynamically. This unlocks massive AI growth without major new infrastructure, while also strengthening the grid and supporting the expansion of renewable energy. We’re a team of experts across AI, cloud, software, and energy—on a mission to scale AI sustainably. We’re backed by leading investors and partners including Radical Ventures and NVIDIA. Learn more about our vision, team, and backers at https://www.emeraldai.co/.

The Role

We’re looking for a Corporate Counsel to support a broad range of legal matters across the company, partnering closely with teams across business, product, engineering, and leadership. You’ll play a key role in enabling day‑to‑day operational activities by providing timely, practical legal guidance while helping the company move quickly and responsibly. This is a highly cross‑functional role where you’ll be embedded in the business, not operating as a back‑office function. You’ll advise on commercial agreements, support product and regulatory decisions, and contribute to corporate and strategic initiatives. At the same time, you’ll help build the foundational processes, templates, and systems that allow legal to scale alongside the company.

Key Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate customer, vendor, and partnership agreements.
• Develop templates and playbooks to streamline contracting and transactional activities.
• Advise on product, data usage, privacy, and IP‑related matters.
• Partner with engineering, commercial, and product teams to identify and manage legal risks.
• Stay up to date on relevant regulatory frameworks (e.g., data privacy, AI governance, industry‑specific rules).
• Assist with corporate governance, entity management, and internal policies.
• Help build internal legal processes that improve speed and consistency.
• Report to Head of Legal and Policy.

Minimum Requirements

• JD and active bar membership in at least one jurisdiction.
• 3+ years of legal experience (law firm or in‑house).
• Strong foundation in commercial contracts and general corporate matters.
• Experience working cross‑functionally with business and technical teams.
• Ability to balance legal risk with practical business outcomes.

Preferred Requirements

• Experience with technology, AI/ML, or infrastructure‑related companies.
• Familiarity with data privacy (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).
• Exposure to regulated industries (e.g., energy).

What we offer

• Make an impact. Solve the AI power bottleneck and shape how data centers scale sustainably.
• Join a world‑class team of AI, cloud, software, and energy experts in a collaborative, low‑ego environment.
• Build from 0→1. Influence strategy, GTM, org design, and customer/investor engagement from day one.
• Competitive pay + equity. Stock options let you share in the value you help create.
• Comprehensive benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and 401(k) matching.
• Flexible location. Work from D.C., Boston, or the Bay Area, with 2 WFH days a week.
• Backed by top investors, including Radical Ventures and NVIDIA.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, and any other protected ground of discrimination under applicable human rights legislation.

Emerald AI strives to respect the dignity and independence of people with disabilities and is committed to giving them the same opportunity to succeed as all other employees.

Inclusiveness is core to our culture at Emerald AI, and we strive to ensure you get the most from your interview experience. Emerald AI makes reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please reach out to the Talent team.