Founding Legal Counsel

BCL Legal Limited; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 230,000 - 270,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity participation

Relocation assistance

Comprehensive benefits

Daily meal stipend

Wellness allowance

Job summary

[Undisclosed tech company] in San Francisco seeks a first in-house Senior Legal Counsel to establish and lead the legal function. You will craft templates, playbooks, policies, and processes, advise on commercial, privacy, AI, and regulatory matters, and partner with sales to accelerate revenue.

You will build the legal infrastructure, work directly with founders, and shape a rapidly scaling AI-focused business with a lean team and high growth.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) and active California Bar membership required.
• 6+ years in-house commercial or technology transactions OR 4+ years in a technology transactions group at an elite law firm.
• Strong experience negotiating and redlining enterprise agreements, including MSAs and DPAs.
• Working knowledge of GDPR, CCPA, EU AI Act, and related privacy/AI regulations.
• Experience building contract templates, playbooks, and legal processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead negotiations for complex enterprise customer agreements, SaaS agreements, and related commercial contracts.
• Partner with sales leadership to accelerate deal execution and reduce contracting friction.
• Build and maintain contract templates, fallback positions, approval frameworks, and legal playbooks.
• Advise leadership on privacy, AI regulation, and emerging technology risks.
• Support GDPR, CCPA, EU AI Act, and other data governance requirements.
• Develop scalable legal policies and operational processes as the company grows.
• Manage outside counsel relationships where required.
• Act as a strategic business partner to founders and senior leadership.

Skills

Commercial contracts

Privacy compliance

GDPR/CCPA knowledge

AI governance

Enterprise agreements

Education

JD, California Bar

Job description

A high-growth, venture-backed technology company is seeking its first in-house legal hire to establish and lead the legal function during a period of exceptional expansion. Having achieved remarkable revenue growth in a short timeframe and built a rapidly growing enterprise client base across sectors including healthcare, technology, travel, and consumer services, the business is entering an exciting new phase of scale. Reporting directly to senior leadership, you will play a pivotal role in supporting commercial growth, advising on strategic legal matters, and building the legal infrastructure required for a fast-growing business. As the company's first senior legal hire, you will create the templates, playbooks, policies, and processes that underpin the legal function while acting as a trusted advisor on commercial, privacy, AI, and regulatory issues. You will partner closely with business and sales teams to negotiate and close complex enterprise agreements, helping accelerate revenue and remove friction from the contracting process. You will also advise on emerging legal issues at the forefront of AI and technology, including data privacy, AI governance, communications regulations, and evolving domestic and international regulatory frameworks. With a lean, ambitious team and significant market momentum, the company offers the pace, ownership and career acceleration typically associated with the most successful high-growth technology businesses. For a commercially minded technology lawyer who thrives in entrepreneurial environments this represents a genuinely unique opportunity to shape both a legal function and a rapidly scaling company

Key Responsibilities

• Lead negotiations for complex enterprise customer agreements, SaaS agreements, and related commercial contracts
• Partner closely with sales leadership to accelerate deal execution and reduce contracting friction
• Build and maintain contract templates, fallback positions, approval frameworks, and legal playbooks
• Advise leadership on privacy, AI regulation, and emerging technology risks
• Support GDPR, CCPA, EU AI Act, and other data governance requirements
• Develop scalable legal policies and operational processes as the company grows
• Manage outside counsel relationships where required
• Act as a strategic business partner to founders and senior leadership

Required Experience

• JD and active California Bar membership.
• 6+ years' experience in-house commercial or technology transactions OR 4+ years’ experience in a technology transactions group at an elite law firm
• Strong experience negotiating and redlining enterprise agreements, including MSAs and DPAs.
• Working knowledge of GDPR, CCPA, EU AI Act, and related privacy/AI regulations.
• Experience building contract templates, playbooks, and legal processes.
• Commercial, hands‑on approach with the ability to thrive in a high‑growth environment.

Preferred Experience

• Experience building and implementing contract templates, negotiation playbooks, and scalable legal processes.
• Working knowledge of data privacy, regulatory compliance, and emerging technology frameworks.
• Exposure to AI‑driven products, SaaS platforms, or other innovative technology environments.
• Experience advising on regulated industry matters, particularly those involving communications, data, or sector‑specific compliance requirements.
• Previous experience within a startup, scale‑up, or other high‑growth business.

Why Join?

• Career‑defining growth opportunity with a company that has amassed more than $50 million in a year
• Build the legal function from scratch and shape how legal supports the business long‑term
• Direct visibility with executive leadership, reporting directly to a co‑founder
• Revenue‑impacting role where legal is viewed as a strategic partner rather than a support function
• Cutting‑edge AI work involving emerging legal and regulatory issues
• Competitive compensation package including equity participation and excellent benefits
• Base salary: $230,000 - $270,000 with a competitive equity package
• Relocation assistance up to $10,000
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Daily meal stipend
• Monthly wellness allowance
• Opportunity to participate in the growth of a rapidly scaling AI company

For attorneys who enjoy operating at the intersection of technology, commercial strategy, and innovation, this is a unique opportunity to take ownership of a legal function, work directly with founders, and play a pivotal role in the growth of one of the fastest‑scaling companies in the AI space. If you are a commercially driven technology lawyer looking for a genuine builder role with significant influence and upside.