Founding Legal Counsel - Shape Basis Growth

Basis AI; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Wellness

Life Insurance

Unlimited PTO

Meal stipends

Pre-tax commuter benefits

401(k) retirement plan

Parental Leave

Job summary

Basis is seeking our first in-house Legal Counsel to build the foundation for growth. You’ll partner with leadership across Finance, Sales, People, and Operations, owning commercial and corporate matters.

You’ll manage day-to-day contracting, develop templates and playbooks, and strengthen governance, escalation, and obligations as the company scales. This is a high-ownership role with direct access to leadership in NYC.

Qualifications

• 2-5 years of experience practicing corporate or commercial law at a leading law firm.
• J.D. from a top law school and admission to a US state bar
• Experience reviewing, drafting, and negotiating commercial agreements (SaaS, vendor contracts, NDAs, data-processing terms)
• Strong grounding in governance, capitalization, equity matters, board processes, and financing transactions

Responsibilities

• Review, draft, and negotiate customer and vendor agreements.
• Develop templates, playbooks, and contract-management processes.
• Support corporate governance and board matters, cap table management, equity administration, and fundraising.
• Advise on strategic partnerships and other business arrangements.
• Support personnel matters with employment agreements, policies, and equity questions with People team.
• Own the legal function with broad exposure and direct access to leadership in an early-stage company.

Skills

Corporate law

Commercial contracts

Governance

Equity & financing

Contract negotiation

Education

J.D. from top law school

Job description

Basis is seeking our first in-house Legal Counsel to build the foundation for growth. You’ll partner with leadership across Finance, Sales, People, and Operations, owning commercial and corporate matters.

You’ll manage day-to-day contracting, develop templates and playbooks, and strengthen governance, escalation, and obligations as the company scales. This is a high-ownership role with direct access to leadership in NYC.