General Counsel

BeLeaf Medical; Saint Charles (MO); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full health coverage

Family health coverage (dependents 50%

401(k) with company match

Paid time off: 20 days + personal days

10 holidays

Bar dues & CLE reimbursement

Annual bonus program

First in-house GC role

Job summary

BeLeaf Medical, Missouri's leading vertically integrated cannabis operator, seeks its first in‑house General Counsel to build the legal function from the ground up. You’ll advise the CEO on contracts, real estate, employment, and strategic decisions across cultivation, manufacturing, and dispensaries.

You’ll handle first‑draft work, manage outside counsel, and shape governance, compliance, and risk for the licensed entities as the company scales in a dynamic market.

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school with bar eligibility in Missouri
• 5–10 years of relevant legal experience with breadth across contracts, real estate, and employment law
• Experience as a generalist—in-house or lean legal team with broad client-service scope
• Ability to produce polished near-final work independently and judge escalation needs

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial contracts and leases across lines of business
• Lead preliminary due diligence for potential M&A and license transfers
• Partner with HR on employment law matters including terminations and investigations
• Oversee litigation management and coordinate with outside counsel as needed
• Provide governance, risk mitigation guidance, and regulatory interpretation to leadership

Skills

Legal drafting

Contract negotiation

Regulatory compliance

Strategic business advice

Education

J.D. from accredited law school

Job description

Build the Legal Function at Missouri's Leading Cannabis Operator

BeLeaf Medical is hiring our first‑ever in‑house General Counsel — and we're looking for an experienced generalist attorney who wants to build a legal function from the ground up, not step into one that already exists.

This is a rare seat at a serious, established cannabis operator. You'll sit close to real business decisions, and shape how legal work gets done across a vertically integrated operation spanning cultivation, manufacturing, dispensaries, and transportation in one of the country's most dynamic cannabis markets.

Why This Role

• You’ll be the first, not the fifth. This is BeLeaf's first in‑house legal hire. You'll build the templates, the playbooks, the outside‑counsel triage model, and the legal function itself — the way you think it should work, not the way someone else set it up before you.
• Real business influence, not a cog in a big department. You'll be advising the CEO and executive team directly on contracts, real estate, employment matters, M&A activity, and strategic decisions. Your work will move the business, not sit in a queue.
• An established operator, not a startup. BeLeaf isn't a two‑person team hoping to raise a Series A. We're a vertically integrated Missouri cannabis company with roughly 430 employees, operating under the Swade Dispensaries and Sinse Cannabis brands across St. Louis, Kansas City, and Jonesburg. The legal work is real, the volume is real, and the company is stable.
• Broad, generalist scope. You'll touch commercial contracts, commercial leases, preliminary M&A work, employment and labor law support, litigation management, corporate governance, and regulatory legal advisory. If you like variety, this role has it.

About BeLeaf Medical

BeLeaf Medical LLC is one of Missouri's leading vertically integrated cannabis companies, operating under the Swade Dispensaries and Sinse Cannabis brands. We hold and operate cultivation, manufacturing, dispensary, and transportation licenses across the St. Louis and Kansas City markets. We operate at real scale in one of the country's fastest‑evolving regulated industries.

What You’ll Own

This role is hands‑on. You’ll personally handle first‑draft legal work so outside counsel is engaged for final review, specialized advice, and higher‑stakes matters — not ground‑up drafting. Your day‑to‑day includes:

• Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial contracts, vendor agreements, and service agreements across all lines of business.
• Reviewing and negotiating commercial leases for dispensary, cultivation, and manufacturing facilities.
• Leading preliminary due diligence, structuring, and documentation for potential M&A and license transfer activity.
• Partnering with our Director of Human Resources on employment law matters, including terminations, accommodations, investigations, and leave administration.
• Managing active disputes and claims, including litigation holds and coordination with outside counsel.
• Selecting, engaging, and managing outside counsel across litigation, specialized regulatory matters, and large transactions.
• Advising leadership on corporate governance, entity maintenance, and legal risk mitigation across our licensed entities.
• Providing legal interpretation of DCR and DHSS regulatory changes (partnering with our Senior Compliance Manager, who owns day‑to‑day compliance administration).

What We’re Looking For

Required qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school with an active Missouri bar license in good standing.
• 5–10 years of relevant legal experience, with demonstrated breadth across commercial contracts, real estate/leases, and employment law.
• Experience operating as a generalist — in‑house, in a small/lean legal department, or in a law firm setting with broad client‑service responsibility.
• Track record of producing polished, near‑final work product independently.
• Strong judgment on when a matter can be resolved internally versus escalated to outside counsel.
• Excellent drafting, negotiation, and business‑communication skills.

Preferred but not required

• Prior in‑house counsel experience — particularly as a company's first or founding legal hire.
• Cannabis or other highly regulated industry experience (alcohol, pharmaceuticals, gaming, financial services). We're happy to train the right generalist on the specifics of Missouri cannabis law.
• M&A due diligence or corporate transactional experience.
• Experience advising multi‑site, multi‑entity operations.

What We Offer

• Direct impact and real business influence — you'll be at the table for the decisions, not writing memos about them after the fact.
• 100% of health, dental, vision, short‑term disability, and life insurance employee premiums covered by BeLeaf.
• Dependents are covered at 50% for health, dental, and vision too.
• 401(k) with company match.
• 20 days of Paid Time Off a year, along with 3 additional Personal Days, and 10 Paid Holidays.
• Missouri bar dues and CLE reimbursement.
• Competitive salary and annual bonus program, commensurate with experience.
• A first‑hire seat at an established, growing cannabis operator — with a clear path to shape and build the legal function as the company scales.

Location & Work Arrangement

This role is full‑time and on‑site at our St. Louis / St. Charles County office. Occasional travel to our Kansas City facilities is expected.

Ready to Apply?

Submit your resume. We review every application personally — no black‑hole postings here. If your background is a fit, you’ll hear from Douglas Purvis, our Director of Human Resources, within a week.