Legal Counsel

Emerald Cloud Lab; Austin, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision benefits

401(k) match

Professional development stipend

Job summary

Emerald Cloud Lab is seeking a resourceful, business-minded Legal Counsel to join its legal team. You will provide broad support across commercial, product, and corporate operations, partnering with engineering, product, sales, and HR to draft and negotiate agreements, advise on data privacy and IP matters, and support governance and risk management.

You will help manage outside counsel, translate regulations into practical policy, and contribute to scalable legal processes in a fast-moving

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school and an active license to practice law.
• 3-6 years of relevant legal experience, ideally including a mix of law firm and in-house.
• Strong drafting and negotiation skills with experience handling commercial contracts.
• Working knowledge of data privacy law (GDPR, CCPA/CPRA) and IP/licensing concepts.
• Ability to translate complex legal issues into practical guidance for business partners.
• Experience with open-source software licensing and related governance is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements (customer, vendor, NDAs, partnerships).
• Advise internal stakeholders on day-to-day legal questions and escalate high-risk issues.
• Support data privacy and security compliance with security/engineering teams.
• Assist with IP matters, including trademarks, copyrights, and IP assignments.
• Support corporate governance, board materials, and subsidiary management.
• Manage outside counsel for specialized or high-volume matters.
• Monitor regulatory developments and translate into policy.
• Contribute to internal playbooks, templates, and processes.

Skills

Drafting

Negotiation

Data privacy

IP/Licensing

Corporate governance

Contract review

Education

J.D. / law degree

Job description

About the Role

Emerald Cloud Lab is seeking a resourceful, business-minded Legal Counsel to join its legal team, reporting directly to the General Counsel. This role provides broad, hands-on legal support across the company's commercial, product, and corporate operations. You will partner closely with engineering, product, sales, and business teams to help the company build and scale responsibly, drafting and negotiating agreements, advising on data privacy and IP matters, supporting corporate governance, and managing legal risk in a fast-moving technology environment. This is an excellent opportunity for a pragmatic attorney seeking broad exposure to technology law and a growth path within an in-house legal function.

Key Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements, including customer agreements, vendor and procurement contracts, NDAs, partnership agreements, and licensing arrangements.
• Advise internal stakeholders (sales, product, engineering, marketing, HR) on day-to-day legal questions, escalating novel or high-risk issues to the General Counsel.
• Support data privacy and security compliance efforts (e.g., GDPR, CCPA/CPRA) in partnership with the security and engineering teams.
• Assist with intellectual property matters, including trademark and copyright protection, open-source software usage review, and IP assignment agreements.
• Support corporate governance matters, including board materials, subsidiary management, and corporate recordkeeping.
• Help manage outside counsel on specialized or high-volume matters, ensuring efficient and cost-effective use of external resources.
• Monitor legal and regulatory developments relevant to the technology industry and help translate them into practical company policy.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of internal legal playbooks, templates, and processes to help the legal function scale efficiently.
• Support employment-related matters and policies in coordination with People/HR, as needed.
• Assist with the legal aspects of fundraising, M&A due diligence, and other strategic transactions as they arise.

Qualifications

• D. from an accredited law school and an active license to practice law (or eligibility to register as in-house/corporate counsel in the relevant jurisdiction).
• 3-6 years of relevant legal experience, ideally including a mix of law firm and in-house experience.
• Strong drafting and negotiation skills, with demonstrated experience handling commercial contracts independently.
• Working knowledge of data privacy law (GDPR, CCPA/CPRA) and general familiarity with IP and technology licensing concepts.
• Ability to translate complex legal issues into clear, practical guidance for non-legal business partners.
• Strong judgment and comfort operating with a degree of ambiguity in a fast-paced, resource-constrained environment.
• Excellent communication, organization, and project management skills.
• A collaborative, service-oriented mindset and a genuine interest in learning the company's business.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting a B2B SaaS or enterprise software business.
• Familiarity with open-source software licensing and IP protection strategies for technology companies.
• Prior experience managing outside counsel relationships and legal spend.
• CIPP/US or CIPP/E certification (or working toward one).
• Familiarity with legal or regulatory considerations in life sciences, laboratory services, or other regulated industries (e.g., FDA, GMP) is a plus, but not required.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary and equity compensation.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision benefits.
• Additional benefits, including PTO, 401(k) match, and a professional development stipend.
• Direct mentorship from the General Counsel and meaningful ownership over your practice area.

Emerald Cloud Lab is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.