Legal Counsel, Commercial

Aave; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Aave Labs is seeking a Legal Counsel to support our global business with a focus on commercial matters, acquisitions and strategic transactions. You’ll structure, negotiate and execute a broad range of agreements and collaborate with teams across the company to enable partnerships and growth.

The role requires strong corporate and commercial foundations, experience navigating complex transactions, and the ability to provide practical legal advice in a fast-moving environment.

Qualifications

• 4+ years as a practising lawyer with corporate and commercial focus.
• Experience in fintech, crypto or digital assets.
• Strong drafting and negotiation of complex commercial agreements.
• Experience advising on acquisitions and corporate transactions.
• Knowledge of digital asset regulatory frameworks and token classification.
• Experience with DeFi protocols and on-chain governance structures.
• Experience coordinating external counsel and due diligence.
• Experience with token-based consideration structures.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements.
• Partner with Business Development, Product and teams on complex arrangements.
• Support negotiations with financial institutions, fintechs and providers.
• Provide legal support through lifecycle of partner integrations and initiatives.
• Advise on contract interpretation, rights, obligations and risk.
• Support acquisitions, asset purchases and acqui-hires from evaluation to signing.
• Conduct and coordinate legal due diligence and identify key risks.
• Draft and negotiate NDAs, LOIs, term sheets and IP transfer docs.
• Work with senior stakeholders and external counsel on structuring and execution.
• Advise on legal aspects of strategic transactions and post-transaction matters.
• Develop and improve commercial templates and playbooks.

Skills

Corporate & commercial law

Complex transactions

Regulatory awareness

Legal drafting

Stakeholder management

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Job description

About us

Aave Labs began with a simple question: how do we make financial services like borrowing, saving, and earning more accessible globally?

We built the Aave Protocol, now the world’s largest and most trusted onchain lending market, connecting decentralized finance with individuals, traditional finance, and fintech.

Today, we build trusted, high-quality products that expand access to lending, credit, and savings globally

Our culture

We build trusted products that help people access and discover economic opportunities.

We hold a high bar for quality and craftsmanship. No detail is too small. Trust depends on it.

We’re a global team building products people can actually use, turning complex technology into something simple and reliable.

We stay aligned, move quickly, and think long term, while keeping teams lean and focused on impact.

About the role

We’re looking for a Legal Counsel to join Aave Labs and support our global business, with a particular focus on commercial matters, acquisitions and strategic transactions.

You’ll work closely with teams across the business to structure, negotiate and execute a broad range of commercial arrangements and transactions, including strategic partnerships, acquisitions, asset purchases and acqui-hires.

This role is well suited to someone with a strong corporate and commercial foundation who can navigate complex transactions, understand the commercial objectives behind them and provide practical, business-oriented legal advice in a fast-moving environment. This position offers global responsibilities, allowing you to work with diverse teams and navigate complex international legal landscapes.

How you can make an impact:

• Draft, review and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements, including strategic partnerships, technology and software agreements, integrations, vendor and service agreements
• Partner closely with Business Development, Product and other teams to structure complex commercial arrangements and develop practical legal solutions that enable new partnerships and products
• Support the negotiation and execution of strategic partnerships with financial institutions, fintechs, infrastructure providers and other participants across the digital asset ecosystem
• Provide legal support throughout the lifecycle of partner integrations and strategic initiatives, from initial structuring and negotiation through implementation and launch
• Advise teams across the business on contract interpretation, rights, obligations and commercial risk
• Support acquisitions, asset purchases, acqui-hires and other strategic transactions from initial evaluation through signing and completion
• Conduct and coordinate legal due diligence, identifying key risks and translating findings into clear, practical recommendations
• Draft, review and negotiate transaction documentation, including NDAs, LOIs, term sheets, purchase agreements, IP transfer arrangements and other ancillary documents
• Work closely with senior stakeholders and external counsel on transaction structuring, negotiation and execution
• Advise on corporate, commercial and intellectual property considerations arising from strategic transactions
• Support post-transaction matters, including the transfer and integration of contracts, intellectual property and other assets
• Develop and improve commercial templates, contracting processes and legal playbooks to enable the business to move efficiently and at scale

Let’s connect if you have:

• 4+ years of experience as a practising lawyer, with a strong background in corporate and commercial law and experience handling complex transactions
• Experience working in fintech, crypto or digital assets, with a strong understanding of the commercial and legal environment
• Strong experience drafting and negotiating complex commercial agreements
• Experience advising on acquisitions, corporate transactions and other complex commercial arrangements
• Working knowledge of digital asset regulatory frameworks, including securities law issues and token classification, as they bear on deal structuring and diligence
• Familiarity with DeFi protocols and on-chain/DAO governance structures, including where they arise as transaction counterparties or acquisition targets
• Experience conducting legal due diligence and drafting and negotiating transaction documentation
• Experience structuring transaction consideration involving tokens, as distinct from standard cash or equity consideration
• Experience within a leading law firm and/or an in-house legal team within a technology or financial services environment
• Strong commercial judgment and the ability to identify material legal risks and translate them into practical recommendations
• Ability to operate autonomously, manage multiple workstreams and take ownership of transactions from start to finish
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the confidence to work with senior internal and external stakeholders
• Experience working across multiple jurisdictions and coordinating specialist external counsel where required
• Preference is for this role to be based in New York, NY, and relocation assistance is available for the right candidate.

Haven’t quite met all the criteria? Let’s not miss out on the chance to speak. Whilst you might not meet every single requirement, you might bring other, more exciting skills to the companies!

Equal opportunities statement:

Aave Labs celebrates diversity and views each and every team member as a separate individual with their own unique identity. No matter your race, religion, gender, ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation or even the wallet you use, we welcome you at Aave Labs. As an equal opportunities employer, we take accountability and believe in everyone's potential to build, create and inspire changes. With a mission to build a diverse workforce, we are proud to foster a working environment in which everyone can feel safe and valued for who they are.