Legal Counsel - US

Mistral; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage

Parental leave

Relocation support

Retirement plans

Wellness programs

Meal and transportation allowances

Job summary

Mistral is seeking a Legal Counsel in the US to be an early member of the legal team, focusing on drafting and negotiating commercial agreements and supporting the development of AI tools to scale operations. You will work across engineering, product, business, and legal teams, ensuring compliance with evolving AI laws.

You should be comfortable ramping up on new areas of law, including privacy, IP, and regulatory matters, while helping design the legal department of the future at a fast-growing

Qualifications

• JD from an accredited law school and bar in good standing.
• 5+ years of law firm and/or in-house experience, including project management.
• Experience drafting and negotiating commercial agreements and form templates.
• Experience with technology implementations and AI-related regulatory considerations.
• Fluency with AI tools and the ability to drive efficiency.
• Strong writing and communication skills.
• Ability to balance detail with fast-paced environment.
• Proven ability to work with science, engineering and marketing teams.
• International mindset is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial contracts including MSAs and forms.
• Collaborate with engineering, product, business, and legal teams.
• Develop tools and templates to scale legal workflows and policies.
• Provide guidance on regulatory, privacy, IP, and competition issues.
• Manage outside counsel and drive project delivery.
• Stay compliant with US and international laws affecting AI.
• Build relationships across the company and with partners.
• Occasional travel to Paris headquarters.

Skills

Drafting and negotiating contracts

Cross-functional collaboration

AI tools familiarity

Attention to detail

Strategic advisory

Business judgment

Relationship building

Clear writing and communication

Legal research and policy

Adaptability

International mindset

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Tools

Contract management software

Job description

About Mistral

Mistral provides full-stack AI solutions: from frontier models to developer tools, applications, and compute. We partner with enterprises tackling the hardest problems across high-stakes industries like finance, manufacturing, defense, healthcare, and the public sector, co-creating customized AI systems that they can run on their terms.

We are a dynamic, collaborative team passionate about AI and its potential to transform society. Our diverse workforce thrives in competitive environments and is committed to driving innovation. Our teams are distributed between Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East. We are creative, low-ego and team-spirited.

Role Summary

As Legal Counsel, you’ll be an early member of the Mistral legal team in the US, which forms part of the global legal team. The core of this role is (a) drafting and negotiating commercial agreements to support the growth of our business in North America and (b) supporting the development of AI tools to scale Mistral’s legal operations. As part of a start-up legal team, you’ll need to be nimble enough to quickly ramp up on new areas of law, such as product matters (privacy, marketing, and regulatory compliance), intellectual property, and other matters, as needed. You should be comfortable with charting new paths and interested in designing the legal department of the future.

What you will do

• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial contracts across the business, including customer MSAs and order forms and partnership agreements.

• Collaborate with a cross-functional group of Mistral’s technical (including engineering, applied AI, and science), business, and legal teams.

• Improve and develop tools to facilitate and automate legal workflows and approval processes, compliance with and creation of company policies, and internal training materials and guides.

• Refine and create templates to scale with the company as it grows.

• Provide solution-oriented legal, regulatory, and strategic advice and direction to teams across our company, from the initial stages of project development to launch and beyond.

• Efficiently manage and work with outside counsel to support projects you manage.

• Stay up-to-date and ensure compliance with U.S. and international laws and regulations that apply to AI technologies, including AI-specific regulations, privacy and data protection, competition, consumer protection, payments, and intellectual property.

• Build positive relationships across the company and with its external partners.

• Occasional travel to Paris headquarters is encouraged.

Who you are

• JD from an accredited law school and member in good standing of a U.S. state bar.

• 5+ years of law firm and/or in-house experience, including experience in project management. In-house experience at a technology company and/or in a fast-paced and high-growth environment is a strong plus.

• Experience managing technology implementation/solutions projects to meet corporate operational standards.

• Experience drafting and negotiating commercial agreements, including creating and refining form agreements.

• Fluency in common AI tools, and a track record of responsibly using AI technologies to drive efficiency and process improvement.

• Generalist skill set with the willingness to tackle problems outside your core expertise.

• Ability to balance an attention to detail with the requirements of a fast-paced company.

• Demonstrated business and pragmatic judgment, and the ability to analyze the costs/benefits of proposed resolutions to complex legal and technical problems.

• Proven ability to build solid, trusting, and credible relationships, including working closely with science, engineering, business, and marketing teams.

• Excellent writing, communication, and people skills.

• An understanding of AI technologies and their applications, including how they intersect with relevant areas of law, such as privacy and data protection, competition, and intellectual property, and related ethical considerations such as fairness, transparency, accountability, and bias mitigation

• An international mindset and experience is a plus.

• Given the rapidly evolving nature of AI technologies and the legal landscape surrounding them, you should be adaptable and willing to continuously learn and update your skills and knowledge.

What We Offer

We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your well-being, growth, and work-life balance. Benefits vary by country and may include healthcare coverage, parental leave, retirement plans, relocation support, wellness programs, meal and transportation allowances, and other location-specific perks.

For the most up-to-date details on benefits available in your location, please refer to our Benefits page.

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