Senior Commercial Counsel

Clera; San Francisco (CA); Remote; USD 170,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Clera is seeking an experienced commercial contracts attorney to lead drafting, review, and negotiation of SaaS contracts and vendor agreements for a growing client base.

You will advise founders and internal teams, manage client relationships, and help codify legal judgment into scalable workflows, including AI-enabled processes.

Qualifications

• JD degree and active US bar membership in good standing.
• 5–8 years of commercial contracts experience, incl. in-house at a startup or tech company.
• Hands-on drafting, templates, and negotiating SaaS agreements, MSAs, NDAs, DPAs, and vendor deals.
• Knowledge of SaaS/tech contract terms: liability, indemnity, IP, data, termination.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial agreements (SaaS, MSAs, NDAs, DPAs, vendor).
• Advise founders and teams via Slack and calls with practical risk-calibrated judgment.
• Own client relationships and meet turnaround commitments.
• Turn negotiation positions into playbooks and AI-powered workflows.
• Help develop the commercial legal practice and onboard future attorneys.

Skills

Contract drafting

Contract negotiation

SaaS agreements

Legal judgment

AI in legal

Education

JD degree

US bar admission

Tools

AI tools in legal

Job description

About the Role

Join an early legal hire at a venture-backed legal technology company combining software and legal services for startups. You will lead commercial contracting for a growing client base and help shape how practical legal support is delivered at scale.

What You'll Do

• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial agreements, including SaaS contracts, MSAs, NDAs, DPAs, and vendor agreements.

• Advise founders and in-house teams through Slack and calls, applying practical, risk-calibrated judgment to their business needs.

• Own client relationships, provide responsive guidance, and meet agreed turnaround commitments.

• Turn negotiation positions, fallback terms, and review standards into playbooks and AI-powered workflows.

• Help develop the commercial legal practice, support onboarding of future attorneys, and contribute to product development.

What We're Looking For

• Approximately 5 to 8 years of commercial contracts experience, including meaningful in-house experience at a startup or technology company.

• A JD and active bar membership in good standing in a US jurisdiction; California or New York bar membership is preferred.

• Hands-on experience drafting, building templates, and negotiating SaaS agreements, MSAs, NDAs, DPAs, and vendor deals.

• Strong knowledge of SaaS and technology contract terms, including liability caps, indemnity, intellectual property, data, and termination.

• Sound business judgment and the ability to explain legal tradeoffs clearly to founders and clients.

• Experience using AI tools in legal practice and interest in codifying legal judgment into workflows.

• Authorization to work in the United States without visa sponsorship.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary range: $170,000 to $220,000 annually. Visa sponsorship is not available.

Location

Remote within the United States, with San Francisco, California as the primary location.