Senior Counsel, Legal Ops & Compliance (Cannabis)

Minnesota Cannabis Services; Edina (MN); On-site; USD 175,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Minnesota Cannabis Services in Edina, MN seeks a Senior Counsel to lead legal operations and compliance with ownership of regulatory, contract, and entity work. You’ll partner with executives, mentor paralegals, and own high-volume cannabis- and regulatory-focused tasks in a fast-moving environment.

The role emphasizes pragmatic, precise legal work, AI-enabled drafting, and cross-functional collaboration across licensing, real estate, and corporate governance. On-site five days a week.

Qualifications

• JD and active Minnesota bar membership (or imminent admission).
• 5+ years of legal experience; regulated-industry exposure (cannabis, alcohol, or tobacco) strongly preferred.
• Commercial contracts and/or real estate experience preferred; multi-unit retail or franchise agreements a plus.
• Meticulous, organized, autonomous, and genuinely enthusiastic about AI in legal practice.

Responsibilities

• Own the master renewal calendar: entity renewals, state and local license renewals, and applications — inventoried, deadlined, executed, never late.
• Review and abstract commercial leases, maintain the lease database, and support subleasing and landlord communications.
• Build and maintain audit-ready compliance records; support regulatory filings, disclosures, and exam response.
• Draft, review, and manage contracts, corporate documents, and entity records; help elevate paralegal work with a mentoring mindset.
• Support the insurance program: certificate tracking, renewals, COI requirements.
• Practice at the frontier: we use AI legal tools daily for drafting, review, and research — with privilege rigorously protected.

Skills

Legal experience

Contract drafting

Real estate contracts

AI in legal practice

Regulatory compliance

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Minnesota bar membership

Tools

Contract management systems

Lease databases

AI drafting tools

Job description

Minnesota Cannabis Services in Edina, MN seeks a Senior Counsel to lead legal operations and compliance with ownership of regulatory, contract, and entity work. You’ll partner with executives, mentor paralegals, and own high-volume cannabis- and regulatory-focused tasks in a fast-moving environment.

The role emphasizes pragmatic, precise legal work, AI-enabled drafting, and cross-functional collaboration across licensing, real estate, and corporate governance. On-site five days a week.