Lead Counsel (First In-House Attorney), San Francisco, CA (917-SLS)

Our client, a fast-growing emerging growth enterprise SaaS AI company, has exclusively retained Solutus Legal to hire a Legal Counsel who will serve as its first in-house attorney and legal leader. This is a high-impact opportunity to build a legal function, and partner directly with a proven founding team (previous successful exit) as the company scales with major enterprise customers.

Not all roles are created equal – and this one stands apart.

This is a unique leadership opportunity to join a thriving organization as its first lawyer and work closely with a seasoned executive team with a proven record of success.

Responsibilities Include::
• Lead all aspects of the legal function for the business including commercial, general corporate, employment, privacy and other legal matters.
• Manage and run the Company’s complex commercial enterprise deals.
• Partner with company leadership, business teams, and cross-functional stakeholders to address legal matters and strategically manage and scale the legal function.
• Partner with GTM leadership to accelerate deal velocity with practical, business-first guidance.
• Design and implement scalable legal processes and tools that streamline deal cycles and reduce risk.
• Advise internal stakeholders on day-to-day legal matters, including data privacy, security, intellectual property, and regulatory.
• Manage outside counsel relationships and projects as needed.

The Ideal Candidate:
• 6+ years of legal experience.
• Experience working with enterprise SaaS companies
• In house experience is preferred, but our client will consider strong law firm candidates who have worked closely with enterprise SaaS companies.
• Owning and closing complex SaaS and technology transactions.
• Familiarity with data privacy and security frameworks.
• Have a builder’s mindset, sound and practical business judgment, and comfort balancing risk and opportunity.
• Be a clear, concise communicator who earns trust across sales, product, finance, and executives, and thrives in a high-growth, hands-on environment.
• Problem solver
• Intellectually curious
• Proactive temperament
• Loves to learn.

This is an outstanding opportunity for a business-minded attorney who wants to architect a modern legal function and partner closely with leadership as the company scales. The role is based in San Francisco, with an in-office, highly collaborative culture and flexibility in scheduling. Targeted base compensation is around $245,000, with a significant equity grant, which is competitive for an emerging growth organization with this profile. Individual compensation will depend on level of seniority and directly relevant experience. As the company continues to expand, this role will offer opportunities to take on increasing scope and responsibility.

Solutus has been selected as the exclusive representative on this search. Resumes sent directly to our client will be routed to Solutus for review.

Ref. #917-SLS