The Penumbra Labs General Counsel is a critical role to help support the Penumbra Labs organization and its contributions to the greater Penumbra network and ecosystem. You are committed to using your legal expertise to support open source software development, protocol design, ecosystem growth, and to best serve Penumbra’s users. You are driven to optimize for an organization and ecosystem’s success and provide necessary guidance. You are someone who is personable, enjoys meeting new people and developing partnerships with top projects. You have experience at a top law firm and also as a General Counsel at a fast-growing tech company.

Responsibilities

• Assist with a broad range of legal matters. Serve as a key legal advisor on all areas of the Penumbra Labs operations as well as the greater Penumbra ecosystem
• Help achieve protocol as well as product and business objectives in a legally compliant and ethical manner
• Support teams on legal matters, including strategy, general advice, contract review, commercial terms, corporate matter, internal policies, IP, negotiations and more
• Proactively identify legal problems, solutions, and potential support needed to the team
• Draft and review contracts and agreements, and provide holistic risk assessment and suggestions to enhance business value while mitigating downside risk
• Manage relationships with lawyers and other external third-parties
• Anticipate and maintain up-to-date knowledge of current laws relevant to crypto area to provide strategic advice and foster compliances

Requirements

• Minimum 5 years of commercial legal experience in a global law firm or practice, preferably in web3, technology, fintech, or finance. Minimum of 1 year experience as a General Counsel at a web3 project or fast-growing tech company.
• Bachelor's degree in law or any other related field.
• A JD and active membership in at least one state bar, preferably CA or NY.
• Strong interest in cryptocurrencies, blockchains, decentralized finance, privacy, and cryptographic technologies.
• Strong knowledge of regulatory and legal regimes relevant to web3, including financial market regulations, securities laws, and US and global AML/CFT rules.

Desired

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Highly analytical with excellent problem solving skills.
• Ability to take ownership of projects and make actionable recommendations.
• Ability to work independently and collaborate with multiple teams and contributors in a fast-paced, remote and global environment
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to multitask and prioritize matters.
• High level of personal integrity and ethics.
• Strong knowledge of IP and open-source development law.
• Experience managing employee equity and/or token incentive programs, including US federal tax and securities law considerations.
• You understand the law and also how business operates. The ability to weigh the legal risks with the business risks and flags the necessary risks to ecosystem leadership and stakeholders.