Senior Legal Counsel

About Uphold

Uphold is a financial technology company that believes on-chain services are the future of finance. It provides modern infrastructure for on-chain payments, banking and investments. Offering Consumer Services, Business Services and Institutional Trading, Uphold makes pioneering financial services easy and trusted for millions of customers in more than 140 countries.

Uphold integrates with more than 30 trading venues, including centralized and decentralized exchanges, to deliver superior liquidity and optimal execution. Uphold never loans out customer assets and is always 100% reserved.
The company pioneered radical transparency and uniquely publishes its assets and liabilities every 30 seconds on a public website (Transparency Page).

Uphold strips away the complexity and lack of transparency to open up Web3 finance for everyone.

To learn more about Uphold, please visit https://uphold.com.

The opportunity

The Senior Counsel will be responsible for general corporate matters, negotiating commercial agreements, and a key contributor to the design and implementation of risk management strategies and regulatory compliance alongside Uphold’s General Counsel, Associate General Counsel and the Compliance and Regulatory Affairs teams. The ideal candidate is a self-driven lawyer capable of taking full ownership of a wide variety of legal and risk management matters at the Company relevant to a highly regulated and fast-growing company. As a result, the Senior Counsel will play an important role in the success and continued growth of Uphold. This position is full-time and exempt, and based in New York. The Senior Counsel will report to the General Counsel.

Responsibilities

• Negotiate, draft, and execute commercial agreements with technology partners and vendors.
• Offer counsel on wide-ranging legal issues and advise executives within the company.
• Work alongside other departments across the company, including HR, Security, Compliance, Regulatory Affairs, Product, and Engineering.
• Advise on contract status, legal risks, and the legal liabilities associated with commercial transactions.
• Researching and anticipating legal issues that could impact the company, including developments in the regulation of digital assets.
• Operationalize legal workflow and contract management across the company.
• Other duties as required or assigned.

Qualifications

• Law degree from a recognized university.
• Admitted to NY bar or able to be admitted on motion/reciprocity.
• 8 - 10+ years of corporate experience in large law firm and/or in-house.
• Experience in cryptocurrency/fintech strongly preferred.
• Experience working with regulators or for a regulated business is a plus.
• Strong interpersonal and presentation skills, ability to communicate effectively with others at all levels of the organization.
• Strong negotiating skills with both legal and financial/commercial issues.
• Ability to work independently with little or no supervision but be a team player with a great attitude.

What We Offer

• Innovation and Impact: Contribute to pioneering projects in a dynamic and challenging environment.
• Competitive Compensation: Performance bonuses, and comprehensive benefits on top of a competitive salary.
• Strong Company Culture: Thrive in a supportive, collegiate environment with values of integrity, teamwork, accountability, and excellence.
• Global Collaboration: Participate in regular updates, strategy sessions, and networking opportunities across the group.
• Development Opportunities: Access training and mentorship programs.
• Flexibility: Enjoy options to work from home, other locations, or adjust your hours.
• Inclusive Environment: Value and respect diverse perspectives.
  

Our Benefits

• Annual bonus program based on individual, team and company performance.
• Generous PTO, healthcare, and employee assistance programs.
• Engaging events and celebrations.
• Well-stocked office kitchen with a foodie culture.

Salary: $200,000+ bonus, benefits, unlimited PTO

Join us to grow, innovate, and contribute meaningfully. Be part of our talented team!

Visit our careers page for more exciting opportunities, if this role isn’t the perfect fit.

EEOC Employer

We're proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and we celebrate our employees' differences, including race, color, religion, gender identity, national origin, age, military service eligibility, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, and any other protected classes. Difference makes us stronger and better - together.