Senior Counsel - Employment
About the Job
This role is for a Senior Counsel - Employment who has mastered employment law, built real expertise through years of client work, and is ready to put that knowledge to work in a new way. You’ll assist startups and high-growth companies with employment law, executive compensation, and equity plans, and you’ll also help build the institutional infrastructure that makes everyone around you sharper by developing templates, precedent libraries, and training attorneys who benefit from what you know. If you’re the kind of lawyer who genuinely loves the craft of employment law, keeps up with every regulatory development, and finds real satisfaction in teaching others what you’ve learned, this was built for you.
About General Legal
General Legal is an AI-native law firm built to deliver high-quality legal work faster and more predictably than traditional firms. We combine experienced, U.S.-barred attorneys with AI-native workflows to handle client matters end to end, without billable hours, bloated process, or junior handoffs. We operate like a startup because we are one. That means modern tooling, outcome-based pricing, remote-friendly work, and meaningful ownership for the people doing the work. By using AI to make the routine parts of legal practice effortless, we give our attorneys the space to focus on judgment, negotiation, and advising clients on what actually matters.
Scope of the Role
The Senior Counsel - Employment will be expected to have proficiency in and independently handle:
Employment Law: Federal and state employment compliance; hiring and onboarding; employment agreements; employee confidentiality and intellectual property (proprietary information and invention assignment) agreements; restrictive covenants; workplace investigations; and HR counseling.
Executive Compensation & Equity Plans: Design and adoption of equity incentive plans (stock options, RSUs, restricted stock); ISO and NSO grant agreements and option exercise documents; board and stockholder consents authorizing equity grants; executive and founder employment agreements; and severance agreements and negotiations.
Startup Employment Counseling: Founder and early-team agreements; independent contractor versus employee classification analysis and contractor agreements; FLSA and state wage and hour compliance; multi-state and remote workforce compliance and state-specific obligations; employee handbook and HR policy development; and immigration support.
What We’re Looking For
J.D. from an accredited law school; active bar membership in good standing (relevant specialty certifications a plus); 5-8 years of experience in employment law.
Deep, focused experience in employment law and executive compensation, including equity plan design and administration, ideally with a track record that includes top-tier firm work, a leading in-house role, or a regulatory agency background.
Real enthusiasm for teaching and knowledge-sharing; you’re not protective of what you know, you want to multiply it.
Comfortable working with attorneys across experience levels, from first-year associates to senior partners.
Clear, confident communicator who can translate employment and compensation complexity into practical guidance for clients without backgrounds in human resources.
Why This Role
This role sits at the intersection of rapidly evolving law, an AI-native firm building its own software platform, and a client base of startups and high-growth companies who need senior counsel from day one. You'll get to apply your expertise to the questions that actually shape these clients' growth, help define how AI handles the routine work so your time goes to judgment and strategy, and build a track record at the leading edge of where legal services are going, all without the billable hours and client development obligations that bury senior lawyers at traditional firms.
Location
Remote, with planned offices in San Francisco and New York if you prefer to work in person.
Salary Range
$180,000-240,000 per year
We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team.
This role is for a Senior Counsel - Employment who has mastered employment law, built real expertise through years of client work, and is ready to put that knowledge to work in a new way. You’ll assist startups and high-growth companies with employment law, executive compensation, and equity plans, and you’ll also help build the institutional infrastructure that makes everyone around you sharper by developing templates, precedent libraries, and training attorneys who benefit from what you know. If you’re the kind of lawyer who genuinely loves the craft of employment law, keeps up with every regulatory development, and finds real satisfaction in teaching others what you’ve learned, this was built for you.
About General Legal
General Legal is an AI-native law firm built to deliver high-quality legal work faster and more predictably than traditional firms. We combine experienced, U.S.-barred attorneys with AI-native workflows to handle client matters end to end, without billable hours, bloated process, or junior handoffs. We operate like a startup because we are one. That means modern tooling, outcome-based pricing, remote-friendly work, and meaningful ownership for the people doing the work. By using AI to make the routine parts of legal practice effortless, we give our attorneys the space to focus on judgment, negotiation, and advising clients on what actually matters.
Scope of the Role
The Senior Counsel - Employment will be expected to have proficiency in and independently handle:
Employment Law: Federal and state employment compliance; hiring and onboarding; employment agreements; employee confidentiality and intellectual property (proprietary information and invention assignment) agreements; restrictive covenants; workplace investigations; and HR counseling.
Executive Compensation & Equity Plans: Design and adoption of equity incentive plans (stock options, RSUs, restricted stock); ISO and NSO grant agreements and option exercise documents; board and stockholder consents authorizing equity grants; executive and founder employment agreements; and severance agreements and negotiations.
Startup Employment Counseling: Founder and early-team agreements; independent contractor versus employee classification analysis and contractor agreements; FLSA and state wage and hour compliance; multi-state and remote workforce compliance and state-specific obligations; employee handbook and HR policy development; and immigration support.
What We’re Looking For
J.D. from an accredited law school; active bar membership in good standing (relevant specialty certifications a plus); 5-8 years of experience in employment law.
Deep, focused experience in employment law and executive compensation, including equity plan design and administration, ideally with a track record that includes top-tier firm work, a leading in-house role, or a regulatory agency background.
Real enthusiasm for teaching and knowledge-sharing; you’re not protective of what you know, you want to multiply it.
Comfortable working with attorneys across experience levels, from first-year associates to senior partners.
Clear, confident communicator who can translate employment and compensation complexity into practical guidance for clients without backgrounds in human resources.
Why This Role
This role sits at the intersection of rapidly evolving law, an AI-native firm building its own software platform, and a client base of startups and high-growth companies who need senior counsel from day one. You'll get to apply your expertise to the questions that actually shape these clients' growth, help define how AI handles the routine work so your time goes to judgment and strategy, and build a track record at the leading edge of where legal services are going, all without the billable hours and client development obligations that bury senior lawyers at traditional firms.
Location
Remote, with planned offices in San Francisco and New York if you prefer to work in person.
Salary Range
$180,000-240,000 per year
We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team.