Legal Counsel

Parity is one of the world's most experienced core blockchain infrastructure companies, having built and pioneered some of the most advanced technologies in the blockchain sector. Parity was founded by Dr. Gavin Wood, co-founder and former CTO of Ethereum, the primary engineer behind the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), inventor of the Solidity programming language, and primary author of the Ethereum “Yellow Paper”.

Based in Berlin, London, Zug and Lisbon, Parity has built clients for Ethereum, Bitcoin, and Zcash and has pioneered a completely new, next-generation blockchain protocol with Polkadot and the framework it’s built with, Substrate. Parity builds the open-source technologies needed to power an unstoppable, decentralised web—known as Web3—and helps developers and organisations implement and build upon the Web3 tech stack.

People in our collective are:

• Highly motivated to contribute to Parity’s mission and be part of something bigger
• Excited to work on projects that are groundbreaking and complex
• Autonomous, but also collaborate well with others
• Take maximum accountability and have minimum ego at work
• Comfortable with chaos and adapting to the ever-changing Web3 space
• Continuously educating themselves about Parity and the wider Polkadot ecosystem

We are looking for an experienced, independent and self-starting UK qualified Legal Counsel for a permanent role here in Parity technologies. Our business  focuses on blockchain and decentralised technologies. This role will support the business across its functions, in particular on licensing and intellectual property; structuring, negotiating and drafting software development and advisory agreements; privacy issues; and corporate governance. The ideal candidate will have trained with a reputable firm; gained in-house experience within an organisation similar to Parity (IP rich, open source, privacy centric, software focussed); experience in negotiating and drafting software development and licensing agreements and supporting businesses with privacy compliance and corporate governance; interested in and a passion for open source and Web3 and Blockchain.

About the team:

The legal team advises and supports Parity across all of the business. We are a fun hardworking team of 3 lawyers, 1 Trainee Solicitor and a Legal & Finance associate headed up by the Chief Legal Officer and Chief Operating Officer (Interim) (Chrissy Hill). The work of the team is varied and challenging supporting a fast moving business which is growing rapidly.

About the Position:

Reporting to the Director of Legal, the Legal Counsel provides proactive legal support to all areas of the business. Key responsibilities include:

• Ensuring optimal corporate organisation and compliance in corporate governance.
• Reviewing, drafting, and negotiating commercial contracts and legal agreements across the business.
• Developing and managing Parity’s IP strategy, liaising with internal stakeholders and external legal counsel.
• Overseeing commercial litigation in collaboration with external counsel.
• Monitoring the legal and regulatory environment related to blockchain.
• Handling ad hoc projects as required by business needs.
• Providing accurate, timely advice to internal stakeholders, including senior management, on a variety of legal topics (e.g., licensing, intellectual property, privacy, corporate law, partnerships, and commercial agreements).
• Applying effective risk management techniques and proactively addressing potential legal issues.
• Communicating, negotiating, and managing relationships with external parties (e.g., service providers, partners, external counsel, public authorities).
• Drafting and reviewing agreements, contracts, and other legal documents to protect the company’s legal rights.
• Managing complex matters with multiple stakeholders.
• Clarifying legal language or specifications for organisational understanding.
• Keeping up-to-date with industry and business-specific legislation and legal developments.
• Understanding blockchain, decentralised technologies, and Parity’s technology stack to advise on related legal matters.

About you:

• You are 3 years plus PQE UK Qualified commercial lawyer with a minimum of 1 years in house experience 
• You are commercially aware with in house legal experience. Knowledge of blockchain is going to be nice to have, however an interest in and desire to learn about blockchain, open source and decentralised systems will be the key drivers and requirements of the candidate’s mindset and background.
• Specific areas of knowledge and experience that would be welcome:
• Corporate law.
• Drafting and negotiating commercial software agreements; and
• Privacy and data protection.
• Key characteristics: self-starter and able to work independently, someone who is willing and keen to work in a relatively new industry and uncertain regulatory environment, and someone that is comfortable working within ambiguity.

About working for us:

• Competitive remuneration packages based on iterative market research, including tokens (where legally possible)
• “Future of work” environment that’s remote-first and self-initiating with flexible hours
• Team mates that are genuinely excited about their impact and projects
• Access to the brightest minds in this space to learn about Web3 and develop your skills and knowledge while on the job
• Becoming part of the wider ecosystem (career and networking opportunities)
• Team and company-wide retreats
• Work laptop

Those joining our collective as an employee in Germany, Portugal, and the U.K. also enjoy benefits such as health care, parental leave, PTO (28 days per year), local team events.

Parity is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome diversity in our global team and care about everyone in our collective feeling included and welcome.

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