Legal Counsel

About the role
We’re looking for a Legal Counsel to join Aave Labs and support our global business, with a particular focus on commercial matters, acquisitions and strategic transactions.

You’ll work closely with teams across the business to structure, negotiate and execute a broad range of commercial arrangements and transactions, including strategic partnerships, acquisitions, asset purchases and acqui-hires.

This role is well suited to someone with a strong corporate and commercial foundation who can navigate complex transactions, understand the commercial objectives behind them and provide practical, business-oriented legal advice in a fast-moving environment. This position offers global responsibilities, allowing you to work with diverse teams and navigate complex international legal landscapes.

How you can make an impact:
Draft, review and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements, including strategic partnerships, technology and software agreements, integrations, vendor and service agreements
Partner closely with Business Development, Product and other teams to structure complex commercial arrangements and develop practical legal solutions that enable new partnerships and products
Support the negotiation and execution of strategic partnerships with financial institutions, fintechs, infrastructure providers and other participants across the digital asset ecosystem
Provide legal support throughout the lifecycle of partner integrations and strategic initiatives, from initial structuring and negotiation through implementation and launch
Advise teams across the business on contract interpretation, rights, obligations and commercial risk
Support acquisitions, asset purchases, acqui-hires and other strategic transactions from initial evaluation through signing and completion
Conduct and coordinate legal due diligence, identifying key risks and translating findings into clear, practical recommendations
Draft, review and negotiate transaction documentation, including NDAs, LOIs, term sheets, purchase agreements, IP transfer arrangements and other ancillary documents
Work closely with senior stakeholders and external counsel on transaction structuring, negotiation and execution
Advise on corporate, commercial and intellectual property considerations arising from strategic transactions
Support post-transaction matters, including the transfer and integration of contracts, intellectual property and other assets
Develop and improve commercial templates, contracting processes and legal playbooks to enable the business to move efficiently and at scale
Let’s connect if you have:
4+ years of experience as a practising lawyer, with a strong background in corporate and commercial law and experience handling complex transactions
Experience working in fintech, crypto or digital assets, with a strong understanding of the commercial and legal environment
Strong experience drafting and negotiating complex commercial agreements
Experience advising on acquisitions, corporate transactions and other complex commercial arrangements
Working knowledge of digital asset regulatory frameworks, including securities law issues and token classification, as they bear on deal structuring and diligence
Familiarity with DeFi protocols and on-chain/DAO governance structures, including where they arise as transaction counterparties or acquisition targets
Experience conducting legal due diligence and drafting and negotiating transaction documentation
Experience structuring transaction consideration involving tokens, as distinct from standard cash or equity consideration
Experience within a leading law firm and/or an in-house legal team within a technology or financial services environment
Strong commercial judgment and the ability to identify material legal risks and translate them into practical recommendations
Ability to operate autonomously, manage multiple workstreams and take ownership of transactions from start to finish
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the confidence to work with senior internal and external stakeholders
Experience working across multiple jurisdictions and coordinating specialist external counsel where required
Preference is for this role to be based in New York, NY, and relocation assistance is available for the right candidate.
Haven’t quite met all the criteria? Let’s not miss out on the chance to speak. Whilst you might not meet every single requirement, you might bring other, more exciting skills to the companies!