Legal Counsel - San Francisco

About Plaud Inc.
Plaud is building the real-world AI interface for professionals to amplify intelligence, elevate productivity and performance, loved by over 2,500,000 users worldwide since 2023. With a mission to amplify human intelligence, Plaud captures, structures, and compounds the intelligence generated in conversations — so humans can think better, decide faster, and execute with clarity.

Plaud Inc. is a Delaware-incorporated, San Francisco-based company pushing the boundary of human–AI intelligence through a hardware–software combination. With full ISO 27001, ISO 27701, SOC 2, GDPR, EN18031, and HIPAA compliances, Plaud is committed to the highest standards of data security and privacy protection.

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Why You Should Join Us
Plaud is building the next generation intelligence infrastructure and interfaces to capture, extract, and utilize intelligence from what people say, hear, see, and think.

Plaud is a bootstrapped, skyrocketing, profitable company with a $250M revenue run rate achieved in just three years.

Define the next-gen paradigm for human-AI interaction.

Gain exposure to cutting-edge AI for Pro tools and play a direct role in our global expansion.

Work with passionate teammates who value innovation, collaboration, and customer success.

Grow your career in a culture that champions continuous learning and fast career development.

Market-competitive compensation, global exposure, and a vibrant, creativity-fueled work atmosphere.

What you will do

Own end-to-end review, drafting, and negotiation of commercial contracts for the U.S. and EU markets (including service agreements, vendor and customer contracts, NDAs, and partnership agreements) serving as the primary legal point of contact for business stakeholders in the Americas and Europe.

Deliver timely, practical legal advice and risk assessments to commercial, product, and operations teams, translating legal complexity into clear, business-focused recommendations that balance risk against commercial goals.

Manage dispute resolution matters across U.S. and EU jurisdictions, including pre-litigation assessment, evidence gathering, settlement negotiations, and day-to-day oversight of outside counsel on disputes and IP matters.

Benchmark Plaud's commercial contract standards and legal processes against industry best practices, identify gaps, and drive continuous improvement in templates, review turnaround, and risk coverage.

Work effectively across time zones, including availability in the evenings as needed, to ensure smooth handoffs with the Asia-based legal team and keep cross-border matters moving without delay.

Qualifications

3–5 years of experience in a U.S. based law firm and/or in an in-house legal role, with demonstrated experience on U.S. and cross-border commercial matters.

Proven track record independently drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial contracts (service agreements, vendor/customer contracts, NDAs, partnership agreements) through to signature.

Hands-on experience handling or supporting dispute resolution matters: pre-litigation assessment, evidence gathering, settlement discussions, and coordination with outside litigation or IP counsel.

Active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction (California bar preferred)

Demonstrated ability to work independently in a fast-paced, cross-border environment, owning matters end-to-end with minimal oversight and coordinating across stakeholders in the U.S., EU, and Asia.

Comfortable using AI-assisted legal tools (contract review platforms, legal research tools, LLM-based drafting assistants) to work efficiently without sacrificing accuracy

Strong business communication skills: able to deliver a one-paragraph legal opinion that a non-lawyer business lead can act on immediately, and to push back on unreasonable risk without holding up deals.

Comfortable owning matters across a 12+ hour time difference, proactively flagging blockers and following through without needing to be chased.

Preferred Qualifications

California bar admission and prior experience advising technology, SaaS, AI, hardware, or cross-border consumer products companies on U.S. and EU commercial matters.

Experience with intellectual property matters (patents, trademarks, trade secrets) and/or cross-border regulatory compliance (outside of data privacy/compliance) in a technology or hardware context.

Prior in-house experience at a U.S.-listed or globally operating technology company, or at a Chinese company with significant U.S./EU operations, with demonstrated ability to bridge common-law and civil-law legal systems

Working-level speaking proficiency in Mandarin

What we offer

Founding Team:

Opportunity to join the founding team of this new initiative, with meaningful ownership and impact on a fast-growing startup.

Competitive Compensation:

$135K-$200K base salary+performance bonus+Equity.

Comprehensive Benefits:

Top-tier healthcare for employees and dependents, including dental and vision, and a generous employer subsidy.

Retirement Planning:

401(k) plan for full time employees with company matching.

Paid Time Off:

Unlimited PTO, plus 13 paid holidays.

New Parent Leave:

12 weeks of paid time off to spend time with your new family, regardless of gender.

Hybrid Office:

Minimum of 3x in office per week.

Gear:

New hires are equipped with their choice of new top-of-the-line laptops and workstation setups.

Perks:

Best office equipment. Annual offsites. Free office drinks and snacks. Commuter Benefits.

Plaud is and will continue to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristics..

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