General Counsel - AI Compute & Inference (San Francisco)

My client is simply a Giant for their current Series B status, having recently closed a massive $XXXm Series B round. They are an elite AI Inference company. Up to this point, they have operated without an internal legal function. We are partnering with them to bring on their first-ever in-house General Counsel to take ownership of the legal foundation, drive global expansion, and steer the company toward its Series C.

This is in fact a true generalist GC role, but the immediate responsibility of the position requires someone who is not afraid to get their hands dirty. You must be willing to execute the foundational commercial work yourself before building out a team or requiring 99% use of external counsel.

The Mandate & Core Focus:

• Phase 1 (Months 1-3): The Commercial House-Cleaning: You will dive deep into the commercial landscape. Your immediate priority is to audit and restructure old agreements, MSAs, and legacy vendor contracts. You will eliminate hidden liabilities, align with external counsel, and build a scalable commercial strategy moving forward.
• Phase 2: Scale & Global Expansion: Once the commercial structuring and cleanup are complete, you will make a junior legal hire to oversee day-to-day commercial workflows. Your focus will then elevate to global expansion, international operations, and strategic scaling.
• Phase 3: Corporate & Series C: Take point on the corporate side, managing the cap table, board governance, and overseeing upcoming future funding rounds (Series C is already on the horizon).

(Note: This is an intensive, hands‑on phase. If you are looking to immediately hire a junior counsel to handle this cleanup for you, or if you are not exceptional at direct commercial contract negotiations, do not apply. You must own this phase completely.)

Ongoing Generalist Foundations:

Manage all broader legal frameworks including employment law, regulatory due diligence, data privacy, and overarching patent strategy.

Strict Requirements:

• Foundational Training: You must have a Big Law background with a specific focus on Tech Transactions, Private Equity (PE), Emerging Companies/Venture Capital (EC‑VC), or a Corporate/Commercial hybrid. (Strictly NO Patent Prosecution, Litigation, or irrelevant practice areas for this specific hire unless a switch to transactions/commercial in‑house was made later down the line).
• Career Pathway: The ideal trajectory is Big Law → In‑house at a high‑growth AI/SaaS startup, OR Big Law → Big Tech → In‑house startup environment.
• The Elite Exception: If you do not have a Big Law background but went directly into an elite corporate/consulting firm or secured an elite in‑house position managing complex tech transactions and hyper‑growth scaling, you are encouraged to apply.

Important Disclaimers from the Recruiter:

• Please do not apply if you do not meet the core requirements listed above.
• If you are not a lawyer applying to this General Counsel role, your application will be ignored and you will not hear back.
• Application Review Process: I manually review every single applicant. You do not need to reach out to check on your status. I will personally get back to everyone with specific or semi‑specific feedback as to why you would or would not be a fit for this mandate.
• Other Opportunities: If I don't assume you are a fit for this specific role, I have other mandates I might consider you for with some of the most elite AI Labs in the market.

Logistics:

• Compensation: Base salary ($350-500k +/- depending on candidate and pedigree) and substantial Series B equity. Reach out to learn more in simple and short messages, or apply directly and find out more information!
• Location: San Francisco or New York (On‑Site). Expect to be in the trenches with the team 5 days a week as we build toward our Series C. White‑glove relocation support will be provided if needed.