General Counsel

Nightingale Veterinary Partners is a fast-growing family of veterinary practices, headquartered in New York City. The organization includes veterinary practices in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Philadelphia, Massachusetts and Florida.

We are building a company focused on clinical excellence, sustainable growth and long-term value creation. As we continue to scale, we are seeking a General Counsel that embraces AI in legal work who wants to play a meaningful role in helping shape the future of the organization.

About the Role:

Nightingale Veterinary Partners is seeking a commercially minded, hands-on General Counsel to lead our legal function and serve as a trusted advisor to our CEO and executive leadership team. The successful candidate will combine sound legal judgment with a pragmatic, solutions-oriented approach to supporting a rapidly growing business. We are a founder-led company building standalone specialty veterinary practices across multiple states. We operate multiple veterinary brands, focused on empowering veterinarians to build outstanding practices and deliver excellent medical care.

As our sole in-house attorney, you will have broad ownership of day-to-day legal work and the opportunity to shape how it gets done. You will bring routine matters in-house, improve turnaround, and help leadership make informed decisions. The role is designed for independent execution, with outside counsel engaged where specialized expertise or capacity is needed.

Full-time, hybrid position based in New York City, with regular in-person collaboration with the executive leadership team.

What You’d Do:

• Independently draft, review and negotiate commercial contracts, including vendor contracts, leases, service agreements, and employment-related agreements.
• Advise on employment matters across multiple states, including policies, employee relations, and decisions that require legal guidance, using outside counsel as appropriate.
• Lead legal work associated with new practice launches, including lease negotiations, construction-related agreements, real estate matters, and coordination with outside counsel when necessary.
• Give founders and business leaders clear recommendations that explain risks, support workable deals, and identify when a different approach is needed.
• Develop contract templates, review processes, and provide practical guidance that make recurring legal work more consistent and efficient.
• Manage legal disputes involving employees, vendors, landlords and other counterparties, engaging outside counsel as appropriate.
• Select and manage outside counsel as needed, with clear expectations for scope, cost, and results.

AI in Legal Practice:

Thoughtful use of AI is central to this role. We are looking for an attorney who already uses AI in legal work and can show how it improves their process. You will help develop workflows for drafting, review, research, and other tasks, with appropriate protection of confidential information and verification of outputs and legal authorities. We are interested in your judgment, results, and ideas.

What You Bring:

• Active bar membership in good standing in any U.S. state or Washington, D.C.
• Broad in-house experience, ideally as a General Counsel or senior in-house counsel at a growing small or midsize company.
• Demonstrated proficiency using AI tools to improve legal research, drafting, contract review, or workflow efficiency, with an interest in expanding its use responsibly.
• Hands-on experience with commercial contracts and employment matters, plus familiarity with commercial leases.
• Experience supporting a business with employees and brick and mortar operations across multiple states.
• Ability to independently manage competing legal priorities, distinguish material risks from routine issues, and determine when outside counsel is necessary.
• Clear communication and practical judgment. You can explain risks, recommend workable solutions, and build trust with business leaders.
• An interest in the veterinary profession.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 10+ years of relevant legal experience, including several years of experience as in-house counsel at a high-growth, multi-location company.

What We Offer:

• The salary range for this role is $200,000 - $250,000, plus an annual discretionary bonus. This salary range represents our target hiring range for this role. The proposed salary will be dependent on the candidate’s skills, experience, and competencies
• Opportunity for equity in Nightingale, commensurate with experience
• 401(k) with a company match
• Wellness support/EAP
• MetLife voluntary benefits
• Flexible spending account
• Discounted pet insurance through MetLife

Work Environment:

This full-time position is based in our New York City office. We can accommodate a hybrid schedule.

Come As You Are:

We provide equal opportunities for everyone who applies to and works for our company, regardless of age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, race, color, national origin, disability, and all other law-protected considerations that make you, You.

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