Staff Counsel

Sydecar Legal Counsel Opportunity

The core mission of the legal team is to manage risk at Sydecar, execute an ambitious product roadmap via legal innovation, and support internal clients (our team) on corporate governance, strategic initiatives, adopting best practices, and supporting our customers.

The role will span legal research and thought leadership to product innovation, with an opportunity to add value to every aspect of our operation. You will work closely with Sydecar's CEO and Head of Product to ensure our suite of products and services adhere to the highest level of federal, state, and international compliance, all while exploring creative methods to reduce friction for our users and ensuring our team always stays on the cutting edge of our industry.

You'll report to our Head of Legal & Compliance and work as a peer to our existing counsel, with regular exposure to the CEO, VP of Customer Experience, Head of Product, VP of Finance, and Deputy Chief Compliance Officer. This is a hybrid role based in San Francisco or New York City with in-office attendance of two to three days per week.

What You'll Do

As Associate Counsel you will ensure our administrative, product, and go-to-market teams receive excellent counsel by:

• Educating members of our team on legal best practices and maintaining an easily referenceable knowledge base for internal & external stakeholders.
• Maintaining best-in-class documentation at Sydecar, including agreements to engage our customers and vendors, and fund documentation that supports our products.
• Providing customer support on an as-needed basis while being mindful of providing legal guidance directly to external stakeholders; your role is not to act as counsel for any party other than Sydecar.
• Maintaining all legal agreements, forms, and corporate records at Sydecar in an organized and easily searchable manner, including notations for any deviations from form agreements.
• Overseeing contract negotiations and agreements with customers, partners, vendors, and other stakeholders; where possible, educate team members on how to leverage Sydecar forms to create leverage for the legal function.
• Providing expert legal advice and guidance to the executive team and other teams within Sydecar.
• Monitoring changes in relevant laws and regulations and updating internal processes and policies accordingly.
• Collaborating with external legal counsel, as necessary, to address complex legal matters and ensure optimal legal protection for the company.
• Managing legal risks and ensure that appropriate measures are in place to mitigate potential issues.
• Staying up-to-date with legal and industry trends in the fintech and venture investing space to provide strategic advice and guidance to the company.
• Experience working at a firm, in house experience a plus.
• Experience supporting private funds and advising on the Investment Company Act, Investment Adviser's Act, and relevant provisions of the Securities & Exchange Acts
• 5+ years of practice, with significant time on Reg D / private fund securities work.

About You

To excel in this role, you should possess the following qualifications:

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree and active membership in a relevant state bar association.
• 4–7 years of practice, with significant time on Reg D / private fund securities work.
• 8+ years of experience at a firm or in-house preferred
• Strong knowledge of relevant laws and regulations, such as securities laws, data privacy, contracts, and intellectual property.
• Experience in negotiating and drafting complex commercial agreements.
• Familiarity with regulatory requirements and compliance frameworks applicable to fintech startups.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively communicate complex legal concepts to non-legal stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a proactive approach to identifying solutions.
• Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced, rapidly changing startup environment, and get up to speed on new areas of law quickly and effectively.
• We're looking for someone with deep domain experience.

Sydecar's Values

Our values are important to the way we live and work at Sydecar. They guide our priorities, behaviors and interactions.

Be Committed

As a team, we rise to meet challenges and recognize that we become stronger and develop character when facing adversity.

Be Excellent

We measure our success not just by what we achieve, but by how we achieve it—through integrity, creativity, elegance, and a commitment to continuous improvement. Excellence is not just doing things well—it's looking for ways to do them better.

Be Humble

Humility is our key to personal and professional growth. We appreciate that great ideas can come from anywhere, regardless of seniority, pedigree, or experience. We care more about collective outcomes than who gets credit or who does what. We try to not let our ego cloud our judgment.

Win Together

Winning is no accident. It is the result of collective hard work, perseverance, sacrifice, and most of all, loving what we do. Winning requires that we give extra—sometimes winning calls for late nights or extra effort, and we show up for clients and each other with urgency and heart. While excellence is a journey, winning is a destination.

Sydecar is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at Sydecar are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. Sydecar will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. Sydecar encourages applicants of all ages.