Legal Counsel, Corporate and Commercial

About Betterment

Betterment is a leading, technology-driven financial services company that offers investing, savings and retirement solutions for retail investors and investment advisors as well as financial wellness solutions, including a 401(k) for small and medium-sized businesses. Our team is passionate about our mission, to empower people to build wealth with confidence and ease. We’re headquartered in NYC and offer hybrid NY-based positions (four days/ week in-office, with no required office days during the summer and winter holidays).

About the Role

We're looking for a versatile, business-minded lawyer to join Betterment's legal team as Legal Counsel - Corporate & Commercial. This role offers a wide variety of dealmaking and governance work — negotiating the vendor, technology, and commercial agreements that keep Betterment running, while supporting corporate and governance matters across the organization. The ideal candidate is a strong transactional attorney who enjoys moving fast, owning problems end-to-end, and building repeatable processes for a lean, high-throughput legal function.

This role is based out of our NYC office. Below we've reflected the base salary range for this position. Actual salaries may vary depending on factors including but not limited to location, experience, and performance. The range listed is just one component of Betterment’s total compensation package for employees.

• New York City: $170,000 - $185,000

This job may also be eligible for variable compensation in the form of a company incentive bonus.

A Day in the Life:

• Draft, review, negotiate, and interpret a wide variety of commercial agreements
• Provide legal support for a variety of corporate transactions through all stages of the transaction lifecycle, including M&A, securities and technology transactions
• Advise on a broad range of commercial legal issues and strategic decisions
• Partner with business teams on the development and execution of new and existing products, initiatives, and lines of business
• Assist in managing corporate matters, including board/shareholder matters and equity plan administration
• Work cross-functionally to identify, investigate and manage risks across the business
• Build and improve our standard form agreements and legal processes
• Help to resolve and avoid potential disputes
• Work closely with product, engineering, and our lines of business to navigate regulatory and compliance requirements, operational issues, and related matters
• Collaborate with outside counsel when necessary

What we’re looking for

• A JD, admission to a state bar, and at least 4 years of relevant in-house or firm transactional experience
• A pragmatic negotiator who knows when to hold a position and when to find the deal
• The ability to to manage competing priorities and thrive in a fast-paced, technology-driven environment
• A willingness to build scalable processes that drive efficiencies for a lean team charged with covering a considerable amount of ground
• A bias toward action and solving problems, not just issue spotting
• The ability to take ownership over your work and manage projects independently
• Excellent writing and communication skills, with the ability to translate legal risk into terms a non-lawyer will understand
• Comfort navigating complexity and creating simplicity where possible
• An collaborative mindset and innate curiosity
• Passion for Betterment’s product and mission

Bonus Points If You Have:

• Experience with Ironclad or similar contract management tool
• Experience in retail financial services or representing financial services clients
• In-house experience at a startup or high growth company