Legal Counsel

Primary Function

The Legal Counsel will serve as a key member of SSC USA's legal department, providing sophisticated legal support for the company's commercial transactions with a primary focus on the negotiation and documentation of gaming machine sales, leases, and placement agreements. This role also encompasses a broad range of general corporate and transactional matters. The ideal candidate is a self-starter with strong commercial instincts, deep contract expertise, and the ability to navigate the highly regulated gaming industry.

Essential Duties

  Gaming Machine Sales & Commercial Transactions

• Draft, review, and negotiate gaming machine distribution agreements, sales agreements, lease agreements, participation/revenue-sharing agreements with casinos, tribal gaming operations, and other licensed gaming operators.
• Advise on warranty provisions, limitation of liability clauses, indemnification structures, acceptance testing requirements, and title/risk of loss allocations specific to gaming equipment transactions.
• Collaborate closely with the Sales, Finance, and Operations teams to structure deal terms that are commercially viable and legally sound.
• Develop and maintain standard form agreements and contract playbooks for the sales team, including pre-approved fallback positions for common negotiated points.
• Manage and track contract lifecycles, including renewals, amendments, and terminations.
• Advise on customer disputes, breach claims, warranty issues, and equipment returns arising from commercial transactions.

Compliance Support

• Coordinate with the Compliance teams to ensure that sales contracts comply with applicable gaming control board requirements, technical standards, and approval conditions.
• Provide guidance on gaming regulatory requirements across multiple jurisdictions (state, tribal, and international) as they affect sales transactions, including licensing of equipment and operators.
• Monitor and advise on changes in gaming laws and regulations that may impact the company's commercial operations.

General Corporate & Transactional Work

• Support a variety of general corporate matters, including vendor and supplier agreements, NDAs, service agreements, consulting contracts, and SaaS/technology licensing arrangements.
• Assist with mergers, acquisitions, and other strategic transactions, including due diligence, transaction documentation, and post-closing integration matters.
• Advise on intellectual property matters, including licensing of gaming software and proprietary technology.
• Support the Chief Legal Officer on corporate governance matters, board resolutions, and subsidiary management.
• Assist with UCC-related matters as they arise in connection with gaming equipment placements.

Internal Client Support & Legal Operations

• Serve as a trusted legal advisor to internal business clients across Sales, Finance, Product Development, and Operations.
• Identify and communicate legal risk clearly and practically, offering business-oriented solutions.
• Manage outside counsel on specialized matters and control outside legal spend.
• Support the development and delivery of legal training to commercial teams on contracting best practices and regulatory requirements.

Key Competencies

• Commercial Judgment — Ability to assess legal risk in a business context and provide practical, actionable advice rather than purely theoretical guidance.
• Negotiation Skills — Confident, effective, and professional in direct negotiations with sophisticated counterparties.
• Regulatory Awareness — Comfort operating in a heavily regulated environment and understanding how compliance obligations intersect with commercial transactions.
• Collaboration — Works effectively as a partner to business teams; builds trust and credibility across the organization.
• Integrity — Upholds the highest ethical standards appropriate for the gaming industry, which requires licensure, public trust, and regulatory scrutiny.

Qualifications & Requirements

• J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school; admission to the Nevada bar.
• Minimum of 2–4 years of transactional legal experience, with a substantial portion focused on commercial contract drafting and negotiation, either in-house or at a law firm.
• Demonstrated experience drafting and negotiating complex commercial agreements, including sales, lease, licensing, and distribution contracts.
• Strong analytical, drafting, and negotiation skills with meticulous attention to detail.
• Ability to manage a high volume of matters simultaneously in a fast-paced commercial environment.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to explain complex legal issues to non-lawyers.

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Japanese language proficiency preferred.
• Experience in the gaming industry, including familiarity with gaming regulations in one or more major gaming jurisdictions.
• Exposure to intellectual property licensing, software agreements, or hardware/technology transactions.

Travel Requirements

• As needed