Associate General Counsel, Corporate

About the role

Mysten Labs believes that decentralized and open protocols are the bedrock of the internet of value. This is why at Mysten Labs, we are creating foundational infrastructure to accelerate the adoption of decentralized protocols based on blockchain technologies.

We are building a world-class team of lawyers and legal professionals who serve as strategic partners to the business. We are looking for an experienced corporate attorney to join Mysten Labs and take ownership of a broad range of corporate legal matters.

Reporting to the General Counsel, you will work closely with leaders across the company on corporate governance, strategic transactions and investments, corporate structuring, finance, tax, employment and compensation matters, and other strategic initiatives. This is a broad, hands-on role for someone who enjoys solving novel problems, operating with significant autonomy, and taking ownership of matters from initial strategy through execution.

The ideal candidate combines strong technical corporate training with practical business judgment and the versatility to tackle matters that do not fit neatly within a single legal discipline.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support strategic transactions, including joint ventures, strategic investments, acquisitions, dispositions, spinouts, restructurings and other complex corporate transactions.
• Advise the General Counsel, executive team and other business leaders on corporate legal matters and strategic initiatives.
• Work cross-functionally with finance, tax, accounting, people and other teams to structure and execute strategic corporate initiatives.
• Advise on corporate finance and treasury matters, including equity and debt financings and other capital-related transactions.
• Partner with the People team on employment, executive compensation, equity and token compensation, and other employee-related matters, coordinating with specialist counsel as appropriate.
• Support the company’s international operations and corporate structure, including formation and governance of subsidiaries and other entities.
• Draft, review and negotiate transaction documents, corporate agreements, Board and stockholder materials, policies and other legal documentation.
• Identify legal and business risks, develop practical solutions, and communicate clear recommendations to senior stakeholders, often in situations involving novel issues or incomplete information.
• Manage outside counsel and other external advisors efficiently, including determining when specialist expertise is necessary and driving matters toward resolution.
• Develop and improve corporate legal processes, policies, templates and systems as the company continues to evolve.
• Stay informed regarding legal and industry developments relevant to Mysten Labs and the broader web3 ecosystem.
• Take on other legal and strategic projects as needed. We are a lean team, and everyone is expected to be willing to tackle important problems that fall outside their traditional lane.
• Do whatever needs to be done, and do the right thing.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of relevant legal experience, including significant experience at a leading law firm and/or in the legal department of a high-growth technology company.
• Strong foundation in corporate law, with meaningful experience in corporate governance and complex corporate transactions.
• Experience with some combination of M&A, joint ventures, strategic investments, corporate restructurings, financings, subsidiary governance or other strategic corporate matters.
• Demonstrated ability to independently lead complex matters, coordinate cross-functional stakeholders, and drive projects from initial issue identification through execution.
• Ability and willingness to operate as a corporate generalist and quickly develop expertise in unfamiliar areas.
• Excellent business judgment and the ability to assess and appropriately weigh legal and business risk, including when operating with imperfect information.
• Strong executive communication skills, including the ability to distill complex issues into clear, actionable and practical advice.
• Highly collaborative, solutions-oriented and comfortable working with stakeholders across finance, tax, accounting, people, operations and other functions.
• Self-starter with a strong sense of ownership and urgency who thrives in a fast-moving environment with a lean legal team.
• Unquestioned integrity and sound judgment.
• Interest in blockchain technology and willingness to develop a strong understanding of Mysten Labs’ business, technology and ecosystem. Prior web3 or crypto experience is helpful but not required.
• J.D. from an accredited law school and membership in at least one U.S. state bar, with eligibility to practice as in-house counsel in California.

What Success Looks Like

You become the person the General Counsel and business teams turn to when a complicated corporate issue needs an owner. You are equally comfortable advising executives on a hot button issue, structuring a joint venture, helping evaluate a potential spinout, working through an employment or compensation issue with the People team, or taking an ambiguous strategic assignment and figuring out how to get it done.

You know when to dive deeply into an issue yourself, when to bring in specialists, and how to translate legal analysis into practical recommendations. Above all, you take ownership, exercise sound judgment, and make it easier for the company to move quickly and responsibly.

• Regarding the recent rash of technology job scams: Be aware that emails from genuine Mysten Labs group recruiters will always come from the @mystenlabs.com domain or related subdomains (e.g., mystenlabs.com/careers).
• To support an efficient and fair hiring process, we may use technology-assisted tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), to help identify and evaluate candidates. All hiring decisions are ultimately made by human reviewers.

Our team is remote first and we are hiring across the world. Here at Mysten Labs, you’ll be joining a world-class team with tremendous growth potential as we bring the next billion users to web3. We raised a $300M Series B round from top Silicon Valley led venture funds like Jump Crypto, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Binance Labs, Redpoint, Lightspeed, Coinbase Ventures, Electric Capital, Standard Crypto, NFX, Slow Ventures, Scribble Ventures, Samsung Next, Lux Capital, among other investment firms and strategic partners. Come join us and build the future of web3!