Legal Counsel, Payments & Fintech

Responsibilities:

Draft, review, and negotiate agreements with payment service providers, acquirers, card networks, payment facilitators, banks, and other financial partners, securing commercially favorable terms and protecting the company's interests.

Advise on payment processing operations end-to-end, including onboarding new payment methods and providers, structuring global money flows and settlement, chargeback and refund frameworks, fund flows, and reserve/holdback arrangements.

Advise on and support KYC/KYB, AML/CFT, sanctions screening, and customer due diligence requirements across markets, and help build practical onboarding and compliance processes with the business.

Support the legal and regulatory requirements of connecting to payment systems and expanding into new markets, including licensing analysis, entity structuring, and the incorporation and maintenance of legal entities where required.

Consult the business on the legal issues and implications of potential business decisions, initiatives, and payment strategies, providing clear legal advice, strategies, and practical solutions for general business and legal matters.

Maintain current knowledge of laws and regulations governing payment services and digital innovation, including cryptocurrencies, blockchain, NFTs, and decentralized finance (DeFi). 

Identify, summarize, and analyze the impact of new and proposed rules and regulations on money movement, payment strategies, and current business initiatives.

Draft, review, and negotiate contracts and other documentation for new business ideas, as well as licensing, vendor, and partnership agreements, ensuring they align with legal standards and company goals.

Work closely with business and technology teams to understand and achieve key business objectives and help them develop compliant payment products and service offerings.

Identify potential legal challenges early and propose practical solutions to address them.

Manage multiple priorities and meet tight deadlines, and provide other legal services and advice to the company as needed.

Qualifications & Skills:

Licensed to practice law in the US, in good standing.

At least 5 years of legal experience in fintech, banking, and/or payments, with demonstrated expertise in payments and familiarity with the applicable U.S. and international regulatory landscape (e.g., money transmission, BSA/AML, PSD2, MiCA, and card network rules).

Proven ability to provide practical legal advice in a fast-paced business environment.

Excellent communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams, including product, technology, business operations, and management.

Excellent drafting skills, with experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex commercial agreements, including payment processing, financial services, technology, licensing, vendor, and partnership agreements.

Note:

This is a remote position open to candidates anywhere in the US, with the ability to travel to our Los Angeles-area headquarters (Sherman Oaks, CA) approximately twice a year. Candidates based in the Los Angeles area are preferred but this is not mandatory.