Remote General Counsel jobs

About the General Counsel role

What the work looks like

• Advise the CEO, executive team and board on the legal consequences of strategic decisions.
• Prepare board and committee materials, record minutes and often serve as corporate secretary.
• Lead legal work on financings, acquisitions and the company's most significant commercial agreements.
• Direct litigation strategy and responses to regulators, deciding when to settle, fight or self-report with outside counsel.
• Set the legal budget, hire and manage in-house attorneys and oversee the compliance program.

What employers ask for

• JD and active bar admission
• Long experience in corporate and commercial law
• Board and corporate governance practice
• Mergers, acquisitions and financing transactions
• Management of legal teams and outside counsel
• Regulatory knowledge for the company's industry

Doing this job remotely

Remote general counsel positions exist, mostly at distributed or early-stage companies, and the legal work itself travels well. The role is an executive one, so attendance at board meetings, leadership offsites and critical negotiations is expected in person. Bar admission and state rules for in-house practice can affect where the general counsel may be based.

Where it comes from and where it leads

General counsel usually reach the role after law firm practice followed by years in-house as corporate counsel and deputy general counsel. Some go on to add chief operating, compliance or administrative duties, join boards, or become chief executive.