Description
We're building something extraordinary - and we want extraordinary people. As our Sole Counsel, you'll build 5D's legal function from scratch - the contractual infrastructure, compliance posture, and risk framework that supports every major commercial and operational decision between now and Series B.
Commercial (50%)
- Own the full lifecycle of customer contracts - NDAs, MSAs, order forms, DPAs, and amendments - negotiating directly with procurement and legal counterparts at enterprise customers
- Draft and negotiate vendor, partner, and employment agreements
- Maintain and continuously improve our contract templates and negotiation playbooks
- Manage a contract tracker; own the pipeline of open legal matters and keep deals moving
- Brief and manage external counsel on matters beyond your scope
Compliance (30%)
- Work closely with our vCISO to maintain ISO 27001 and SOC 2 compliance - owning the legal and policy layer, supporting audit cycles, and closing out action items
- Advise product and engineering teams on privacy-by-design as we ship new features
- Monitor the regulatory environment and flag material changes to the business
Corporate, Employment & IP (20%)
- Handle UK employment matters: offer letters, contracts, IP assignments, restrictive covenants
- Coordinate US and Singapore employment matters alongside external counsel
- Maintain our IP register and advise on licensing and ownership questions as the product evolves
You've spent a few years in-house at a SaaS or tech business - or you've trained at a commercial firm and spent enough time on tech clients that you know exactly how enterprise software contracts work and how to close them. You have a clear, low-ego risk profile: you know when to hold a position and when to move on, and you never let perfect be the enemy of progress.
You bring:
- Qualified solicitor (England & Wales), 3–6 PQE with US experience
- SaaS or B2B tech experience - either in-house or with a significant tech client base in private practice
- Strong commercial drafter: fast, clean, and position-led - you improve contracts, not just mark them up
- Genuine AI literacy - you use Claude or equivalent tools in your workflow; drafting without them would feel like leaving performance on the table
- Pragmatic risk profile - you give clear answers, not endless caveats, and you understand that a 90% answer delivered today beats a perfect answer delivered next week
- Project management instincts - you track your matters, close your actions, and keep stakeholders informed without being chased
- Excellent communication skills - you have the ability to interact effectively when negotiating with customers, and communicating to the business internally
Bonus points if you have:
- Experience with multi-jurisdictional structures (UK parent, US / Singapore subsidiaries)
- Exposure to EIS/SEIS, investor rights agreements, or post-Series A governance
- Proptech, real estate, or financial services sector experience
- Previous experience supporting a fundraise or regulatory due diligence process
We're building something extraordinary - and we want extraordinary people. Our benefits package goes beyond the standard startup offering, from tailored support for life's challenges to meaningful parental leave.
- £100–120k salary per annum + bonus + meaningful equity (on a standard vesting schedule)
- Enhanced pension contributions (5%)
- Unlimited annual leave
- £100 monthly wellbeing budget
- £1,000 annual training budget
- Electric car scheme (salary sacrifice)
Tailored support for exceptional challenges, which may include contributions to:
- Gender-affirming care
- Private specialists and diagnostic scans
- ADHD / Autism diagnosis
- IVF / fertility care
- Therapy
Enhanced parental leave
- 14 weeks full pay for primary caregiver (followed by statutory pay)
- 6 weeks full pay for secondary caregiver
Flexible working , hybrid (Wednesdays in our Oxford Street office), judged on output not hours. Quarterly team weeks in London, regular travel to New York and Singapore as the business grows.