Coinflow
Coinflow is a hypergrowth fintech startup headquartered in Chicago, dedicated to revolutionizing payments. We enable merchants and marketplaces to accept global payment methods with instant settlement, chargeback protection, and the fastest payouts infrastructure.
Over the past year and a half, we've become a trusted partner for high-growth digital businesses—powering the next generation of commerce through speed, reliability, and transparency.
Join us to help shape the future of payments in a dynamic, collaborative, and fast‑paced environment where your work directly impacts our customers' success.
About the Role We're seeking an experienced Counsel to serve as our first in‑house legal hire and strategic legal partner as we scale. This is a high‑impact role where you'll build our legal function from the ground up, advise on critical business decisions, and ensure we navigate the complex regulatory landscape of payments and digital assets with confidence.
You’ll work directly with our leadership team on strategic matters while managing day‑to‑day legal needs—from commercial contracts to regulatory compliance. This role offers significant autonomy, variety, and the opportunity to shape legal strategy at a critical inflection point in our company's growth.
What You’ll Do Commercial & Contracts
Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements including merchant agreements, partnership agreements, vendor contracts, and licensing deals
Own the contract review process and build scalable templates and playbooks as we grow
Partner with Sales, Product, and Operations teams to structure deals that balance risk and commercial objectives
Strategic & Corporate Matters
Serve as a trusted advisor to leadership on strategic initiatives, corporate governance, and risk management
Support fundraising activities, M&A opportunities, and corporate transactions as they arise
Advise on employment matters, equity compensation, and HR policies
Regulatory & Compliance
Navigate the evolving regulatory landscape for payments, fintech, and digital assets/crypto
Develop and maintain compliance programs for money transmission, AML/KYC, and consumer protection requirements
Monitor regulatory developments and translate them into actionable guidance for the business
Support licensing efforts and regulatory filings as needed
Outside Counsel Management
Serve as the primary liaison with our outside counsel, ensuring efficient and cost‑effective engagement
Determine when to handle matters in‑house vs. elevate to specialists
Build relationships with external legal partners and manage their work to control costs
Who You Are Required
JD from an accredited law school and active bar membership
5+ years of legal experience, with significant exposure to fintech, payments, or financial services
Strong understanding of payment systems, money transmission regulations, and fintech regulatory frameworks
Experience drafting and negotiating complex commercial contracts
Proven ability to work autonomously and make sound judgment calls in ambiguous situations
Excellent communication skills and ability to translate complex legal concepts for non‑legal stakeholders
Comfortable working in a fast‑paced startup environment with competing priorities
Strongly Preferred
Experience with cryptocurrency, blockchain, or digital assets regulatory issues
Prior in‑house experience at a high‑growth startup or fintech company
Familiarity with state money transmitter licensing and federal regulatory frameworks (FinCEN, CFPB, etc.)
Experience managing outside counsel relationships and legal budgets
Background in both transactional and regulatory work
Bonus Points
CIPP certification or privacy law experience
International payments or cross‑border regulatory experience
Prior experience building a legal function from scratch
What We Offer
Competitive salary and equity package appropriate for a Series A startup
Opportunity to build and shape the legal function as we scale
Direct exposure to leadership and meaningful input on company strategy
Work on cutting‑edge issues at the intersection of payments, fintech, and crypto
Collaborative, transparent culture where your expertise will be valued and your impact visible
Why Join Now?
This is a rare opportunity to join as the first legal hire at a hypergrowth fintech company. You'll have significant autonomy, broad scope, and the chance to define how we approach legal and compliance as we scale. If you thrive in environments where you can be both strategic advisor and hands‑on practitioner, this role is for you.
Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Coinflow by 2x
We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
About the Role We're seeking an experienced Counsel to serve as our first in‑house legal hire and strategic legal partner as we scale. This is a high‑impact role where you'll build our legal function from the ground up, advise on critical business decisions, and ensure we navigate the complex regulatory landscape of payments and digital assets with confidence.
You’ll work directly with our leadership team on strategic matters while managing day‑to‑day legal needs—from commercial contracts to regulatory compliance. This role offers significant autonomy, variety, and the opportunity to shape legal strategy at a critical inflection point in our company's growth.
What You’ll Do Commercial & Contracts
Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements including merchant agreements, partnership agreements, vendor contracts, and licensing deals
Own the contract review process and build scalable templates and playbooks as we grow
Partner with Sales, Product, and Operations teams to structure deals that balance risk and commercial objectives
Strategic & Corporate Matters
Serve as a trusted advisor to leadership on strategic initiatives, corporate governance, and risk management
Support fundraising activities, M&A opportunities, and corporate transactions as they arise
Advise on employment matters, equity compensation, and HR policies
Regulatory & Compliance
Navigate the evolving regulatory landscape for payments, fintech, and digital assets/crypto
Develop and maintain compliance programs for money transmission, AML/KYC, and consumer protection requirements
Monitor regulatory developments and translate them into actionable guidance for the business
Support licensing efforts and regulatory filings as needed
Outside Counsel Management
Serve as the primary liaison with our outside counsel, ensuring efficient and cost‑effective engagement
Determine when to handle matters in‑house vs. elevate to specialists
Build relationships with external legal partners and manage their work to control costs
Who You Are Required
JD from an accredited law school and active bar membership
5+ years of legal experience, with significant exposure to fintech, payments, or financial services
Strong understanding of payment systems, money transmission regulations, and fintech regulatory frameworks
Experience drafting and negotiating complex commercial contracts
Proven ability to work autonomously and make sound judgment calls in ambiguous situations
Excellent communication skills and ability to translate complex legal concepts for non‑legal stakeholders
Comfortable working in a fast‑paced startup environment with competing priorities
Strongly Preferred
Experience with cryptocurrency, blockchain, or digital assets regulatory issues
Prior in‑house experience at a high‑growth startup or fintech company
Familiarity with state money transmitter licensing and federal regulatory frameworks (FinCEN, CFPB, etc.)
Experience managing outside counsel relationships and legal budgets
Background in both transactional and regulatory work
Bonus Points
CIPP certification or privacy law experience
International payments or cross‑border regulatory experience
Prior experience building a legal function from scratch
What We Offer
Competitive salary and equity package appropriate for a Series A startup
Opportunity to build and shape the legal function as we scale
Direct exposure to leadership and meaningful input on company strategy
Work on cutting‑edge issues at the intersection of payments, fintech, and crypto
Collaborative, transparent culture where your expertise will be valued and your impact visible
Why Join Now?
This is a rare opportunity to join as the first legal hire at a hypergrowth fintech company. You'll have significant autonomy, broad scope, and the chance to define how we approach legal and compliance as we scale. If you thrive in environments where you can be both strategic advisor and hands‑on practitioner, this role is for you.
Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Coinflow by 2x
We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI.
#J-18808-Ljbffr