Counsel

Public•New York, NY

6d•$120,000 - $170,000•Onsite

About The Position

Public is seeking a sharp, enthusiastic attorney to join its Legal team in a generalist role emphasizing litigation, regulatory matters, compliance, privacy, and product counseling. The attorney will also help expand Public’s AI governance program. Public is a highly regulated financial services and technology company; experience in a regulated financial field is a plus, though the role is also suitable for a strong generalist willing to learn the regulatory landscape. The role is based in New York City, with work from the office Monday through Thursday. The attorney will manage disputes and regulatory matters, partner with Compliance on obligations involving Public’s registered investment adviser, broker-dealer, and futures commission merchant, and advise business teams on evolving rules. The role also includes ownership of the privacy program, collaboration on cybersecurity and incident response, product counseling from concept through launch, commercial contract negotiation, and improvement of legal processes and systems, including responsible use of AI.

Requirements

J.D. from an ABA-approved law school or foreign equivalent.
Admission to at least one U.S. bar, in good standing.
2–5 years of legal experience; experience at a top law firm followed by an in-house role at a technology or financial services company or startup is ideal.
Experience with a broad range of legal matters.
Strong leadership and communication skills, including the ability to collaborate cross-functionally and influence senior stakeholders.
High integrity and ability to balance legal and compliance obligations with business objectives.
Comfort with ambiguity and pressure, and ability to identify, prioritize, and resolve issues quickly and independently.
Track record of quickly learning and using new software, such as project management and compliance tools.
Experience using AI tools responsibly to make legal processes and systems more efficient, or demonstrated willingness to learn.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a regulated financial field.
Experience with litigation, arbitration (especially FINRA), or regulatory examinations and investigations.
Experience with broker-dealer, investment adviser, or futures regulation.
Experience with privacy, cybersecurity, or AI governance programs.
Experience negotiating commercial agreements, such as vendor, marketing, and market data agreements.
Experience partnering with compliance teams to build efficient, effective compliance systems and processes.

Responsibilities

Manage disputes from start to finish, including escalated customer complaints, FINRA arbitrations, privacy claims, and civil litigation; handle matters directly and oversee outside counsel where appropriate.
Respond to regulatory inquiries and investigations, partner with Compliance on examinations, and use lessons learned to improve products and processes.
Partner with Compliance on SEC, FINRA, CFTC, and NFA obligations, including AML, regulatory filings, and registrations.
Monitor regulatory developments, keep policies and procedures current, and translate complex rules into practical advice and training for business teams.
Help develop and operate AI governance for customer-facing AI products and internal AI tools, including practical policies, quality assurance processes, assessments of new use cases, and monitoring emerging laws and guidance.
Own the privacy program, including privacy notices, consumer requests, data mapping, and record retention.
Partner with Engineering and IT on cybersecurity, fraud prevention, and incident response, including customer remediation when needed.
Advise Product, Engineering, and Marketing teams from product concept through launch, identifying regulatory risks and practical ways to address them.
Draft, review, and negotiate commercial agreements, including vendor, marketing, and data agreements.
Build playbooks and templates to help business teams navigate legal and compliance requirements and negotiate effectively.
Improve the tools, systems, and processes used by the Legal team, using AI to increase efficiency.