Employment Counsel (Contractor)

Arceus

7d•$100 - $150•Remote

About The Position

Arceus is building a legal infrastructure layer that pairs experienced attorneys with intelligent technology to provide high-quality legal support to growing businesses. The Employment Counsel will serve as fractional employment counsel to fast-growing technology companies, often without dedicated in-house employment-law expertise, and act as a trusted extension of each client’s legal and People teams. The role covers everyday employment questions throughout the employee lifecycle, from hiring through reductions in force. The attorney will also help turn recurring employment work into playbooks, templates, and AI-assisted workflows to make legal support faster and more consistent. This is a remote role based anywhere in the United States. The engagement is part-time and as an independent contractor, with at least 10 hours per week of availability for client matters. Work volume varies with demand and is not guaranteed; hours may expand as the employment practice grows. Compensation is $100–$150 per hour, based on experience.

Requirements

J.D. and active bar membership in good standing.
At least 5 years of employment law practice advising employers, rather than litigating only.
Experience as in-house employment counsel or experience advising numerous startups and growth-stage companies from a law firm.
Broad, hands-on counseling experience across the full employee lifecycle.
Multi-state employment law experience.
Customer-first approach; responsive, low-ego, and focused on practical outcomes.
Ability to turn work around quickly and handle several matters at once.
Strong grounding in professional responsibility and legal ethics.
Excellent written and verbal communication, especially with non-lawyers.

Nice To Haves

Active bar membership in California, New York, or another state with a large tech workforce.
Working knowledge of California employment law.
Experience with, or genuine enthusiasm for, AI-assisted legal workflows.
Experience as the first or only employment lawyer at a company or advising many startups from a law firm.

Responsibilities

Advise clients on hiring and onboarding matters, including offer letters, employment agreements, contractor agreements, confidentiality and invention assignment agreements, and background-check compliance.
Counsel on employee-versus-contractor classification, exempt-versus-non-exempt status, overtime, and pay transparency rules.
Advise on multi-state and remote workforce matters, including state registration, state-specific policies, and coordination with PEOs and employers of record for international hires.
Draft and update employee handbooks and remote-work, leave, and AI-use policies.
Advise on FMLA and state leave laws, disability and pregnancy accommodations, and return-to-work questions.
Support performance management and separations, including performance plans, terminations, separation and release agreements, reductions in force, and WARN analysis.
Triage workplace complaints, scope and support internal investigations, and advise on harassment, discrimination, and retaliation risks.
Advise on restrictive covenants, including non-solicitation agreements and state non-compete limits, and coordinate with corporate counsel on equity grants.
Turn recurring employment questions into templates and playbooks and establish quality standards.
Work with product and engineering teams to improve Arceus's tools.