General Counsel

AE Studio • Los Angeles, CA

20d • $225,000 - $300,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

AE Studio is seeking its first in-house lawyer to manage the increasing legal demands of its rapidly growing applied AI company. The role involves shaping deal terms for outcome-based commercial work, assisting with research grants for AI Alignment, structuring partnerships with government agencies and research institutions, and managing government contracts. The position also encompasses intellectual property management, NDAs, vendor agreements, employment law, corporate governance, and building scalable legal processes. The ideal candidate will be a strong generalist with business acumen, negotiation skills, and comfort working with technology and AI.

Requirements

• JD from an accredited law school.
• Active, good-standing membership in the California bar (or exceptional out-of-state candidates considered).
• Real strength in commercial transactions.
• Real strength in technology/AI work.
• Substantial in-house time and/or strong firm training, demonstrating judgment, adaptability, and business instinct.
• Complete integrity and discretion with sensitive matters.
• Comfort in a fast, ambiguous, high-ownership environment.
• Strong organizational and process skills and a systems mind, with an ownership mentality for building.
• Creativity and the hunger to find the best answer.
• Technical background, or deep experience with technology and technical people.
• Comfortable around AI and able to hold your own with engineers.
• Experience using the latest AI tools in legal practice.

Nice To Haves

• Experience across IP.
• Experience with nonprofit.
• Experience with grants.
• Experience with government contracting.

Responsibilities

• Shape deal terms for outcome-based and productized commercial work.
• Assist in winning and managing research grants for foundational AI Alignment work.
• Structure and manage partnerships with government agencies, research labs, and universities.
• Manage government contracts and programs.
• Oversee intellectual property ownership, licensing, protection, and publication.
• Handle NDAs and vendor agreements.
• Manage employment law matters.
• Oversee corporate governance.
• Develop and implement scalable legal processes.
• Partner effectively with outside counsel.

Benefits

• Good-faith base salary range ($225,000 - $300,000 for full-time).
• Variable compensation.
• Equity participation.
• Health insurance.
• Free lunches at the office.
• Weekly knowledge-sharing talks.
• Annual team retreat.
• Regular performance-based raises.
• Diversified employee equity program.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree