Legal Counsel

Couchbase, Inc. • Raleigh, NC

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

Couchbase is seeking a versatile and proactive Legal Counsel to join their legal team in Raleigh, NC. This role requires the candidate to be in the office at least 3 days per week. It is an intermediate-level position suitable for an attorney with 2-4 years of experience who wants to combine high-volume commercial deal-making with broad corporate governance and specialized functional support. The Legal Counsel will independently draft and negotiate core commercial agreements, collaborate cross-functionally on corporate governance, privacy, regulatory compliance, and policy management, and act as a key liaison between commercial execution and corporate strategy. The role aims to streamline processes and provide essential legal counsel to internal business stakeholders.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school.
• Active admission to practice law (NC bar or eligible for NC in-house counsel license).
• 2–4 years of relevant legal experience, with a heavy emphasis on drafting and negotiating commercial contracts (in-house or law firm experience preferred).
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage end-to-end commercial contract negotiations.
• Familiarity with broader corporate functional areas, including employment law basics, IP oversight, and corporate governance.
• Strong legal drafting skills with an appetite for process improvement and template creation.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to effectively collaborate with sales, procurement, HR, and executive leadership.
• Self-sufficient but a team player.
• Raleigh-based.

Responsibilities

• Independently draft, review, and negotiate complex buy-side (vendor contracts, SOWs) and sell-side (customer sales agreements and orders) contracts, balancing legal risk with commercial goals.
• Create, own, and update standard commercial templates, playbooks, and fallback language to accelerate deal cycles.
• Streamline and operationalize the contracting lifecycle, managing contract repositories, reporting, and mapping to procurement and sales tools.
• Monitor international regulations and operationalize applicable regulatory requirements, including industry-specific rules relevant to the Company or its customers.
• Interpret and manage domestic and international privacy regulations, support incident management, and provide legal advice in privacy-with a special focus on expanding legal considerations related to AI.
• Operationalize import/export regulations and ensure compliance amid evolving rules driven by changes in foreign relations.
• Assist with baseline corporate governance and entity management, including creation, dissolution, and routine annual maintenance across subsidiaries.
• Draft, review, and maintain functional compliance policies (HR, Finance, InfoSec, Privacy) on an annual or ad hoc basis for leadership review.
• Support internal business teams in resolving standard vendor, commercial, and employee disputes efficiently.

Benefits

• Generous Time Off Program
• Wellness Benefits (medical, dental, vision, life insurance, employee assistance programs)
• Financial Planning (Retirement program, Business Travel Insurance)
• Career Growth
• Ergonomic and comfortable in-office / WFH setup
• Food & Snacks for in-office employees

What This Job Offers

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