Senior Counsel, Product (Base)

Base.org•New York City, NY

5d•Remote

About The Position

Base is planning to bring a million developers and a billion users onchain. We need your help to make that happen. We are seeking an exceptional attorney to join our Product Legal team, dedicated to supporting the Coinbase incubated Base Layer 2 blockchain. In this pivotal role, you will navigate complex, first-of-a-kind blockchain and Base related product initiatives. Your responsibilities will extend across the Base L2 ecosystem, from operational support to ensuring seamless integration and compliance of Coinbase integrated products and base-native products. Collaborating closely with other members of the Coinbase legal team, you will tackle a wide array of challenging matters that influence the landscape of blockchain technology and innovation.

Requirements

Currently licensed in a U.S. state.
J.D. or equivalent, minimum of 5 years of legal experience
You have strong, substantive practice and practical experience working in crypto / web3 / defi / protocols / blockchain
You have Financial technology experience preferred but not required
You have experience counseling product teams in launching consumer or developer-facing technology products and services
You have a strong interest or experience in digital currency, blockchain technology, and innovative constructs pioneered by decentralized finance.
You have an understanding of the legal and regulatory considerations affecting crypto protocols and onchain products, including how decentralized architectures and onchain workflows impact product design and governance.
You have experience with build-outs to support Anti Money Laundering (AML)/Know-your-customer (KYC) requirements, and regulated e-money and money transmission obligations under banking laws.
You have proven problem-solving, communication and interpersonal skills.
You exercise excellent legal judgment with analytic rigor, prudential risk assessment, and a balance of realizable creativity and pragmatism.
You are comfortable with risk-adjusted thinking, and can understand when interpretive flexibility is warranted.
You are team-oriented and collaborative, you bring cross-departmental colleagues to the table, and build your practice to enable your clients to successfully build and launch crypto products at Coinbase.

Nice To Haves

Technology/engineering background (Bachelors of science)
Experience working with protocols, rollups, Layer2s (bitcoin core team, ethereum foundation, polygon, solana, optimism

Responsibilities

As Base specific product legal counsel, you will help build the legal foundation to support Base’s onchain mission and strategy.
Play a pivotal role in the grants ecosystem by overseeing legal processes related to funding and supporting innovative projects within the Base ecosystem.
Facilitate the integration of both Coinbase and third party services and products in the Base ecosystem, ensuring they adhere to legal standards and regulatory expectations. This includes conducting due diligence, drafting compliance policies, and providing guidance on risk management related to Base product integration.
Be a business partner, not just an attorney. Provide full product life-cycle counseling.
Look around corners and creatively solve problems for the business as they plan, build, and execute on their product roadmap.
Identify issues that may fall outside your expertise, driving resolution by partnering with other members of the Coinbase legal team and outside counsel.
Work cross-departmentally, including with stakeholders such as Compliance, Communications, Finance, Tax, Security, Enterprise Risk Management, Engineering, Data, Analytics, Corporate Development, and members of Coinbase’s leadership team.
Respond promptly to a wide range of complex legal requests and coordinate closely with Legal department colleagues to ensure the swift delivery of smart, practical advice.
Operate in a fast paced, demanding environment and pivot quickly to meet leadership's needs.
Scale the advice you provide, so that you can do more with less and grow efficiently with the business.