About the role
About Athennian
Athennian increases trust in business. Our products help legal, finance, and tax teams be transaction and audit-ready by organizing business entity and corporate structure information. Over a million business entities in almost every country are managed on Athennian to automate workflows for ownership, company secretarial, governance, tax, and compliance.
About the role
We are seeking a commercially-minded Legal Counsel to join our team in Toronto. Reporting to the Sr. Director of Strategic Finance, you will serve as a foundational member of our internal legal function. You will play a critical role in accelerating our sales velocity by managing contract reviews and ensuring our corporate records remain audit-ready as we scale. This role is ideal for a private practicing lawyer who has transitioned into the tech world and thrives on the intersection of law, finance, and operations.
What you'll do
- Commercial Contract Acceleration: Lead the end-to-end review, drafting, and negotiation of SaaS master service agreements (MSAs), NDAs, and vendor contracts to ensure alignment with company risk profiles.
- Strategic Finance Integration: Partner closely with the Finance team to ensure legal terms align with revenue recognition policies, M&A due diligence, and long-term strategic goals.
- Entity Management Oversight: Utilize the Athennian platform to manage our own corporate structure, ensuring all global entities are in good standing and ready for future investment or audit cycles.
- Product & AI Counsel: Act as a legal stakeholder for "Athennian Intelligence" initiatives, advising on data privacy, AI ethics, and intellectual property rights related to our automated legal workflows.
- Legal Operations: Identify opportunities to implement legal technology to reduce contract turnaround time and manage external counsel budgets effectively.
- Risk Mitigation & Governance: Advise leadership on corporate governance, intellectual property protection, and compliance matters (e.g., Sanctions, AML) as they arise in a fast-paced environment.
Qualifications
- Experience: 3–5 years of private practice experience, followed by 2+ years working in-house at a high-growth technology company.
- Education & Credentials: Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent and a member in good standing with the Law Society of Ontario.
- Commercial Acumen: Ability to balance legal risk with business objectives—acting as a "facilitator" for Sales rather than a "blocker."
- Cross-Border Expertise: Strong familiarity with US commercial law and market standards (liability caps, indemnities), given our predominantly US-based customer base.
- Startup Agility: Proven ability to navigate ambiguity, "put out fires" effectively, and manage a high volume of varied legal tasks autonomously.
- Tech-Forward Mindset: Demonstrated proficiency with CRM (HubSpot), Contract Management Systems (CMS), and a proactive interest in Legal AI.
Not the right fit? Search for Legal Counsel jobs in Toronto, ON
About Athennian
Athennian is a modern business entity and subsidiary governance platform that powers teams to be transaction, audit, and compliance-ready. Legal, finance, and tax professionals use Athennian to automate workflows for ownership, governance, tax, and corporate compliance.
Similar jobs you might like
About the role
About Athennian
Athennian increases trust in business. Our products help legal, finance, and tax teams be transaction and audit-ready by organizing business entity and corporate structure information. Over a million business entities in almost every country are managed on Athennian to automate workflows for ownership, company secretarial, governance, tax, and compliance.
About the role
We are seeking a commercially-minded Legal Counsel to join our team in Toronto. Reporting to the Sr. Director of Strategic Finance, you will serve as a foundational member of our internal legal function. You will play a critical role in accelerating our sales velocity by managing contract reviews and ensuring our corporate records remain audit-ready as we scale. This role is ideal for a private practicing lawyer who has transitioned into the tech world and thrives on the intersection of law, finance, and operations.
What you'll do
- Commercial Contract Acceleration: Lead the end-to-end review, drafting, and negotiation of SaaS master service agreements (MSAs), NDAs, and vendor contracts to ensure alignment with company risk profiles.
- Strategic Finance Integration: Partner closely with the Finance team to ensure legal terms align with revenue recognition policies, M&A due diligence, and long-term strategic goals.
- Entity Management Oversight: Utilize the Athennian platform to manage our own corporate structure, ensuring all global entities are in good standing and ready for future investment or audit cycles.
- Product & AI Counsel: Act as a legal stakeholder for "Athennian Intelligence" initiatives, advising on data privacy, AI ethics, and intellectual property rights related to our automated legal workflows.
- Legal Operations: Identify opportunities to implement legal technology to reduce contract turnaround time and manage external counsel budgets effectively.
- Risk Mitigation & Governance: Advise leadership on corporate governance, intellectual property protection, and compliance matters (e.g., Sanctions, AML) as they arise in a fast-paced environment.
Qualifications
- Experience: 3–5 years of private practice experience, followed by 2+ years working in-house at a high-growth technology company.
- Education & Credentials: Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent and a member in good standing with the Law Society of Ontario.
- Commercial Acumen: Ability to balance legal risk with business objectives—acting as a "facilitator" for Sales rather than a "blocker."
- Cross-Border Expertise: Strong familiarity with US commercial law and market standards (liability caps, indemnities), given our predominantly US-based customer base.
- Startup Agility: Proven ability to navigate ambiguity, "put out fires" effectively, and manage a high volume of varied legal tasks autonomously.
- Tech-Forward Mindset: Demonstrated proficiency with CRM (HubSpot), Contract Management Systems (CMS), and a proactive interest in Legal AI.
Not the right fit? Search for Legal Counsel jobs in Toronto, ON
About Athennian
Athennian is a modern business entity and subsidiary governance platform that powers teams to be transaction, audit, and compliance-ready. Legal, finance, and tax professionals use Athennian to automate workflows for ownership, governance, tax, and corporate compliance.