Senior Counsel at Linear

This constitutes a unique opportunity for an experienced legal generalist to join a high-growth startup as its first in-house hire. The ideal candidate has over

Work type: remote

Location: North America

Type: Full-time

Summary

This constitutes a unique opportunity for an experienced legal generalist to join a high-growth startup as its first in-house hire. The ideal candidate has over 8 years of experience, likely starting in a top-tier law firm before moving into a scaling Series B–D tech company. You should be comfortable operating as a "department of one," balancing high-level strategy with hands-on tasks like drafting enterprise MSAs and managing cap tables. Linear offers a remote-first culture that prioritizes "deep focus" and craftsmanship over constant meetings. While the salary isn't disclosed, the package includes employee-friendly equity terms, five weeks of vacation, and unique perks like a monthly stipend for co-working and a "sabbatical" month off every two years. You'll have significant influence, working directly with founders to build the legal framework for AI-driven products. **You might be a good fit if you...** * Have experience navigating the legal and privacy complexities of AI and data handling. * Are a "pragmatic" lawyer who knows how to move quickly without compromising essential protections. * Can independently manage diverse areas ranging from international HR compliance to trademark law. * Enjoy the autonomy of a remote role and prefer async collaboration over a traditional office environment.

Job Description

At Linear, we're building the product development system for teams and agents. AI is fundamentally changing how software gets built, and we’re shaping the tools this new era requires.

Founded in 2019, Linear has become the platform of choice for more than 25,000 companies (including OpenAI, Coinbase, and Ramp) to plan, build, and ship their products. Today, our team is distributed across North America and Europe, and we’re continuing to grow internationally. What unites us is relentless focus, fast execution, and a deep care for software craftsmanship.

As Linear continues to scale globally and work with larger customers, we are looking for our first Senior Counsel. This is a foundational, generalist role designed to move us to a proactive legal posture that supports our high-velocity culture.

As our first in-house legal hire, you will be a pragmatic, hands-on partner across commercial, product, and operational legal matters. You will own the legal roadmap, manage outside counsel, and provide the support we need to ship quality products quickly. You will work closely with our founders and leadership to support Linear’s global growth. You’ll draft, review, and negotiate agreements, advise managers, and take the lead on deciding when we need to call on outside counsel and when we don’t.

Location & work mode:

Linear is a remote-first company. This role is open to candidates based in North America. You can work from anywhere within this region. We value deep focus and async collaboration, with intentional moments to connect in person through team off-sites, optional co-working, and occasional travel.What you’ll do

• Own core legal areas, including commercial agreements, trademarks, and corporate governance/equity, with support from outside counsel as needed

• Develop the legal foundation/frameworks for new products and initiatives

• Work closely with our product teams to navigate the legal implications of AI, including data privacy and model usage

• Lead negotiations for our most complex enterprise MSAs and DPAs, focusing on high-leverage issues like liability caps and indemnification

• Partner with Product and Engineering during feature design and development to identify legal and regulatory implications early—including privacy-by-design, AI data handling, and enterprise compliance requirements—so that legal considerations are built in, not bolted on

• Act as the primary interface to outside counsel, ensuring that they are used effectively and cost-efficiently

• Advise our People and Talent teams on HR matters across multiple states/countries as we continue our international expansion

• Give clear legal guidance that teams can use without constant escalation

• Help identify risks early and frame them clearly, enabling leadership to make informed decisions

• 5+ years of legal experience, ideally both law firm and in-house

• Experience supporting a scaling, product-led company (Series B-D or similar stage)

• Experience supporting venture financings and equity matters, including cap table management and corporate governance

• Strong commercial contracting experience, including enterprise SaaS agreements

• Familiarity with privacy and security requirements for enterprise customers, including the implications of AI data handling

• Comfort advising on employment and HR issues in a global, remote-first context

• Sound judgment and the ability to communicate conclusions in areas such as legal/regulatory risk in clear, practical terms

• A bias toward figuring things out independently, while knowing when to seek outside expertise

• Knows when to hold the line and when pragmatism serves the business better than perfection

We're a small, focused team that cares deeply about the quality of our work and the people we do it with. Here's what you can expect:

• Competitive salary and equity

• Employee-friendly equity terms including early exercise in the US and extended exercise windows

• Daily meal and coffee stipend on every workday

• Paid co-working space or desk

• Health coverage (based on country requirements)

• 5 weeks paid vacation, plus local statutory holidays

• 4 months paid parental leave

• Paid month off after 4 years & every 2 years thereafter

• Regular team events and off-sites

• Remote-first with no required commute

• A story about our mission: [Read Me](https://linear.app/readme)

• How we work: [Designing remote work at Linear](https://linear.app/now/designing-remote-work-at-linear)

• Our CEO and co-founder, Karri at 20VC: [How to Grow Capital Efficiently in a World of BS Growth](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vqDYkuzbSM)

• Make an Org Chart You Want to Ship — [Advice from Linear on How Heirloom Tomatoes Should Inspire Team Design](https://review.firstround.com/make-an-org-chart-you-want-to-ship-advice-from-linear-on-how-heirloom-tomatoes-should-inspire-team-design/)

• Building our teams: [Why and how we do work trials at Linear](https://linear.app/blog/why-and-how-we-do-work-trials-at-linear)

• A video series: [Conversations on Quality](https://linear.app/quality)

• Read about our recent [Series C Fundraise](https://linear.app/now/building-our-way) and [Giving our team liquidity](https://linear.app/now/giving-our-team-liquidity-through-linear-s-first-tender-offer)

View this job on nocollar jobs