General Counsel

Wormhole Labs

General Counsel overseeing legal matters including regulatory and corporate issues in a blockchain company. Provide legal guidance for various functions including engineering, product development, and business operations.

Posted 6/1/2026full-timeRemote • 🇺🇸 United StatesSeniorLeadWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Apache

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Own regulatory strategy across the US (SEC, CFTC, FinCEN, OFAC, state MTLs) and key non-US jurisdictions (MiCA, FCA, MAS); engage directly with regulators when needed.
Lead deal work: M&A, strategic investments, financings, joint ventures, etc.
Draft, negotiate, and operationalize the full commercial contract stack: customer, partner, vendor, BD, integration, and protocol partnership agreements.
Partner on global employment matters like offer letters, contractor agreements, immigration, separations, and policy.
Oversee IP strategy, open-source licensing posture, and trademark portfolio.
Run litigation, regulatory inquiries, subpoenas, and enforcement matters; select and manage outside counsel; control legal spend.
Advise on privacy, data, and sanctions compliance across product surfaces.
Structure and maintain the company's corporate architecture across multiple entities
Operate as a business-minded partner to engineering, product, BD, and finance: integrated into the process with fast turnarounds and clear guidance.
Manage engagements with external counsel.

Requirements

What you’ll need

8+ years of legal practice with strong law firm training.
JD and active US bar admission (any state).
Demonstrated ability to operate as a sole legal lead, comfortable being the only lawyer in the room and the last set of eyes before something ships.
Substantive command of US financial services and securities regulation as applied to digital assets.
Track record running M&A, financings, and complex commercial negotiations to close.
Pragmatic risk judgment. You know the difference between a real risk and a hypothetical one, and you don't hide behind the second to avoid taking a position.
High-trust communicator who can deliver bad news to founders, executives, and counterparties without theatrics.
Comfortable in a remote-first, async, global environment with a travel cadence to match.
Prior experience advising a crypto, DeFi, or fintech company, in-house or as outside counsel.
Experience structuring multi-entity setups, including offshore affiliates and operating subsidiaries.
Experience managing legal aspects of open-source contributions and permissive or copyleft licensing (MIT, Apache, BSL).

Benefits

Comp & perks

Competitive salary and restricted token units, dependent on position type and location.
Discretionary bonus dependent on company performance.

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

legal practiceM&Acommercial negotiationsregulatory strategyprivacy compliancedata compliancesanctions complianceopen-source licensingtrademark managementcorporate architecture

Soft Skills

high-trust communicationpragmatic risk judgmentbusiness-minded partnershipability to operate as sole legal leadclear guidancefast turnaroundcomfort in remote-first environmentability to deliver bad newsengagement managementcollaboration with executives

Certifications

JDactive US bar admission