Head of Legal
Cupertino, CA · On-site
$2.0K/mo
Head of Legal: Etched is seeking a Head of Legal to lead all legal operations as we develop next-generation AI hardware. You will own our commercial agreements, structure legal processes, and serve ...
Head of Legal
Cupertino, CA · On-site
$2.0K/mo
Head of Legal: Etched is seeking a Head of Legal to lead all legal operations as we develop next-generation AI hardware. You will own our commercial agreements, structure legal processes, and serve ...
Head of Legal
Manhattan, NY · On-site
$180 - $280/hr
We are seeking an experienced Head of Legal to lead our legal function and serve as a strategic partner. This critical role involves managing the legal portfolio, negotiating key agreements, advising ...
Head of Legal
Manhattan, NY · On-site
$180 - $280/hr
We are seeking an experienced Head of Legal to lead our legal function and serve as a strategic partner. This critical role involves managing the legal portfolio, negotiating key agreements, advising ...
Head of Legal
Cupertino, CA · On-site
$2.0K/mo
Head of Legal: Etched is seeking a Head of Legal to lead all legal operations as we develop next-generation AI hardware. You will own our commercial agreements, structure legal processes, and serve ...
Head of Legal
Cupertino, CA · On-site
$2.0K/mo
Head of Legal: Etched is seeking a Head of Legal to lead all legal operations as we develop next-generation AI hardware. You will own our commercial agreements, structure legal processes, and serve ...
Head of Legal
Cupertino, CA · On-site
$2.0K/mo
Head of Legal: Etched is seeking a Head of Legal to lead all legal operations as we develop next-generation AI hardware. You will own our commercial agreements, structure legal processes, and serve ...
Head of Legal
Cupertino, CA · On-site
$2.0K/mo
Head of Legal: Etched is seeking a Head of Legal to lead all legal operations as we develop next-generation AI hardware. You will own our commercial agreements, structure legal processes, and serve ...
Head of Legal
Miami, FL · On-site
$120 - $160/hr
We are seeking an experienced Head of Legal to lead our legal function and serve as a strategic partner. This critical role involves managing the legal portfolio, negotiating key agreements, advising ...
Head of Legal
Miami, FL · On-site
$120 - $160/hr
We are seeking an experienced Head of Legal to lead our legal function and serve as a strategic partner. This critical role involves managing the legal portfolio, negotiating key agreements, advising ...
Head of Legal
Miami, FL · On-site
$120 - $160/hr
We are seeking an experienced Head of Legal to lead our legal function and serve as a strategic partner. This critical role involves managing the legal portfolio, negotiating key agreements, advising ...
Head of Legal
Miami, FL · On-site
$120 - $160/hr
We are seeking an experienced Head of Legal to lead our legal function and serve as a strategic partner. This critical role involves managing the legal portfolio, negotiating key agreements, advising ...
As we deploy capital into the most innovative protocols and infrastructure projects, we are seeking a Head of Legal to architect our global fund structures and navigate the rapidly evolving ...
As we deploy capital into the most innovative protocols and infrastructure projects, we are seeking a Head of Legal to architect our global fund structures and navigate the rapidly evolving ...
Candidates will default into the "Head of Legal" role, which is a Senior Director-level position. However, those candidates who have significant prior GC experience, especially in grantmaking or ...
Candidates will default into the "Head of Legal" role, which is a Senior Director-level position. However, those candidates who have significant prior GC experience, especially in grantmaking or ...
Head of Legal
New York, NY · On-site
$250K - $325K/yr
ABOUT THE ROLE As the Head of Legal at Aaru, you will build and own the full legal stack, serving as a senior partner to the founders and operational leads on the company's most consequential ...
Head of Legal
New York, NY · On-site
$250K - $325K/yr
ABOUT THE ROLE As the Head of Legal at Aaru, you will build and own the full legal stack, serving as a senior partner to the founders and operational leads on the company's most consequential ...
Head of Legal
Las Vegas, NV · On-site
... Head of Legal. This role is ideal for a candidate with 10 years of progressive legal counsel experience including leadership responsibilities, who thrives in a dynamic business environment and is ...
Head of Legal
Las Vegas, NV · On-site
... Head of Legal. This role is ideal for a candidate with 10 years of progressive legal counsel experience including leadership responsibilities, who thrives in a dynamic business environment and is ...
Head of Legal
Manhattan, NY · On-site
$150 - $200/hr
ABOUT THE ROLE As the Head of Legal at Aaru, you will build and own the full legal stack, serving as a senior partner to the founders and operational leads on the company's most consequential ...
Head of Legal
Manhattan, NY · On-site
$150 - $200/hr
ABOUT THE ROLE As the Head of Legal at Aaru, you will build and own the full legal stack, serving as a senior partner to the founders and operational leads on the company's most consequential ...
Head of Legal
Covington, LA · On-site
DESCRIPTION Summary of Role As Head of Legal (remote- US based only) at Netchex, you'll lead our Legal function and serve as the senior legal voice in the room - owning commercial contracting end-to ...
Head of Legal
Covington, LA · On-site
DESCRIPTION Summary of Role As Head of Legal (remote- US based only) at Netchex, you'll lead our Legal function and serve as the senior legal voice in the room - owning commercial contracting end-to ...
Head of Legal
New York, NY · On-site
$220K - $300K/yr
What You'll Do As Pulley's first Head of Legal, you'll build and own our commercial legal function, taking on the legal and contract work our team has been absorbing as we've grown, and putting real ...
Head of Legal
New York, NY · On-site
$220K - $300K/yr
What You'll Do As Pulley's first Head of Legal, you'll build and own our commercial legal function, taking on the legal and contract work our team has been absorbing as we've grown, and putting real ...
Head of Legal
Denver, CO · On-site
$140K - $200K/yr
Overview AgentSync is hiring a Head of Legal to build our legal strategy and provide guidance across the business, with a strong focus on SaaS commercial and transactional agreements. We are looking ...
Head of Legal
Denver, CO · On-site
$140K - $200K/yr
Overview AgentSync is hiring a Head of Legal to build our legal strategy and provide guidance across the business, with a strong focus on SaaS commercial and transactional agreements. We are looking ...
Head of Legal
Manhattan, NY · On-site
$180 - $300/hr
What You'll Do As Pulley's first Head of Legal, you'll build and own our commercial legal function, taking on the legal and contract work our team has been absorbing as we've grown, and putting real ...
Head of Legal
Manhattan, NY · On-site
$180 - $300/hr
What You'll Do As Pulley's first Head of Legal, you'll build and own our commercial legal function, taking on the legal and contract work our team has been absorbing as we've grown, and putting real ...
Head of Legal
Denver, CO · On-site
$130 - $180/hr
Overview AgentSync is hiring a Head of Legal to build our legal strategy and provide guidance across the business, with a strong focus on SaaS commercial and transactional agreements. We are looking ...
Head of Legal
Denver, CO · On-site
$130 - $180/hr
Overview AgentSync is hiring a Head of Legal to build our legal strategy and provide guidance across the business, with a strong focus on SaaS commercial and transactional agreements. We are looking ...
Head of Legal
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$130 - $180/hr
About the Role We're hiring our first Head of Legal to own and scale the legal function at Juicebox. As a company operating in a rapidly evolving data and privacy landscape, legal is deeply ...
Head of Legal
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$130 - $180/hr
About the Role We're hiring our first Head of Legal to own and scale the legal function at Juicebox. As a company operating in a rapidly evolving data and privacy landscape, legal is deeply ...
Head of Legal
Covington, LA · Remote
Summary of Role As Head of Legal ( remote- US based only ) at Netchex, you'll lead our Legal function and serve as the senior legal voice in the room -- owning commercial contracting end-to-end ...
Quick apply
Head of Legal
Covington, LA · Remote
Summary of Role As Head of Legal ( remote- US based only ) at Netchex, you'll lead our Legal function and serve as the senior legal voice in the room -- owning commercial contracting end-to-end ...
Head of Legal
$250K - $300K/yr
The Head of Legal will act as a strategic partner to the executive team, influencing core technical, commercial, and regulatory decisions. Key Responsibilities * Own Until's IP strategy across ...
Quick apply
Head of Legal
$250K - $300K/yr
The Head of Legal will act as a strategic partner to the executive team, influencing core technical, commercial, and regulatory decisions. Key Responsibilities * Own Until's IP strategy across ...
Serve as the primary legal point of contact for the Board of Directors. * Directs the preparation, quality, and contextual framing of Board and committee materials in conjunction with management and ...
Serve as the primary legal point of contact for the Board of Directors. * Directs the preparation, quality, and contextual framing of Board and committee materials in conjunction with management and ...
Head Of Legal information
See salary details
$76.5K - $90K
7% of jobs
$90K - $103.5K
13% of jobs
$108.6K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$103.5K - $117K
13% of jobs
The median wage is $125.6K / yr.
$117K - $130.5K
27% of jobs
$130.5K - $144K
12% of jobs
$150.8K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$144K - $157.5K
7% of jobs
$157.5K - $171K
5% of jobs
$171K - $184.5K
5% of jobs
$184.5K - $198K
3% of jobs
$198K - $211.5K
1% of jobs
$211.5K - $225K
6% of jobs
$76.5K
$139.4K
$225K
How much do head of legal jobs pay per year?
As of Aug 25, 2026, the average yearly pay for head of legal in the United States is $139,444.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $109,000.00 and $160,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.
What does a head of legal do?
A Head of Legal is responsible for overseeing all legal matters within an organization, ensuring the company complies with laws and regulations. They provide strategic legal advice to senior management, manage the legal department, and often handle contract negotiations, risk management, and dispute resolution. Additionally, they may liaise with external counsel, develop company policies, and ensure the protection of the organization's legal interests.
What are some common challenges faced by a head of legal when managing a diverse legal team?
A Head of Legal often navigates challenges such as balancing workload across multiple practice areas, ensuring team members stay updated on changing regulations, and fostering effective collaboration between in-house counsel and external law firms. Additionally, aligning legal strategies with business objectives while maintaining compliance can be complex, requiring strong leadership and communication skills. Regular training, clear delegation, and open channels of communication are key strategies for overcoming these challenges and fostering a high-performing legal team.
What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a head of legal, and why are they important?
To thrive as a Head of Legal, you need extensive legal expertise, strategic thinking, and a law degree with relevant bar admission. Familiarity with legal research tools, contract management systems, and compliance software is typically required. Exceptional leadership, negotiation, and communication skills are vital for managing teams and advising stakeholders. These abilities ensure effective risk management, regulatory compliance, and alignment of legal strategy with business goals.
What is the difference between Head Of Legal vs Legal Counsel?
| Aspect | Head Of Legal | Legal Counsel |
|---|---|---|
| Responsibilities | Oversees entire legal department, develops legal strategies, manages compliance at a corporate level | Provides legal advice on specific issues, drafts contracts, supports business units |
| Required Credentials | Law degree, bar admission, extensive legal experience, leadership skills | Law degree, bar admission, specialized legal experience |
| Work Environment | Executive office, strategic planning, cross-department collaboration | Legal department, client-facing, focused on specific legal matters |
The Head Of Legal typically holds a senior leadership role, managing the entire legal team and setting legal strategy for the organization. Legal Counsel usually focuses on providing legal advice and support on specific issues. While both roles require a law degree and bar admission, the Head Of Legal emphasizes leadership and strategic oversight, whereas Legal Counsel concentrates on legal analysis and casework.
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Who are the top companies hiring for Head Of Legal jobs?
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States with the most job openings for Head Of Legal jobs include:
$2.0K/mo
Full-time
Medical, Dental, Vision
Re-posted 2 days ago
Job description
About Etched
Etched is building AI chips that are hard-coded for individual model architectures. Our first product (Sohu) only supports transformers, but has an order of magnitude more throughput and lower latency than a B200. With Etched ASICs, you can build products that would be impossible with GPUs, like real-time video generation models and extremely deep chain-of-thought reasoning.
Head of Legal:
Etched is seeking a Head of Legal to lead all legal operations as we develop next-generation AI hardware. You will own our commercial agreements, structure legal processes, and serve as a key strategic partner to the executive team. As Etched's founding legal leader, you will build and scale our legal function, developing both the immediate infrastructure and long-term strategic vision
Representative Projects:
- Advise on a broad range of legal matters including commercial agreements, corporate governance, intellectual property, and employment law
- Design and negotiate complex commercial contracts including supplier agreements, customer deals, and IP licensing
- Work closely with the finance, sales, and operations teams to structure deals, transactions, and relationships with customers and vendors
- Build efficient legal processes and systems to support rapid company growth
- Support employment matters including visa sponsorship, compensation, and general employment law compliance
- Lead equity compensation programs and support corporate governance matters
- Collaborate with external counsel on specialized technical matters
- Structure compliance frameworks across the organization
- Provide strategic counsel to executive team on matters such as risk management and legal strategy
You maybe a good fit if you have
- 5-10 years of legal experience, combining big law and in-house technology experience
- Deep expertise in commercial negotiations and contract drafting
- Track record of independently managing complex legal operations and taking ownership over key projects and initiatives
- Strong business judgment and ability to make independent decisions
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex legal concepts to non-legal stakeholders
- Strong business acumen with the ability to balance legal risk and commercial objectives
- Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school and admission to practice law in the relevant jurisdiction (California bar preferred)
Strong candidates may also have experience with:
- Detailed understanding of key contractual concepts and risk areas in AI hardware, including but not limited to limitation of liability, indemnification, semiconductor IP rights, manufacturing agreements, hardware warranties, performance specifications, supply chain requirements, commercial licensing, test/validation frameworks, and revenue recognition
- Working directly with engineering teams on technical contracts
- Deep understanding of AI, hardware, and/or semiconductors
- Deep understanding of the AI research field and broader market
We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every single qualification.
How we're different:
Etched believes in the Bitter Lesson. We think most of the progress in the AI field has come from using more FLOPs to train and run models, and the best way to get more FLOPs is to build model-specific hardware. Larger and larger training runs encourage companies to consolidate around fewer model architectures, which creates a market for single-model ASICs.
We are a fully in-person team in Cupertino, and greatly value engineering skills. We do not have boundaries between engineering and research, and we expect all of our technical staff to contribute to both as needed.
Benefits:
- Full medical, dental, and vision packages, with 100% of premium covered, 90% for dependents
- Housing subsidy of $2,000/month for those living within walking distance of the office
- Daily lunch and dinner in our office
- Relocation support for those moving to Cupertino