Founding Head of Legal

Summary

Join ModernFi as their first in-house legal leader and founding team member, establishing and owning the legal function. You will serve as a key partner across the business, advising on commercial agreements, risk, compliance, people operations, and fundraising. This role offers the unique opportunity to join a rapidly growing fintech company and shape its operational and regulatory foundation. You will own core legal responsibilities, advise on legal risk, support due diligence processes, partner with internal teams on employment-related legal needs, prepare for and support fundraising activities, contribute to ModernFi’s compliance posture, represent ModernFi externally, and build the internal legal infrastructure. The ideal candidate possesses 5–8+ years of experience, a JD from a prominent law school, and bar admission. They should be confident in contract negotiation and legal strategy, comfortable working cross-functionally, and entrepreneurial.

Requirements

• 5–8+ years of experience, ideally with a mix of law firm and in-house roles, particularly at a technology or fintech company
• Hold a JD from a prominent law school as well as a bar admission
• Confident in contract negotiation and legal strategy, especially in regulated or B2B enterprise contexts
• Thoughtful and pragmatic in your approach to legal risk, with the ability to advise on what’s essential, what’s flexible, and what to push back on
• Comfortable working cross-functionally and explaining legal concepts to non-legal stakeholders
• Entrepreneurial — excited to build from the ground up, work through ambiguity, and be part of a founding team

Responsibilities

• Own all core legal responsibilities as the first in-house legal hire, including revising, reviewing and negotiating client contracts, vendor agreements, NDAs, and employment documents
• Advise on legal risk, particularly in reviewing contractual agreements from institutional bank and credit union partners and vendor relationships
• Support due diligence processes from customers, vendors, and investors with clear, efficient, and consistent legal review
• Partner with internal teams on employment-related legal needs, such as offer letters and policy documentation
• Prepare for and support fundraising activities, including working with outside counsel and managing investor diligence
• Contribute to ModernFi’s compliance posture, especially regarding frameworks relevant to FDIC, NCUA, OCC, and Federal Reserve guidance on risk management for third-party relationships
• Represent ModernFi on external legal and compliance calls with banks, credit unions, and other partners
• Build the internal legal infrastructure — processes, templates, and policies — that will scale with the company

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with banks, credit unions, or financial infrastructure is a strong plus
• Familiarity with regulatory and compliance frameworks for financial services (e.g., GLBA, SOC 2, FFIEC)
• Experience supporting early-stage fundraising or venture-backed startups

Benefits

• A generous salary
• Unlimited PTO
• 401(k)
• Premium health, dental, and vision insurance
• Significant equity at a critical stage of the company’s growth