Wintermute is hiring a
Senior Legal Counsel

Summary

The job is for a Senior Legal Counsel focusing on US regulatory matters at Wintermute, a large crypto native algorithmic trading company. The role involves leading regulatory research, keeping track of evolving cryptocurrency regulations, coordinating inquiries from regulators, drafting and negotiating agreements, and getting involved in commercial disputes/litigation.

Requirements

• 5-10 years of experience practicing law (qualified), ideally a combination of a top-tier law firm, in-house counsel for a firm specialized in financial services, fintech and in crypto
• Experience working in a high-performance, dynamic and high-growth environment and leading complex projects from problem solving to completion under tight deadlines
• Being hands-on, doing whatever needs to be done and self-motivation are essential (not just reliance on outside counsel or other parties)
• Detailed knowledge of US regulation as it applies to trading firms, including SEC/Finra and CFTC/NFA rules and regulations as applied to proprietary trading crypto firms in the US and abroad
• Solid grasp of US state MTL and federal MSB rules and regulations; familiarity with US prudential regulations and NY Bitlicense Act and/or CA Digital Financial Assets Law a major plus
• Experience responding to data requests and similar requests by various government and commercial parties is strongly preferred
• Good knowledge of dispute resolution/litigation and/or US bankruptcy is strongly preferred
• Good understanding of the crypto industry, i.e. main players, types of tokens, token governance, DAOs, blockchain foundations; willingness to learn in-depth quickly is critical
• Strong grasp of commercial law in relation to financial services, e.g. OTC agreements (spot, derivatives and structured products is a strong advantage), lending agreements, financial services contracts, trading agreements and others is strongly preferred
• Proven ability to see the bigger picture and commercial strategy; quickly understand new functional areas and have a cross-functional mindset
• Strong interest and curiosity in algorithmic trading and decentralized finance
• Detail oriented, commercial hands-on attitude to legal and business problems
• Experience with MS Office. Willingness to quickly learn new tools as required, e.g. Google Suite, CRM, CLM (Ironclad and/or Spotdraft)

Responsibilities

• Lead US regulatory research and advise the business on the most appropriate implications of such regulations to each of Wintermute's businesses
• Keep track of the evolving cryptocurrency regulation (SES, CFTC, FINRA, IRS, etc) as it applies to Wintermute
• Lead and coordinate inquiries or information requests from regulators or other third parties
• Lead specific projects related to the topics above as required
• Lead legal-commercial negotiations: draft and negotiate agreements in relation to our business lines (OTC, liquidity provision, exchange agreements, trading agreements, software agreements, and others)
• Get involved in a wide range of wider legal topics depending on skills, preferences and company needs, including commercial disputes/litigation, employment, and corporate projects

Benefits

• Working at one of the most innovative trading firms globally
• Engaging projects offering accelerated responsibilities and ownership compared to traditional finance environments
• Great company culture: informal, non-hierarchical, ambitious, highly professional with a startup vibe, collaborative and entrepreneurial
• A performance-based compensation with a significant earning potential