LawVu is the premier legal workspace for in-house legal teams, unifying matter, contract, and spend management. Headquartered in Tauranga, New Zealand since 2015, LawVu’s platform leverages AI to automate routine tasks, surface actionable insights, and empower legal teams to focus on strategic work.
The Legal Counsel is a key member of the legal team, driving timely and effective legal support for our global sales and customer-facing activities.
You will lead on negotiating and drafting commercial agreements for our software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings, developing and maintaining standard terms and conditions, and advising on data/privacy issues. The role is deadline drive and works closely with Sales, Customer Success, Product, Security and Finance. You will enable fast, scalable and compliant contracting that supports the company’s growth.
Areas of Responsibilities
Key Responsibilities
1. Lead SaaS and Commercial Contracting
- Draft, review and negotiate a wide range of B2B technology contracts, including SaaS subscription agreements, Master services agreements (MSAs), reseller and referral partner agreements, and Data processing agreements (DPAs) and security addenda.
- Act as the primary legal point of contact for customer deals and supplier negotiations.
- Ensure contracts reflect the company’s commercial objectives, risk appetite and product model.
2. Evaluate risk within the business context
- Take end-to-end ownership of negotiations on enterprise-level customer contracts.
- Balance legal risk with commercial outcomes, proposing pragmatic options and trade-offs.
- Join customer calls and meetings to support Sales and Customer Success in landing key deals.
- Support developing and maintaining negotiation playbooks and fallback positions for key clauses
3. Provide IP, IT and Data/Privacy Expertise
- Advise on intellectual property ownership and licensing, including software, content, know-how and trade secrets.
- Provide guidance on privacy and data protection requirements in a SaaS context, including cross-border data transfers and data processing arrangements.
4. Draft Clear, Modern Templates and Policies
- Own and continuously improve customer-facing templates and online terms
- Draft in plain, modern language that is clear for both internal stakeholders and customers.
- Keep templates aligned with product roadmap, security posture, market practice and regulatory changes.
5. Embed a Commercial and Product Mindset
- Develop a deep understanding of our SaaS product and emerging technologies provisioned by LawVu
6. Operate Effectively in a Growth Environment
- Manage a high and varied workload, often under time pressure and with competing priorities.
- Work autonomously on day-to-day matters, while knowing when to seek input or escalate.
- Help refine and streamline ways of working so the legal team can support growth at scale.
7. Collaborate as a Trusted Business Partner
- Build strong relationships with Sales, Customer Success, Product, Security, Finance and other stakeholders.
- Be seen as a problem-solver who helps the business get to “yes” safely, not a blocker.
- Provide concise, solution-oriented advice to non-lawyers, tailored to different audiences.
8. Strengthen Legal Processes, Judgement and Governance
- Exercise sound legal judgement and take clear ownership of issues from start to finish.
- Improve and maintain contracting processes and legal operations
- Contribute to broader legal and compliance initiatives, such as policy development, internal training and risk management.
Required Qualifications
- Qualified lawyer with a current practising certificate (or equivalent)
- 8+ years of PQE in gained in a reputable law firm and in-house environment.
- Significant experience with B2B commercial contracts, ideally with a strong focus on technology/SaaS.
- Demonstrated experience advising on IP, IT and data/privacy issues in a commercial context.
- Prior in-house experience in a fast-paced technology, SaaS or high-growth environment is advantageous.
Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range: TBC
- Equity participation, comprehensive health benefits, professional development budget, flexible work arrangements, and leadership coaching.
LawVu is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusio
