Coinbase · 8 hours ago
Senior Counsel, Institutional Legal
United States
Full-time
Remote
Mid, Senior Level
£129K/yr - £144K/yr
7+ years expCoinbase is on a mission to increase economic freedom in the world and is seeking a Senior Counsel for their Institutional Legal team. The role involves leading projects related to derivatives and financing initiatives, providing legal advice on complex agreements, and shaping regulatory strategies in the digital currency space.
BitcoinBlockchainCryptocurrencyFinTechTrading Platform
Responsibilities
Independently lead projects to launch cutting edge products for a variety of global derivatives and financing initiatives. Provide practical and actionable advice on nuanced, novel legal issues and risks, complex agreement structures and company policies in a risk-tolerant and compliance-oriented environment
Lead structuring and regulatory advice in the context of bespoke, high-profile agreements with strategic partners and sophisticated counterparties in the finance, derivatives and digital currency space
Help shape and advise on cutting edge digital currency and blockchain technology regulatory issues, particularly with respect to derivatives, leveraged and structured transactions and complex margin lending arrangements in the UK, EU, Middle East and elsewhere
Effectively and independently lead complex and global cross-functional efforts, driving and ensuring cross-functional alignment with other stakeholders (Institutional Sales, Business Development, Product/Engineering, Finance/Tax, Compliance) to solve problems, build partnerships, and ship products to market
Apply a solutions-oriented approach to problems raised by the business as they plan and execute on an aggressive global growth plan, develop scaled strategies for addressing risk in business-centric ways and build commercial processes that allow the business flexibility and freedom to move quickly
Look around corners anticipating steps ahead, and creatively guide the business to plan, build, and execute transactional and product roadmaps
Be a key business partner, not just a lawyer
Qualification
Required
Qualified attorney in England and Wales, a financial hub within the European Union or in a major US jurisdiction with at least 7 years experience working in a financial services institution (e.g. an exchange or central clearing counterparty, broker dealer / asset manager, trading firm, bank or brokerage) or in a law firm supporting such clients (ideally with some in-house experience)
Interest and experience with digital currency and blockchain technology
Experience working with product teams launching financial services, investment or similar products
Experience working and leading with cross-functional, globally located teams
Expertise with UK and EU regulatory regimes applicable to derivatives and financial instruments (including MiFID & EMIR) and familiarity with crypto asset regulations (e.g. MiCA)
A track record of challenging the status quo and preconceived notions of what is possible
Confidence and nuance giving advice on novel products in areas of regulatory ambiguity
Excellent judgement, analytical rigour, clear and direct written and oral communication skills, and business pragmatism
Top-notch analytical skills with experience owning projects from concept to finish
Creativity, comfort and experience with solutions that help scale financial services businesses and technology solutions
Sound and practical business judgement
Intellectual curiosity and flexibility. Hunger to learn and expand skillsets
Team-oriented and collaborative
Preferred
Experience leading critical authorisation and license applications for derivatives or similar highly-regulated products in major jurisdictions
Experience analyzing the regulatory status of crypto assets and whether they may qualify as regulated financial instruments (e.g. under MiFID)
Experience of advising on cross-border licensing requirements, safe-harbors and creating client classification procedures mapped to regulatory requirements
Strong negotiation skills and ability to independently review and negotiate complex and novel financial agreements (e.g. prime brokerage, lending and derivatives documentation)
Benefits
Bonus eligibility
Equity eligibility
Benefits (including medical, dental, and vision)
Company
Coinbase
Coinbase is a crypto exchange and wallet platform that allows merchants and consumers to buy, sell, and store digital currencies.
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Coinbase has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (154)
2024 (92)
2023 (96)
2022 (284)
2021 (183)
2020 (66)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$4.46BKey Investors
ARK Investment ManagementDFJ GrowthTiger Global Management
2025-12-19Post Ipo Equity· $4.2M
2025-08-05Post Ipo Debt· $2.6B
2025-03-04Post Ipo Equity· $8M
Leadership Team
Brian Armstrong
CEO & Co-Founder
Alesia Haas
Chief Financial Officer
Recent News
2025-12-31
2025-12-31
Company data provided by crunchbase