Senior Counsel, Partnerships

BUILD A SAFER WORLD.

TRM Labs provides AI-powered intelligence solutions that help public and private sector agencies investigate and disrupt crime. TRM's platforms enable investigators to trace illicit activity, build cases, and construct operating pictures of threat networks. Leading agencies and businesses worldwide rely on TRM to make the world safer and more secure.

We are looking for a Senior Counsel to join our legal team with a focus on complex commercial transactions. You will serve as the primary legal partner for Go To Market’s growing Partnerships team, owning the end-to-end negotiation of complex commercial agreements that underpin TRM's growth. This is a high-autonomy role that sits at the intersection of legal, product, and business strategy.

You will work directly with senior business stakeholders and report into the Assistant General Counsel. You are expected to operate independently, exercise sound judgment under ambiguity, and move quickly without sacrificing rigor.

The impact you will have:

• Own the full lifecycle of partnership, data licensing, and API access agreements — from initial term sheet through execution — using AI-assisted drafting and review tools to move standard agreements through the pipeline without delay

• Use Claude and Ironclad AI to conduct first-pass analysis of inbound redlines, pre-populate TRM's standard negotiation positions, and cut per-contract review time significantly — freeing attorney time for deals that require real judgment

• Build and maintain AI-powered contract playbooks and self-serve templates for common partnership deal structures, enabling the Partnerships team to advance conversations without waiting for legal

• Advise on data use, IP ownership, exclusivity, and liability frameworks in data-sharing and integration partnerships — structuring deals that are legally sound and commercially viable

• Serve as the embedded legal partner for Partnerships, proactively identifying legal risks before they become deal blockers and maintaining deal momentum through every stage of a transaction

• Coordinate with outside counsel on complex or high-value transactions and contribute to the development of TRM's legal function as the company scales

What we're looking for:

• J.D. from an accredited law school and active admission to at least one U.S. state bar

• 6–8 years of legal experience, with significant exposure to commercial contract negotiation; experience split between a top-tier law firm and in-house at a technology company is welcome

• Demonstrated expertise drafting and negotiating partnership agreements, data licensing agreements, and API access agreements

• Strong business judgment — you understand the deal economics, not just the legal terms, and you frame trade-offs so Partnerships can make decisions quickly

• Fluency with AI tools (Claude, Ironclad AI, Gemini, or equivalent) and a demonstrated commitment to integrating AI into daily legal workflows

• Familiarity with CLM tooling and SFDC (e.g., Ironclad)

• Prior in-house experience at a technology company, ideally in a business development, partnerships, or commercial legal function

• Familiarity with global data privacy frameworks (GDPR, CCPA) as they intersect with commercial and data-sharing agreements

• Ability to manage a high volume of matters simultaneously with minimal supervision, under tight deadlines while maintaining rigor and deal momentum

• clear, direct communicator who can translate legal complexity for non-lawyer stakeholders

• Experience with government or public sector counterparties

About the Team:

• The Legal team at TRM is lean, high-trust, and deeply embedded in the business — partners, not gatekeepers

• Team members operate with real ownership and direct visibility; you will work directly with senior Partnerships stakeholders and report to the Assistant General Counsel

• AI-first legal work is the expectation, not the exception — the team is actively building the frontier of how AI changes in-house legal practice

• Speed and practical judgment are valued over theoretical precision; the standard is "legally sound and commercially viable" delivered fast

Team Operating Rhythms:

• Primarily U.S. time zones; core collaboration hours 9am–5pm PT/ET

• Async-first communication via Slack; legal questions get same-business-day responses

• Distributed, not distant — weekly team syncs, regular 1:1s with the AGC, and embedded participation in business development/partnership deal reviews and partner negotiations

• Ironclad is the system of record; all active agreements are tracked and updated in real time

• Weekly deal review with Partnerships to triage the current pipeline and unblock active negotiations

Learn about TRM Speed in this position:

• Within 30 days: independently review and redline a standard data licensing agreement from intake to execution using AI-assisted drafting, completing the full cycle in under 48 hours with no escalations required

• Within 60 days: identify a recurring non-standard term in the partnerships pipeline, draft an AI-assisted updated playbook position, get it approved, and deploy it in Ironclad so Partnerships can self-serve the answer going forward

• Within 90 days: own a complex multi-party API access or data integration agreement from initial term sheet through signed execution — including advising on IP ownership, data use rights, and liability structure independently

LIFE AT TRM

We are building a safer world. That promise shows up in how we work every day.

TRM moves quickly. We are a high velocity, high ownership team that expects clarity, follow-through, and impact. People who thrive here are energized by hard problems, experimentation, and continuous feedback. If something takes months elsewhere, it will ship here in days.

Our work sits at the intersection of AI, national security, and fighting crime. The problems are complex, the stakes are real, and the environment evolves quickly. The pace and intensity of the work reflect the importance of the mission. As a result, the way we operate requires a high level of ownership, adaptability, collaboration, and creative problem-solving.

At TRM, you should expect:

• Priorities and targets to change quickly as we experiment and iterate

• Work that often requires operating with a high degree of ambiguity

• A high level of personal ownership and accountability

• Close collaboration across teams and functions

• Frequent, high-touch communication

• Creative problem solving and out-of-the-box thinking

• A pace that rewards urgency, adaptability, and outcomes

This environment is energizing for people who enjoy building, solving hard problems, and making progress in situations that are not always fully defined. It also requires comfort navigating ambiguity, adjusting course as new information emerges, and maintaining focus and positivity in a fast-moving and intense environment.

We also recognize that this style of operating is not for everyone. If you are primarily optimizing for predictability or a consistently balanced workload, we encourage you to use the interview process to pressure test whether this environment is truly the right fit. We want teammates who thrive here, not just survive here.

At the same time, many people find this work deeply rewarding. If you are excited by meaningful problems, motivated by ambitious goals, and energized by working alongside mission-driven colleagues, there is a good chance you will find TRM to be an exceptional place to grow and contribute. Learn more: Interviewing at TRM: How We Hire and What Success Looks Like https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/interviewing-at-trm-how-we-hire-and-what-success-looks-like

AI FLUENCY AT TRM

AI fluency is a baseline expectation at TRM.

We believe AI meaningfully changes how top performers operate. We expect every team member to use AI to accelerate and reimagine their craft, not just automate surface tasks.

At TRM, AI fluency means you are among the top 10 percent of operators in your function in how you apply AI to:

• Accelerate repeatable workflows

• Structure and solve problems

• Improve output quality

• Increase speed and leverage

You will be evaluated on applied AI fluency during the interview process.

LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES

We hire and grow against three leadership principles. They’re the standards for how we operate, treat each other, and make decisions.

• Impact-Oriented Trailblazer: We put customers first and move with speed, focus, and adaptability. We treat every plan like an experiment – test, ship, measure, and iterate quickly.

• Master Craftsperson: We care deeply about our craft. We balance speed with high standards, own outcomes end‑to‑end, and invest in getting better everyday.

• Inspiring Colleague: We add clarity and energy, not noise. We bring humility, candor, and a one‑team mindset — giving and receiving feedback to make the team stronger.

JOIN OUR MISSION

At TRM we care deeply about our craft. We are looking for individuals who want their work to matter, who experiment with speed and rigor, and who take pride in building a safer world for billions of people. If you’re excited by TRM’s mission but don’t check every box, we encourage you to apply — we hire for slope, judgment, and the will to learn fast.

TRM is a Series C company with $220M in total funding, backed by Blockchain Capital, Goldman Sachs, Bessemer, Y Combinator, Thoma Bravo, and others. Headquartered in San Francisco, TRM operates as a distributed-first company with hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Washington D.C., London, and Singapore.

PRIVACY POLICY AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

By submitting your application, you agree to allow TRM Labs to process your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy https://www.trmlabs.com/policies/privacy-policy.

We collect the information you provide (such as your resume, work history, and contact details) solely for the purpose of evaluating your candidacy for current and future roles at TRM.

Because our hiring cycles for certain positions may span 24 to 36 months, we retain your personal information for up to 36 months from the date of your application. After that period, your data is deleted unless a different retention period is required or permitted by law.

If you are located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or another jurisdiction with applicable data protection laws, you have the right to access, correct, or request deletion of your personal data at any time before that period ends. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@trmlabs.com.

To notify TRM Labs that you believe this job posting is non-compliant, please submit a report through this form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc6e8jRCl2cQwgIzXLpIGQXtwvMQh__TcokvO2toAAkT44A6Q/viewform?usp=dialog. No response will be provided to inquiries unrelated to job posting compliance.

The use of AI tools of any kind (including but not limited to notetakers, interview assistants, and real-time coaching tools such as Otter.ai, Fireflies, Fathom, Cluey, or similar) during TRM interviews is not permitted without prior approval from TRM. TRM uses its own internal tools for note-taking to ensure a consistent and confidential experience for all candidates.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevmAzPxWOYm_7kMHb9lEJlX3tpdBeHvvvNWjsI_6xhUfnXjw/viewform?usp=dialog.

RECRUITMENT AGENCIES

TRM Labs does not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to TRM employees. TRM Labs is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes and will not pay fees to any third-party agency or company without a signed agreement.

LEARN MORE: COMPANY VALUES https://www.trmlabs.com/culture | INTERVIEWING https://www.trmlabs.com/interviewing | FAQS https://www.trmlabs.com/faq