Commercial Counsel

Role Overview

• Review customer RFPs and advise internal stakeholders on key legal and business risks, including identification of areas requiring exceptions to mitigate exposure.
• Draft, review, and negotiate customer agreements across all service lines, including home-to-school, charter, and technology-only engagements.
• Provide strategic guidance on proposal submissions, partnering with the business development and operations teams to align legal positions with commercial objectives.
• Respond to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, ensuring protection of confidential and proprietary information from public disclosure.
• Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of vendor and commercial agreements, including service agreements, technology and software licenses, and NDAs.
• Assist with a variety of financing transactions and related compliance, including vehicle leases and purchases, and corporate banking transactions.
• Maintain and periodically update the company’s standard contract templates to reflect current best practices, regulatory changes, and evolving business needs.
• Review and advise on grant award contracts, confirming the company’s ability to comply with funding conditions, reporting obligations, and related requirements.
• Advise internal teams on dispute resolution strategies for customer and vendor matters, balancing legal risk with operational priorities and relationship considerations.
• Partner with the technology organization to develop, implement, and manage a comprehensive intellectual property strategy, including oversight of the company's patent, trademark, trade secret, and copyright portfolio to protect proprietary technology, software, and brand assets.
• Work with outside counsel to oversee the filing, prosecution, and maintenance of patent and trademark applications domestically and internationally, ensuring timely renewals and cost-effective portfolio management.
• Draft, review, and negotiate IP-related provisions in commercial agreements, including technology licensing agreements, vendor contracts, data sharing arrangements, and partnership agreements to protect the company's intellectual property interests.
• Manage IP due diligence in connection with corporate transactions, advise on IP ownership and invention assignment matters.
• Work with the technology team on open-source license review and guidelines for open source software use.
• Train internal stakeholders on CLM system usage and best practices to enhance cross-departmental collaboration and reduce legal bottlenecks.
• Develop and implement workflows, including AI-based tools, to improve consistency and efficiency in service delivery, and compliance with contractual and regulatory obligations.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing in at least one U.S. state bar. California bar membership a plus.
• 10+ years of relevant legal experience, with a significant focus on commercial contracts, preferably including a mix of law firm and in-house experience.
• Deep expertise in drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex commercial agreements (customer, vendor, technology, and real estate).
• Proven ability to manage outside counsel relationships effectively and within budget.
• Excellent judgment and ability to provide practical, business-oriented legal advice in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey legal concepts clearly to non-legal stakeholders.
• Experience in the transportation, logistics, edtech, or government contracting sectors (preferred).
• Familiarity with FOIA compliance, grant-funded contracts, and public-sector procurement processes (preferred).
• Hands-on experience with contract lifecycle management (CLM) platforms, including workflow optimization and stakeholder training (preferred).
• Background in data privacy compliance, particularly in the education or student data context (e.g., FERPA, COPPA, state student privacy laws) (preferred).

Tech Stack

• Open Source

Benefits

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• 401(k)
• Holidays
• Wellness
• Vacation