JD and active bar admission in at least one US jurisdiction.
7+ years of legal experience with deep expertise in a specific area.
Proven track record in legal research and writing, including published works.
Genuine interest in AI and ability to collaborate with ML researchers and engineers.
Startup-ready mindset, comfortable with building from the ground up and managing diverse legal tasks.
Responsibilities
Set the legal agenda by selecting relevant laws and jurisdictions for evaluation.
Design complex, realistic scenarios in collaboration with researchers to ensure quality datasets.
Co-author legal papers and engage with the advisory board to expand the network of legal scholars.
Influence training methods to embed legal compliance in AI systems and establish pre-deployment testing as a standard.
Develop and manage bylaw's legal function, coordinating with outside counsel as needed.
Benefits
Opportunity to shape the legal landscape of AI.
Collaborative environment with researchers and engineers.
Potential for professional growth in a pioneering startup.
Engagement with a network of legal scholars and advisory board members.
Full Job Description
Salary range: $180K - $250K
Location: San Francisco, CA
Visa Sponsorship Details: Not open to any visas (e.g., U.S. citizens, green card holders)
On-site work policy: In-person in San Francisco, CA
About this role
We are looking for a Head of Legal with 7+ years of legal experience to be bylaw's first lawyer: a startup-ready builder with deep legal expertise and a real interest in AI. You will set the legal agenda for measuring whether AI follows the law, working closely with ML researchers and engineers.
What will you be doing?
Set the legal agenda: choose which bodies of law, jurisdictions and agentic scenarios we evaluate first.
Design realistic, long-context, multi-step agentic scenarios with researchers, and own the quality of our golden datasets.
Co-author our papers, work with our advisory board, and grow our network of legal scholars.
Help eval findings shape training methods that ingrain lawfulness, and make pre-deployment legal testing a best practice for AI risk management.
Build bylaw's legal function, working with outside counsel where it makes sense.
Key Requirements
JD and active bar admission in at least one US jurisdiction.
7+ years of legal experience, with deep expertise in at least one area.
A track record of legal research and writing: published scholarship, briefs or opinions.
Real interest in AI, and comfort working closely with ML researchers and engineers on technical problems.
Startup-ready: you like building from zero, move fast and are happy to own both research and day-to-day legal work.
