Founding Lawyer
At Exa, we're building a next-generation AI search engine—one that outperforms Google for power users. We help people find the information they can’t get anywhere else: https://exa.ai/websets
We’re an SF team of ~50 from Harvard, MIT, Apple, Palantir, etc. We recently raised an $85M Series B from Benchmark, and we are rapidly building the most intelligent search engine in history.
Now, we’re looking for a Head of Legal to help build our Exa family!
About the Role
We're seeking an experienced Head of Legal to join our growing tech company as our first in-house legal executive. This role will own all legal functions across the organization, from commercial negotiations to corporate governance, with a particular focus on our AI-powered products and technology platform.
What You’ll Do
Lead commercial negotiations - Take point on customer legal calls, contract negotiations, and partnership agreements, working directly with enterprise clients and their legal teams
Manage legal risk and compliance - Assess and mitigate legal risks related to our AI models, data usage, and highly technical product offerings
Support fundraising and corporate development - Handle legal aspects of funding rounds, M&A activity, and major corporate transactions
Oversee employment and equity matters - Manage employee agreements, equity compensation, HR legal issues, and compliance with employment law
Shape product and business strategy - Provide legal guidance on product positioning, go-to-market strategies, and business model decisions
Build legal operations - Establish legal processes, vendor relationships, and eventually hire and manage junior legal staff
Handle intellectual property matters - Advise on copyright, patents, trade secrets, and IP strategy (copyright knowledge preferred)
Ensure regulatory compliance - Navigate evolving AI regulations, data privacy laws, and industry-specific compliance requirements
What You’ll Need
8+ years of commercial legal experience with a focus on technology companies and complex B2B contracts
Deep copyright expertise with a strong understanding of U.S. and international copyright law; experience advising on content ingestion, fair use, derivative works, licensing structures, and IP risk in AI/ML contexts
Proven track record in legal negotiations with enterprise customers and technical product legal matters
AI/ML legal expertise - Experience with AI model licensing, data usage rights, and emerging AI regulations
Technical product experience - Ability to understand and provide legal counsel on highly technical products and services
Corporate law background - Experience with fundraising, corporate governance, equity compensation, and employment law
Strong business acumen - Can balance legal risk with business objectives and contribute to strategic decisions
Leadership experience - Capable of building and managing legal teams as we scale
JD from top-tier law school with bar admission in relevant jurisdiction
Startup or high-growth company experience preferred
This is an in-person opportunity in San Francisco. We're big believers in in-person culture!
In addition to premium healthcare benefits (medical, dental, vision), we also offer fertility benefits and a monthly wellness stipend to all of our employees.