Legal Counsel

Couchbase, the operational data platform for AI, empowers businesses to succeed by bringing data to life in new ways. Major market-leading companies rely on Couchbase for mission-critical operational, analytical, mobile, and AI workloads. Built to replace legacy infrastructure and fragmented data services, Couchbase empowers enterprises with a unified platform architected for performance, flexibility, and global scale. With Couchbase, organizations bring their data to life, launching game-changing customer experiences, exploring the limitless potential of AI, and seamlessly extending applications from the cloud to the edge and beyond.

Location: Raleigh, NC (in office at least 3 days/week)
Requirements: Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school and active admission to practice law in North Carolina (NC bar or eligible for NC in-house counsel license)

About the Role

We are seeking a versatile and proactive Legal Counsel to join our legal team. This intermediate role is ideal for an attorney with 2–4 years of experience looking to blend high-volume commercial deal-making with broad corporate governance and specialized functional support. In this role, you will independently draft and negotiate core commercial agreements while partnering cross-functionally across corporate governance, privacy, regulatory compliance, and policy management. You will serve as a critical liaison between commercial execution and corporate strategy, streamlining processes and providing key legal counsel to internal business stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Commercial & Transactional Execution (Primary Focus)

• Independently draft, review, and negotiate complex buy-side (vendor contracts, SOWs) and sell-side (customer sales agreements and orders) contracts, balancing legal risk with commercial goals.
• Create, own, and update standard commercial templates, playbooks, and fallback language to accelerate deal cycles.
• Streamline and operationalize the contracting lifecycle, managing contract repositories, reporting, and mapping to procurement and sales tools.

Specialized & General Counsel Support

• Monitor international regulations and operationalize applicable regulatory requirements, including industry-specific rules relevant to the Company or its customers.
• Interpret and manage domestic and international privacy regulations, support incident management, and provide legal advice in privacy—with a special focus on expanding legal considerations related to AI.
• Operationalize import/export regulations and ensure compliance amid evolving rules driven by changes in foreign relations.
• Assist with baseline corporate governance and entity management, including creation, dissolution, and routine annual maintenance across subsidiaries.
• Draft, review, and maintain functional compliance policies (HR, Finance, InfoSec, Privacy) on an annual or ad hoc basis for leadership review.
• Support internal business teams in resolving standard vendor, commercial, and employee disputes efficiently.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school and active admission to practice law (NC bar or eligible for NC in-house counsel license).
• 2–4 years of relevant legal experience, with a heavy emphasis on drafting and negotiating commercial contracts (in-house or law firm experience preferred).

Skills

• Demonstrated ability to independently manage end-to-end commercial contract negotiations.
• Familiarity with broader corporate functional areas, including employment law basics, IP oversight, and corporate governance.
• Strong legal drafting skills with an appetite for process improvement and template creation.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to effectively collaborate with sales, procurement, HR, and executive leadership.
• Self-sufficient but a team player.

Benefits

• Generous Time Off Program: Flexibility to care for you and your family.
• Wellness Benefits: A variety of world-class medical plans to choose from, along with dental, vision, life insurance, and employee assistance programs.
• Financial Planning: Retirement program and Business Travel Insurance.
• Career Growth: Be valued, Create value approach.
• Fun Perks: An ergonomic and comfortable in-office/WFH setup. Food & Snacks for in-office employees.
• And much more!

Note: Some programs are not applicable to all countries. Please discuss with a Couchbase recruiter to learn more.