Litigation & Employment Counsel

About the role

Instawork is on a mission to create meaningful economic opportunities for skilled hourly professionals in communities around the globe. Our AI-powered labor marketplace helps local businesses scale, and enables global technology companies to push the frontiers of robotics and AI. Backed by world-class investors like Benchmark, Spark Capital, Craft Ventures, Greylock, Y Combinator, and others, we’re looking for exceptional talent to reimagine the way the world works. This position is eligible for equity in the form of stock options and Instawork benefits, including a variety of medical, dental, and vision plans, flexible paid time off, and commuter stipends.

Responsibilities

• Handle a wide variety of litigation and pre-litigation matters in state and federal courts and administrative forums, especially matters involving worker classification and employment-related claims
• Work closely with Instawork's Trust and Safety team, insurance brokers, and insurance carriers; conduct and supervise investigations related to employment matters, on-platform incidents, or policy violations
• Create and implement scalable processes for the legal team, including identifying opportunities for automation and process innovation
• Leverage AI and other technology tools to increase efficiency, improve work product, and support the team's continuous improvement goals
• Manage all aspects of the relationship with relevant outside counsel, including staffing, strategy, budgets, discovery, and work product
• Partner with Human Resources and business partners to evaluate legal risks and provide subject matter expertise on a broad range of employment issues, including wage and hour, recruiting and hiring, training, employee performance management, leaves of absence, disability accommodations, and HR best practices
• Develop and deliver training for HR and business teams on employment law topics, company policies, and risk mitigation
• Help prepare for and mitigate exposure that may create litigation risk in the future

Requirements

JD and California bar admission in good standing (or barred in NY or IL and qualified for and willing to maintain Registered In-House Counsel status with California State Bar)

5+ years of legal experience in a law firm and/or in-house

Experience in the technology, gig economy, or marketplace industry strongly preferred

Mature judgment and decision-making skills

Ability to distill complex legal risks and competing priorities into clear, actionable guidance for business partners

Comfort navigating ambiguity and reprioritizing quickly in a fast-paced environment

Team mentality and recognition that no task is too small

Proven ability to manage a high volume of matters with overlapping deadlines while maintaining quality and composure

Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Sense of perspective…..and humor

Qualifications

Nice to have:

• Prior in-house counsel experience
• Experience with workers' compensation and insurance coverage matters
• Proficiency with AI-assisted legal research, drafting, or workflow tools

Skills

Proven ability to handle a wide variety of litigation and pre-litigation matters in state and federal courts and administrative forums, especially matters involving worker classification and employment-related claims

Experience working closely with Instawork's Trust and Safety team, insurance brokers, and insurance carriers; conducting and supervising investigations related to employment matters, on-platform incidents, or policy violations

Ability to create and implement scalable processes for the legal team, including identifying opportunities for automation and process innovation

Experience leveraging AI and other technology tools to increase efficiency, improve work product, and support the team's continuous improvement goals

Experience managing all aspects of the relationship with relevant outside counsel, including staffing, strategy, budgets, discovery, and work product

Experience partnering with Human Resources and business partners to evaluate legal risks and provide subject matter expertise on a broad range of employment issues, including wage and hour, recruiting and hiring, training, employee performance management, leaves of absence, disability accommodations, and HR best practices

Experience developing and delivering training for HR and business teams on employment law topics, company policies, and risk mitigation

Experience helping prepare for and mitigate exposure that may create litigation risk in the future

Benefits

The base salary for this position is $175,000 - $225,000

This position is eligible for Instawork benefits, including a variety of medical, dental, and vision plans, flexible paid time off, and commuter stipends

Pay

The base salary for this position is $175,000 - $225,000

Schedule

This position is eligible for Instawork benefits, including a variety of medical, dental, and vision plans, flexible paid time off, and commuter stipends