Product Counsel, Square

Since we opened our doors in 2009, the world of commerce has evolved immensely, and so has Square. After enabling anyone to take payments and never miss a sale, we saw sellers stymied by disparate, outmoded products and tools that wouldn't work together.

So we expanded into software and started building integrated, omnichannel solutions – to help sellers sell online, manage inventory, offer buy now, pay later functionality, book appointments, engage loyal buyers, and hire and pay staff. Across it all, we've embedded financial services tools at the point of sale, so merchants can access a business loan and manage their cash flow in one place. Afterpay furthers our goal to provide omnichannel tools that unlock meaningful value and growth, enabling sellers to capture the next generation shopper, increase order sizes, and compete at a larger scale.

Today, we are a partner to sellers of all sizes – large, enterprise-scale businesses with complex operations, sellers just starting, as well as merchants who began selling with Square and have grown larger over time. As our sellers grow, so do our solutions. There is a massive opportunity in front of us. We're building a significant, meaningful, and lasting business, and we are helping sellers worldwide do the same. .

The Role

As Product Counsel, you will have a broad range of responsibilities providing end-to-end legal guidance on product and feature development. You will report to Square’s Head of Product Counsel and partner with our product, engineering, and design teams to develop new offerings while managing legal risk and ensuring regulatory compliance. As we expand our offerings, your ideas and contributions will make an immediate impact. 

You are curious, organized, and creative. You try to understand underlying causes and motivations. You can research and master complex legal topics and communicate them with non-lawyers in brief, clear language. You can gain expertise in an area of the law, but can separate the practical from the academic and provide clear, accurate, and balanced advice to the team.

You Will

• Counsel product, design, and engineering teams on issues related to products and features throughout the entire product development lifecycle. 
• Hone and use your expertise in the relevant US and international laws and regulations applicable to the products and features you support, including laws related to financial services, privacy, intellectual property, and consumer protection.
• Advise partners on product and feature build-outs and go-to-market strategies, draft terms of use, product policies, and product disclosures, and implement policies required to support legal frameworks. 
• Develop trusted relationships with partners and stay informed on important product developments.
• Coordinate with other support teams (including compliance, risk, tax, corporate counsel, and accounting) to provide seamless, integrated product solutions to partners. 
• Cultivate creative ideas and insights into how legal frameworks can support new product developments and customer experiences. 
• Support the drafting and negotiation of commercial agreements relevant to your products and services.

You Have

• 7+ years of combined, relevant experience in law firms, governmental agencies, or in-house legal departments.
• Familiarity and experience launching products and advising on the legal and regulatory aspects of product development in the technology space.
• Fluency in translating legal advice into guidance for product, design, and engineering teams.
• Ability to apply:
  • Risk-balanced, practical legal guidance to complex product questions. 
  • Creative problem-solving and solution-finding skills.
  • Maturity in judgment, considering short and long-term strategies. 
• A Juris Doctor (JD) degree and active membership in at least one state bar.

We’re working to build a more inclusive economy where our customers have equal access to opportunity, and we strive to live by these same values in building our workplace. Block is an equal opportunity employer evaluating all employees and job applicants without regard to identity or any legally protected class. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment on our team, and always assess candidates on an individualized basis.

We believe in being fair, and are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including providing reasonable accommodations to disabled applicants throughout the recruitment process. We encourage applicants to share any needed accommodations with their recruiter, who will treat these requests as confidentially as possible. Want to learn more about what we’re doing to build a workplace that is fair and square? Check out our I+D page.

Block will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and “fair chance” ordinances.