Fractional General Counsel - Fabric Cryptography

FABRIC CRYPTOGRAPHY

Building towards a future beyond trust with custom chips for advanced cryptography. Fabric is a fast-growing Series A deep tech company (full-stack across silicon, hardware and cloud) that was founded to build towards a future beyond trust with custom chips for advanced cryptography. Incredible cryptographers, engineers, and builders are working tirelessly to bring this vision to life. Our job is to make their work possible at scale and at speed.

We’re a team of AI hardware and software veterans, cryptographers and cypherpunks. Together, we’re building the first general purpose, high performance computer chip for all cryptography – what we call the Verifiable Processing Unit (VPU). On top of the VPU, we’re developing a full compiler stack and acceleration libraries to ensure the chips are easy to program and use.

In a world where progress often comes at the cost of security, our hardware-accelerated cryptography redefines the paradigm. With $39 million in equity and tens of millions worth in pre-orders, we're enabling real-time, high-performance systems where privacy is the default, not the exception.

About the job

As our Fractional General Counsel, you will be the key legal advisor and strategist, working closely with our founders and executive leadership team to establish and manage the legal infrastructure of the company. This role demands a legal professional with a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by high-growth technology startups, particularly in deep-tech. You will provide guidance across all legal areas of the business, including corporate governance, employee relations, vendor and supplier agreements (domestic and international), intellectual property, and compliance.

What you'll be doing...

1. Advise the CEO and leadership team on legal matters, helping to shape the company’s legal strategy in alignment with business objectives.
2. Anticipate and identify legal risks, and develop strategies to mitigate those risks.
3. Oversee and manage corporate governance practices, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and best practices.
4. Draft, review, and maintain key corporate documents, including bylaws, board resolutions, and shareholder agreements.
5. Lead the drafting, review, and negotiation of a wide range of contracts, including supplier agreements, partnership contracts, NDAs, licensing agreements, and other commercial contracts.
6. Implement and maintain a contracts management system to ensure efficient tracking and management of all agreements.
7. Provide legal support on employment matters, including drafting employment agreements, handling employee disputes, and advising on HR policies.
8. Manage and protect the company’s intellectual property portfolio, including patents, trademarks, and trade secrets.
9. Work closely with the engineering and product teams to ensure that IP is adequately protected and leveraged.
10. Monitor regulatory developments in cryptography, technology, and data privacy, and advise on necessary adjustments to the company’s policies and practices.
11. Collaborate with and manage external legal counsel as needed, ensuring that external resources are used effectively and efficiently.

Qualification & experience requirements...

1. J.D. from an accredited law school and membership in good standing with the CA state bar.
2. 10+ years of legal experience, with a strong background in technology, intellectual property, and corporate law.
3. Experience in a startup environment, preferably in a technology field/domain.
4. Demonstrated ability to engage in open and candid conversations about successes and challenges. We're seeking someone who can both give and receive feedback constructively, fostering a positive and productive working environment.
5. Proven ability to manage multiple legal areas in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
6. Strong negotiation and communication skills, with the ability to provide clear and concise legal advice to non-legal stakeholders.
7. Strategic mindset with high tolerance for ambiguity and the ability to create structure and data-backed approaches to resolve, combining creativity with a keen business sense.
8. Strong strategic thinking and first principles problem-solving skills.

EEOC