Senior In-House Legal Counsel — Biotechnology

Lateral Link is conducting a retained search on behalf of a fast-growing biotechnology company developing a proprietary exosome-based therapeutics platform with an expanding pipeline across multiple therapeutic areas. The company is seeking an experienced Senior In-House Legal Counsel to serve as its primary internal legal resource and work directly with the CEO and leadership team.

This is a broad, high-impact role for an attorney who enjoys operating close to the business and wants significant ownership over legal strategy and day-to-day decision-making.

The ideal candidate will have meaningful experience within the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or broader life sciences industry and be comfortable advising a lean, entrepreneurial organization across commercial contracting, clinical development, licensing and collaboration matters, intellectual property, corporate governance, and compliance.

Responsibilities

The attorney will advise the company across a broad range of legal matters, including: Drafting and negotiating NDAs, MSAs, vendor agreements, consulting agreements, and other commercial contracts Negotiating clinical research, CRO, CMO/CDMO, manufacturing, and clinical trial agreements Supporting licensing, collaboration, and other strategic business-development transactions with biotechnology and pharmaceutical partners Advising leadership on legal issues arising throughout preclinical development, IND-enabling activities, clinical development, and the path toward FDA approval Coordinating with outside regulatory counsel and consultants Working closely with outside patent counsel on intellectual property strategy, patent prosecution, and protection of the company's technology and therapeutic assets Providing corporate governance support, including board and stockholder matters, equity plans, and corporate records Supporting financing transactions and investor diligence in coordination with outside corporate and securities counsel Advising on employment, consulting, privacy, healthcare compliance, and other operational matters Managing outside counsel and other external legal resources Helping establish scalable legal processes, contract-management systems, policies, and compliance infrastructure as the company grows Serving as a practical, business-oriented advisor to the executive and scientific leadership teams Qualifications Candidates should have: J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school Active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar Approximately 8+ years of relevant legal experience Meaningful experience advising biotechnology, pharmaceutical, therapeutics, or life sciences companies Strong commercial contracting experience Experience with licensing, collaboration, strategic transactions, or life sciences business-development agreements Familiarity with clinical development and the regulatory environment applicable to biotechnology companies Experience working with or overseeing outside intellectual property counsel Strong business judgment and the ability to provide practical advice in a fast-moving environment The ability to operate independently and prioritize a broad range of legal issues without a large internal legal department Excellent written and verbal communication skills Experience at an emerging or clinical-stage biotechnology company is particularly valuable.

Experience with patent strategy, patent prosecution, or a scientific/technical background is helpful but not required. Why This Opportunity This is an opportunity for an experienced life sciences attorney to step into a role with considerably more ownership than is typically available within a larger legal department.

The attorney will

Serve as the company's primary day-to-day legal advisor Work directly with the CEO and senior leadership Have visibility into both scientific and business strategy Help build the company's legal function as the organization grows Work across a sophisticated and unusually broad range of biotechnology matters Join a company developing an innovative exosome-based therapeutics platform Work fully remotely from anywhere in the United States If candidate is remote then occassional travel to Austin for leadership meetings and significant company milestones may be required.

Qualified candidates interested in learning more are encouraged to apply or contact Niko McIver at NMciver@LateralLink.com for a confidential discussion.