Legal Counsel

At SmartBear, we believe building great software starts with quality-and we're helping our customers make that happen every day. Our solution hubs-SmartBear API Hub, SmartBear Insight Hub, and SmartBear Test Hub, featuring HaloAI, bring visibility and automation to software development, making it easier for teams to deliver high-quality software faster. SmartBear is trusted by over 16 million developers, testers, and software engineers at 32,000+ organizations - including innovators like Adobe, JetBlue, FedEx, and Microsoft.

Legal Counsel

About the Role

SmartBear is seeking a versatile Legal Counsel to join our growing legal team. This role will have a dual focus: supporting a high volume of commercial sales agreements, including enterprise deals, and providing legal guidance on data privacy, security, product, and AI-related matters.

This is a unique opportunity for a commercially minded attorney with emerging or adjacent experience in privacy, data security, or product/AI counseling to contribute broadly across business-critical areas while working cross-functionally with teams including Sales, Product, Privacy, and Security.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Contracts

• Review, draft, and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements including enterprise SaaS contracts, DPAs, security addenda, NDAs, order forms, and other sales-related documents.
• Partner closely with the Sales team to accelerate deal cycles while maintaining risk-aware, business-friendly solutions.
• Support completion of legal and security questionnaires, RFPs, and customer diligence requests in collaboration with Sales, Security, and RFP teams.
• Ensure contract terms align with company policies and actively participate in the implementation of contract lifecycle management (CLM) and AI utility best practices and tools (e.g., Ironclad).

Privacy, Product & Security Support

• Provide practical legal support for issues involving data protection, security compliance, and AI-related legal concerns, particularly as they arise in the context of commercial transactions and product development.
• Act as the primary legal partner for Product and Security teams to ensure new products and features, including those involving AI, align with privacy, security, and contractual obligations.
• Stay informed on relevant global privacy and security laws (e.g., GDPR, UK DPA, CCPA/CPRA, DORA).
• Support ongoing development of internal privacy resources, policies, and negotiation positions.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Team Support

• Build strong working relationships with stakeholders across Sales, Product, Security, Marketing, Finance, and Customer Success.
• Coordinate with outside counsel on specialized matters where appropriate.
• Contribute to internal documentation, playbook refinement, and legal process improvements.

Qualifications

Required

• JD from an accredited U.S. law school; licensed and in good standing with the Massachusetts bar (or eligible for in-house counsel registration in Massachusetts)
• 4-7 years of relevant legal experience, including:
  
  
  
  • At least 2 years of hands-on experience negotiating B2B commercial agreements in a technology/SaaS environment.
  • Demonstrated proficiency with data privacy-related issues, especially as they intersect with commercial agreements.
  
  
  
  
• Strong contract drafting, negotiation, and communication skills.
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple complex projects in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.
• Practical, business-oriented legal judgment with the ability to balance risk and commercial needs.

Preferred

• CIPP/E or other privacy certification.
• Experience supporting enterprise sales teams or working directly with security/product functions.
• Exposure to or interest in evolving legal issues related to AI, privacy frameworks, or security compliance.

Why you should join the SmartBear crew:

• You can grow your career at every level.
• We invest in your success as well as the spaces where our teams come together to work, collaborate, and have fun.
• We love celebrating our SmartBears; we even encourage our crew to take their birthdays off.
• We are guided by a People and Culture organization - an important distinction for us. We think about our team holistically - the whole person.
• We celebrate our differences in experiences, viewpoints, and identities because we know it leads to better outcomes.

Did you know?

• Our main goal at SmartBear is to make our technology-driven world a better place.
• SmartBear is committed to ethical corporate practices and social responsibility, promoting good in all the communities we serve.
• SmartBear is headquartered in Somerville, MA with offices across the world including Galway Ireland, Bath, UK, Wroclaw, Poland, and Bengaluru (Bangalore), India.
• We have won major industry (product and company) awards including B2B Innovators Award, Content Marketing Association, IntellyX Digital Innovator and BuiltIn Best Places to Work.

SmartBear is committed to creating an inclusive workplace for employees where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. We are an equal opportunity employer and make employment decisions based on merit, qualifications, and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, gender, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other protected status under applicable laws. We are dedicated to fostering a workplace that reflects a diversity of thought and experience as well as our values of being smart, open, driven, accountable, and curious.