Our client, January, is seeking a General Counsel.

About January: At January, we work to ensure that borrowers who fall behind on debt are treated with dignity. Owing to outdated processes and bad actors, traditional debt collection is rife with harassment and fraud. Our products tackle this by helping financial institutions modernize collections, giving borrowers simpler and more compassionate ways to get back on track. Because of the pandemic, there’s never been a more important time for our mission.

The Role: January, is hiring their first in-house attorney to maintain and improve their legal and compliance practices. By addressing legal and regulatory challenges, you will strengthen trust and confidence in the company’s practices and accelerate the company’s growth in current and future verticals. You will report directly to the CEO. You will collaborate closely with outside legal and compliance teams, as well as numerous internal stakeholders spanning Product to Operations.

As the first in-house attorney, you will gain exposure to numerous parts of the business, like product development, fundraising, investor relations and managing client relationships.

Responsibilities:

• Solve regulatory questions through research and collaboration with outside compliance and legal teams. The industry’s regulatory landscape is often changing and you will be instrumental in keeping January ahead of the curve
• Contribute to product development by providing your perspective on the legal implications of new features that deliver value to consumers and creditors
• Streamline the legal review and completion of NDAs, contracts, vendor agreements, licensing, insurance and other business-critical material
• Accelerate sales conversations by negotiating contracts and addressing diligence questions
• Work with the leadership team to advise on business decisions with respect to legal and compliance requirements in a heavily regulated industry
• Assist with the development of policies and procedures to ensure that the company is compliant with all applicable rules and regulations
• Build out the in-house compliance and legal teams as the company scales

Requirements:

• The ability to practice law in New York
• 6+ years of experience as a lawyer: ideally you’ve worked at a corporate law firm and as an in-house counsel at another fintech company or startup
• Knowledge of FDCPA, TCPA, FCRA, and general debt collection rules and regulations
• Experience working with product and engineering teams to ship new features
• The ability to handle ambiguity and uncertainty at a small company
• An operational mindset who’s willing to get your hands dirty and gaining exposure to many parts of our business

What January Offers:

• Endless growth opportunity and the ability to take on new and exciting challenges
• Annual learning and development budget to invest in your professional growth
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401k so you can invest in your future
• Unlimited PTO so you can take the time you need to rest and recharge
• Free lunches for all team members
• Generous New Parent Leave program for all employees to enjoy bonding time
• Commuter benefits for your travel to/from the office
• Hybrid work policy allowing you to work in the office and from home on a schedule that works for you

January is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age, veteran status, or any other category protected by law.

At January, we believe that diversity of outlooks, demographics, identities, and life experiences enable companies to build the best products. More diversity means more empathy with different types of people. This matters a lot for us, since so many borrowers in financial distress with whom we engage come from underrepresented backgrounds. We practice what we preach and look forward to continuing to grow and build on our already diverse team.

January has exclusively engaged Kerwin Associates to conduct this search.  Any resumes sent directly to January will be forwarded to Kerwin Associates.  If you are interested in speaking about or applying for this role, please contact Anne Kerwin Payne (anne@kerwin.com) or Krithi Byadgi (krithi@kerwin.com) at Kerwin Associates.