Corporate Counsel

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Summary

Elephas is a growing biotechnology company located in Madison, WI seeking a pragmatic, business-oriented Corporate Counsel to serve as the company's primary in-house legal resource during a critical phase of growth and commercialization. This role will partner closely with leadership across commercial, operations, finance, HR, product, and R&D functions to provide practical legal guidance while enabling the business to move quickly and effectively.

The ideal candidate is an experienced legal generalist who excels at contract drafting, negotiation, risk assessment, and business problem-solving. This individual will help establish scalable legal processes, support commercial growth initiatives, and provide day-to-day legal counsel across a broad range of business matters. This is a hands-on role for someone who enjoys operating in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and partnering directly with business leaders to drive outcomes.

This is an opportunity to help build the legal foundation of a growing biotechnology company at a pivotal stage of commercialization. You will work directly with executive leadership, influence key business decisions, and play a meaningful role in shaping the company's future growth and success.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Contracts & Business Transactions

• Draft, review, negotiate, and manage a wide range of agreements, including:
  • Customer agreements
  • Vendor and supplier contracts
  • Service agreements
  • Consulting agreements
  • Confidentiality agreements (NDAs)
  • Strategic partnership agreements
  • Distribution and commercialization agreements
  • Research collaboration agreements
• Provide practical legal advice to business stakeholders during negotiations.
• Identify legal and business risks while recommending solutions that support company objectives.
• Develop contract templates and scalable contracting processes.

Business Partnership & Legal Operations

• Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership on legal and business matters.
• Support company growth initiatives, strategic partnerships, and commercial activities.
• Help establish legal policies, procedures, and governance practices appropriate for a growing biotechnology company.
• Coordinate with external legal counsel when specialized expertise is required.
• Assist with board materials, corporate governance, and corporate record management.

Risk Management & Compliance

• Identify and assess legal, operational, and commercial risks.
• Provide guidance on compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
• Support company-wide risk management initiatives and training programs.
• Maintain awareness of evolving legal and regulatory developments relevant to the business.

Additional Areas of Support (Preferred Experience)

• Employment law and HR-related matters
• Clinical trial and healthcare-related contracting
• Regulatory compliance in biotechnology, diagnostics, or medical device environments
• Intellectual property coordination and management
• Data privacy and information security matters
• International business transactions

Qualifications

Required

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school.
• Active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• 5+ years of legal experience, including in-house and/or law firm experience supporting commercial business operations.
• Demonstrated experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex commercial contracts.
• Strong business judgment and ability to balance legal risk with practical business objectives.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Experience partnering directly with executives and cross-functional stakeholders.

Preferred

• Experience supporting biotechnology, life sciences, healthcare, diagnostics, medical device, or pharmaceutical organizations.
• Experience supporting companies in high-growth or startup environments.
• Employment law experience.
• Clinical research, healthcare, or regulatory law experience.
• Intellectual property management or coordination experience.
• Experience supporting commercialization-stage organizations.

Success Profile

The successful candidate will be:

• A practical business partner rather than a purely technical legal advisor.
• Comfortable operating with ambiguity and helping build scalable processes.
• Skilled at identifying risks while finding solutions that enable business progress.
• Collaborative, responsive, and capable of influencing across all levels of the organization.
• Equally comfortable negotiating contracts, advising executives, and handling day-to-day legal matters.

 

We offer our employees competitive compensation and benefits, including paid time off, health insurance, life insurance, flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) plan, and stock options. 

DISCLAIMER

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to the job.

 

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.