Associate General Counsel, Commercial & IP

About This Role

About Arena Intelligence Arena Intelligence is the open platform for evaluating how AI models perform in the real world. Created by researchers from UC Berkeley’s SkyLab, our mission is to measure and advance the frontier of AI for real-world use. Millions of people use Arena Intelligence each month to explore how frontier systems perform — and we use our community’s feedback to build transparent, rigorous, and human-centered model evaluations. Leading enterprises and AI labs rely on our evaluations to understand real-world reliability, alignment, and impact. Our leaderboards are the gold standard for AI performance — trusted by leaders across the AI community and shaping the global conversation on model reliability and progress. We’re a team of researchers, engineers, academics, and builders from places like UC Berkeley, Google, Stanford, DeepMind, and Discord. We seek truth, move fast, and value craftsmanship, curiosity, and impact over hierarchy. We’re building a company where thoughtful, curious people from all backgrounds can do their best work. Everyone on our team is a deep expert in their field — our office radiates excellence, energy, and focus. About the Role Come join our legal team to work on the most exciting commercial, intellectual property, and operational issues at the leading edge of AI. We're seeking a strong, business-minded lawyer with deep expertise in both commercial contracting and intellectual property law. As Associate General Counsel, Commercial & IP, you will be the second member of the legal team and have an opportunity to advise across the business, but with a focus on enterprise sales, data licensing, IP transactions, and trademark and patent portfolio management. The ideal candidate will have a demonstrable history of providing practical counsel to solve complex, time-sensitive problems in close partnership with Sales, Product, and Engineering teams. You will act as a strategic partner to the business, ensuring we can close enterprise deals efficiently while safeguarding Arena’s critical intellectual property. You'll Drive Commercial Agreements: Lead the drafting, review, and negotiation of complex enterprise agreements, including Master Services Agreements (MSAs), Data Processing Agreements (DPAs), software licenses, vendor agreements, and strategic partnership contracts. Strategic IP Advice: Lead IP strategy for our product development and machine learning teams, including advising on open source and IP considerations with respect to AI model training. Process & Technology Optimization: Build and scale our commercial legal processes, creating playbooks, standardizing templates, and implementing systems to support a high-growth sales organization. Build agents and internal software to support our operations, and procure cutting-edge legal tech tools that allow us to integrate home- grown and vendor-built software with ease. IP Portfolio Counsel: Support the management of Arena's worldwide IP portfolio including patents and trademarks; assist with patent prosecution, trademark registration, and enforcement. Specialized Expertise: Provide counsel on machine learning, generative AI, and other technical areas, with the ability to engage effectively with technical teams on complex engineering and data evaluation issues. You'll have Experience: 8+ years of legal experience in intellectual property law and commercial transactions at a top-tier law firm and/or in-house legal department (ideally acting as commercial/IP counsel within a high-growth software or technology company). Education: JD and active membership in at least one U.S. state bar (California preferred) in good standing. Enterprise Contracting Expertise: A proven track record of independently drafting and negotiating complex enterprise sales agreements, data licenses, and data privacy addendums. Strategic Thinking: Ability to think strategically at a high level and from deep in the details to drive complex problem-solving and develop creative, business-forward solutions. Risk Calibration: Ability to calibrate risk, distinguish business from legal risk, and communicate it clearly to executive, sales, and technical audiences. Collaboration: Roll-up-your-sleeves attitude to tackle projects large and small with a low ego, collaborative approach across the organization. Agility and Organization: Ability to think quickly in a fast-paced environment with excellent organizational and communication skills, particularly under quarter-end sales pressure. Technical Fluency: Deep interest in artificial intelligence, generative AI, and machine learning technology, with the ability to engage effectively with technical teams. Vibe Coding Experience: Ability to build and iterate on your own tools and a creative problem solving approach to building human-in-the-loop workflows that allow us to scale legal advice and work product. Experience working with tools like Cursor, Claude Code, Replit, Loveable, and/or Retool. Bonus Points Experience specifically negotiating deals involving software and/or data licensing. Deep familiarity with data privacy regulations (e.g., CCPA, GDPR) and negotiating complex privacy frameworks within enterprise MSAs. What we offer We offer competitive compensation and equity aligned to the markets where our team members are based. The base salary range will depend on the candidate’s permanent work location. Comprehensive health and wellness benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and additional support programs. The opportunity to work on cutting-edge AI with a small, mission-driven team A culture that values transparency, trust, and community impact Come help build the space where anyone can explore and help shape the future of AI. Arena Intelligence provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetics, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce and welcome people from all backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and abilities.

Responsibilities

The Associate General Counsel will lead the drafting, review, and negotiation of complex enterprise agreements, including MSAs and DPAs, while also advising on IP strategy for product development and machine learning teams. This role involves building and scaling commercial legal processes, standardizing templates, and supporting the management of the company's worldwide patent and trademark portfolio.

Requirements

Candidates must have 8+ years of legal experience focusing on intellectual property law and commercial transactions, preferably within a high-growth technology company, and must hold a JD with active membership in a U.S. state bar (California preferred). Essential abilities include independently negotiating complex enterprise sales agreements, strategic thinking, clear risk communication, and deep interest/fluency in AI and machine learning technology.

Education

• postgraduate degree

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