Employment Counsel (Contractor)

ABOUT

At Arceus, we believe the way companies get legal support is overdue for reinvention. In-house teams are expected to move faster than ever, but the tools and delivery models available to them haven't kept pace.

We're building the legal infrastructure layer for modern companies, pairing experienced attorneys with intelligent technology to deliver high-quality legal work at the speed growing businesses need. Our attorneys don't just practice law: they shape the playbooks, systems, and tools that make every engagement better than the last.

This is a remote role based anywhere in the U.S.

THE ROLE

You'll serve as fractional employment counsel to fast-growing tech companies, many of which have no dedicated people-law expertise in-house. You'll handle the full range of everyday employment questions, from the first hire to the first reduction in force, as a trusted extension of each customer's legal and People teams.

You'll also help us turn recurring employment work into playbooks, templates, and AI-assisted workflows, so every answer gets faster and more consistent over time.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

You're an employment lawyer who has been the go-to person for People teams and founders at growing companies. You can answer a leave question, review a separation agreement, and scope a workplace investigation in the same afternoon.

You give practical, risk-calibrated advice in plain language. You're responsive, empathetic, and comfortable telling a CEO what they can do, not just what they can't. We're especially excited to meet attorneys who have been the first or only employment lawyer at a company, or who have advised many startups from a firm.

WHAT YOU’LL OWN

• Hiring and onboarding: offer letters, employment agreements, contractor agreements, confidentiality and invention assignment agreements, and background-check compliance.
• Classification and wage-and-hour: employee vs. contractor, exempt vs. non-exempt, overtime, and pay transparency rules.
• Multi-state and remote workforce: state registration, state-specific policies, and coordination with PEOs and employers of record for international hires.
• Policies and handbooks: draft and update handbooks, remote-work, leave, and AI-use policies.
• Leave and accommodations: FMLA and state leave laws, disability and pregnancy accommodations, and return-to-work questions.
• Performance and separations: performance plans, terminations, separation and release agreements, RIFs, and WARN analysis.
• Workplace issues: triage complaints, scope and support internal investigations, and advise on harassment, discrimination, and retaliation risk.
• Restrictive covenants and equity touchpoints: non-solicits, state non-compete limits, and coordination with corporate counsel on equity grants.
• Scale the practice: turn recurring questions into templates, playbooks, and quality bars, and work with product and engineering to improve our tools.

EXPERIENCE

• J.D. and active bar membership in good standing (California, New York, or another state with a large tech workforce preferred)
• 5+ years of employment law practice, advising employers rather than litigating only
• Experience as in-house employment counsel, or advising many startups and growth-stage companies from a firm
• Broad, hands-on counseling across the full employee lifecycle; multi-state experience required
• Working knowledge of California employment law is a strong plus
• A customer-first mindset: responsive, low-ego, and focused on practical outcomes
• Comfort turning work around quickly and handling several matters at once
• Experience with, or real excitement about, AI-assisted legal workflows
• Strong grounding in professional responsibility and legal ethics
• Excellent written and verbal communication, especially with non-lawyers

ENGAGEMENT & COMPENSATION

• Hourly rate of $100–$150, based on experience
• At least 10 hours per week of availability for client matters; volume varies with demand and isn't guaranteed
• Part-time independent contractor engagement
• Opportunity to expand hours as the employment practice grows

Arceus is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of any protected characteristic.