Counsel, Strategic Response Legal

Ready to be pushed beyond what you think you’re capable of? At Coinbase, our mission is to increase economic freedom in the world. It’s a massive, ambitious opportunity that demands the best of us, every day, as we build the emerging onchain platform — and with it, the future global financial system. To achieve our mission, we’re seeking a very specific candidate. We want someone who is passionate about our mission and who believes in the power of crypto and blockchain technology to update the financial system. We want someone who is eager to leave their mark on the world, who relishes the pressure and privilege of working with high caliber colleagues, and who actively seeks feedback to keep leveling up. We want someone who will run towards, not away from, solving the company’s hardest problems. Our work culture is intense and isn’t for everyone. But if you want to build the future alongside others who excel in their disciplines and expect the same from you, there’s no better place to be. While many roles at Coinbase are remote-first, we are not remote-only. In-person participation is required throughout the year. Team and company-wide offsites are held multiple times annually to foster collaboration, connection, and alignment. Attendance is expected and fully supported. The Strategic Response Legal team serves as Coinbase’s legal "First Responders." We navigate the most complex, high-stakes, and time-sensitive legal issues facing the cryptoeconomy. This is not a standard advisory role; you will be tasked with managing crises, leading urgent internal investigations, and providing decisive legal counsel to protect the company’s reputation and operational integrity. The Strategic Response Legal team also serves as advocates for the crypto-economy and Coinbase, dedicated to preventing and addressing criminal activity. It partners with our Global Intelligence team to act as a liaison with law enforcement and conduct both proactive and reactive investigations. We are looking for a seasoned lawyer, with a background in criminal law or white collar internal investigations, who is hungry for a challenge and to have a big impact on a small team. You should be someone who enjoys the grind of an investigation and finds genuine satisfaction in piecing together a complex, multi-layered puzzle under pressure. What you’ll be doing (ie. job duties): • Lead the legal response for high-intensity, high-priority projects that require seamless cross-functional orchestration across Legal, Compliance, Product, and Communications. • Conduct comprehensive, end-to-end internal investigations into sensitive matters. This requires the ability to interrogate data sets, interview stakeholders, and reconstruct complex sequences of events to reach a clear conclusion. • Rapidly synthesize technical and legal information from cross-functional stakeholders to frame critical decisions. You will communicate concise updates and strategic recommendations to company leadership. What we look for in you (ie. job requirements): • 5+ years as a practicing attorney, including at a law firm, company, or regulatory/government agency • Experience in cross-functional project management in a fast-paced environment • Experience leading internal investigations • Experiencing interfacing with government regulators, agencies or law enforcement • Ideal candidates will have demonstrated experience communicating and partnering at all levels of an organization to coordinate between multiple internal stakeholders and balance differing opinions and perspectives • Must be flexible, able to multitask, detail-oriented, and enjoy fast paced and high-intensity work • Exceptional organizational skills • Exceptional legal writing abilities and skilled at synthesizing the perspectives of various stakeholders • Excellent judgment and analytic rigor • Must be active and in good standing in one State Bar in the United States Nice to haves: • Enthusiasm for and a basic understanding of digital currencies/blockchain Position ID: P75922 Pay Transparency Notice: Depending on your work location, the arenaflex annual base salary for this position can range as detailed below. Full time offers from Coinbase also include bonus eligibility + equity eligibility + benefits (including medical, dental, vision and 401(k)). Base salary range shown. Total compensation also includes equity and bonus eligibility and benefits:: $183,855 USD - $216,300 USD Please be advised that each candidate may submit a maximum of four applications within any 30-day period. We encourage you to carefully evaluate how your skills and interests align with Coinbase's roles before applying. Commitment to Equal Opportunity Coinbase is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation or any other basis protected by applicable law. Coinbase will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. For US applicants, you may view the Employee Rights and the Know Your Rights notices by clicking on their corresponding links. Additionally, Coinbase participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law. Coinbase is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please contact us at accommodations[at]coinbase.com to let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. For quick access to screen reading technology compatible with this site click here to download a free compatible screen reader (free step by step tutorial can be found here). Global Data Privacy Notice for Job Candidates and Applicants Depending on your location, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) may regulate the way we manage the data of job applicants. Our full notice outlining how data will be processed as part of the application procedure for applicable locations is available here. By submitting your application, you are agreeing to our use and processing of your data as required. For US applicants only, by submitting your application you are agreeing to arbitration of disputes as outlined here. AI Disclosure For select roles, Coinbase is piloting an AI tool based on machine learning technologies to conduct initial screening interviews to qualified applicants. The tool simulates realistic interview scenarios and engages in dynamic conversation. A human recruiter will review your interview responses, provided in the form of a voice recording and/or transcript, to assess them against the qualifications and characteristics outlined in the job description. For select roles, Coinbase is also piloting an AI interview intelligence platform to transcribe and summarize interview notes, allowing our interviewers to fully focus on you as the candidate. The above pilots are for testing purposes and Coinbase will not use AI to make decisions impacting employment. To request a reasonable accommodation due to disability, please contact accommodations[at]coinbase.com Apply tot his job