Bitwarden is the trusted identity security leader for millions of users worldwide, empowering enterprises, developers, and individuals to securely manage and share sensitive information anywhere. Bitwarden makes it easy for all users to extend robust security across their devices with password management, secrets management, and passwordless and passkey innovations. The company is headquartered in Santa Barbara, California with team members located across the globe. Learn more at bitwarden.com.
Reporting to the CFO, the General Counsel will be the company's first dedicated legal officer, responsible for building and leading the legal function from the ground up. This is a strategic, business-minded attorney who will serve as both a trusted advisor to the executive team and a hands-on legal operator. The GC will manage all legal matters across sales contracts, corporate governance, commercial contracts, employment law, intellectual property, data privacy, regulatory compliance.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Corporate & Securities
- Serve as corporate secretary; manage all Board governance, equity plan administration, cap table maintenance, and investor relations documentation.
- Lead legal diligence and documentation for financing transactions, including growth equity rounds and debt facilities.
- Advise the Board and management on fiduciary duties, corporate governance best practices, and securities law compliance.
- Evaluate and lead legal workstreams for any strategic M&A transactions, partnerships, or joint ventures.
Commercial Contracts & Revenue Legal
- Build and own the commercial contracts function; draft, negotiate, and manage SaaS MSAs, order forms, DPAs, SLAs, and partner agreements.
- Develop contract playbooks, standard templates, and pre-approved fallback positions to accelerate sales cycles.
- Partner with the Sales and CX teams to resolve deal-level legal issues quickly and with appropriate risk tolerance.
- Manage and continuously improve contract lifecycle management (CLM) systems and processes.
Intellectual Property
- Develop and execute a comprehensive IP protection strategy including trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and patents as appropriate.
- Manage all IP assignments, invention disclosures, and open-source compliance.
- Advise product, engineering, and marketing teams on IP clearance, use of third-party software/content, and competitive IP risks.
Data Privacy & Security Compliance
- Own the company's global data privacy program; ensure compliance with GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, and other applicable privacy regimes.
- Serve as legal lead on security incidents, breach response, and regulatory investigations.
- Partner with Information Security and Engineering on product privacy reviews, vendor assessments, and DPA negotiations.
Employment & HR Legal
- Advise People/HR on employment matters: offer letters, severance, non-competes, employee investigations, and terminations.
- Manage employment litigation and agency charges; retain and oversee outside employment counsel as needed.
- Ensure compliance with wage-and-hour laws, EEO obligations, and applicable labor regulations across all jurisdictions.
Litigation & Risk Management
- Manage all litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution matters; retain and supervise outside counsel efficiently.
- Build and maintain a company-wide legal risk register; proactively identify and mitigate legal and regulatory exposure.
- Own the company's insurance program (D&O, E&O, cyber liability, general liability) with appropriate coverage for a scaling SaaS company.
Legal Operations & Team Building
- Build the legal function from the ground up; hire and develop in-house legal staff as business needs grow.
- Establish legal spend management protocols; select, onboard, and actively manage outside counsel relationships to optimize cost and quality.
- Implement legal tech tools (CLM, entity management, e-signature, legal ops) to scale the function efficiently.
WHAT YOU BRING TO BITWARDEN
- J.D. from an accredited law school; admission to at least one state bar (active or in-house counsel status).
- 10–15 years of legal experience; combination of BigLaw (technology/corporate practice) and in-house technology company experience strongly preferred.
- Prior experience as General Counsel, Deputy GC, or senior in-house counsel at a SaaS or recurring-revenue software company is required.
- Prior experience at PE and/or VC-backed SaaS companies is strongly preferred
- Deep expertise in commercial contracts, SaaS-specific legal issues, data privacy (GDPR/CCPA), and corporate governance.
- Experience supporting a growth equity transaction, Series C or later financing, or strategic M&A process is highly valued.
- Business-first mindset: ability to assess legal risk in a commercial context and provide pragmatic, actionable guidance rather than reflexive risk aversion.
- Strong executive presence; able to advise and challenge the CEO and Board with confidence and credibility.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills; can distill complex legal issues into plain language for non-legal audiences.
A FEW REASONS TO WORK WITH US
- Our user community loves us and we love them. Come to work each day with a sense of purpose as we bring a more secure internet experience to everyone from our friends and family to the world’s largest organizations.
- Become an expert. You’ll get immersed in the prominent technology markets of security and open source software.
- We are dedicated to building a diverse and talented team. Work remotely with motivated and supportive team members across the world.
- Learn and grow. Take on new challenges with the support of your team, and join our #growth-club to continue personal and professional development.
