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General Counsel

Austin, United States

Job description

Company Background: 

Ownwell helps property owners reduce the costs of owning real estate. Our proprietary software automatically identifies property owners that are overpaying on real estate expenses. We then manage the end-to-end process of reducing bills through tax appeals, exemptions, and corrections.

Over $40 billion is overpaid in property taxes every year, and inaccurate tax assessments disproportionately affect people of color, immigrants, as well as low-income communities.

We’re dedicated to making the costs of property ownership more transparent and equitable. We believe that regardless of status or level of real estate expertise, everyone should have access to the information, tools, and resources to manage their real estate with confidence.

Ownwell is well-funded and venture-backed by some of the best investors in the world. Our customer base has grown by more than 1000% year-over-year with exceptional feedback demonstrating clear product market fit. We are looking for driven and passionate team members who thrive in a collaborative, positive culture where we all win together. If this sounds like the place for you, come help us change the way everyday homeowners manage their real estate across the country.

Our Culture

People are our superpower! Centered in everything we do is a true sense of team. We listen and we learn from each other. We are on this rocketship together and embrace a fast-paced, truly collaborative environment. We are here to win as a team and as a company.

We’ve brought together General Appraisers, Certified Public Accountants, Property Tax Consultants, Data scientists, PhDs, best-in-class customer support representatives, and more to deliver top results for our customers.

Our core values are our guiding principles in everything we do

  • Customer Obsession
  • Take Ownership
  • Do The Right Thing
  • Go Far Together
  • Accelerate Innovation

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced and dynamic General Counsel to join our fast-growing company. Reporting to the CEO, the General Counsel will oversee all legal matters, providing strategic guidance to the executive team. This role is pivotal in ensuring the company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, managing risk, and supporting business objectives.

In summary, the role of a General Counsel is multifaceted and requires a deep understanding of various legal domains, strong strategic thinking, and excellent interpersonal skills. This role will play a critical role in safeguarding the company’s legal interests and ensuring its long-term success.

Responsibilities:

  1. Legal Strategy and Compliance:
    • Develop and implement the company’s legal strategy.
    • Ensure compliance with all relevant laws and regulations.
    • Advise the executive team on legal implications of business decisions.
    • Serve as Corporate Secretary and advise the senior management and the board of directors on all legal, compliance and related matters
    • Draft, review, negotiate, and manage contracts and agreements with customers, vendors, partners, and investors
  2. Risk Management:
    • Identify and mitigate potential legal risks.
    • Develop policies and procedures to minimize legal risks.
    • Oversee internal audits and compliance checks.
    • Develop and implement policies and procedures to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, such as data privacy, antitrust, securities, and consumer protection
  3. Contract Management:
    • Draft, review, and negotiate contracts and agreements.
    • Ensure that all contracts comply with legal requirements and company policies.
    • Manage contract disputes and resolutions.
  4. Manage and coordinate litigation and dispute resolution matters
    • Work with external legal counsel as needed.
    • Develop strategies for dispute resolution and litigation avoidance.
    • File litigation on behalf of property tax customers or coordinate externally
  5. Corporate Governance:
    • Advise the board of directors on corporate governance issues.
    • Ensure that the company adheres to best practices in corporate governance.
    • Maintain corporate records and documentation.
    • Select, evaluate and effectively manage external legal counsel and vendors in a cost-effective manner
  6. Intellectual Property:
    • Protect and enforce the company's intellectual property rights, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets
    • Manage trademarks, patents, and copyrights.
    • Address any IP infringement issues.
  7. Be a thought partner to the business through close functional partnership
    • Stay abreast of emerging legal trends and developments in the software industry and provide proactive guidance and training to the business units
    • Collaborate with the People team on creating and maintaining a compliant workplace through thoughtful policy design and managing employee relations
  8. New Product Development
    • Research and assess risks associated with new product development and potential opportunities
    • Coordinate with external counsel as needed for new products within real estate, financial, insurance, lending, and other industries

Competencies 

  • Ownwell core values reflect your ethos.
  • You care about Ownwell’s mission and making an impact for all types of property owners.
  • You are passionate about what you do and bring a thoughtful perspective to the function as well as overall organization.
  • Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school and admission to the state bar.
  • At least 10 years of relevant legal experience, preferably in the real estate or prop tech space or in a law firm serving real estate clients.
  • Expertise in contracts, compliance, litigation, intellectual property, corporate governance, and employment law.
  • Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
  • Strong business acumen and strategic thinking.
  • Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
  • High ethical standards and integrity.

Ownwell offerings

  • Entrepreneurial culture. Own your career; we are here to support you in the journey.
  • Access to First Round Network to build your community outside of Ownwell.
  • Flexible PTO. We believe in giving you the flexibility to own your time off. In addition to flexible time off, you will get 11 company holidays. We offer the last week of the year to recharge and reset.
  • Competitive health benefits. We care for you and your family’s health, as reflected in our benefits coverage.
  • Learning support through a $1,000 stipend per year to enable investing in your individual learning needs.
  • Supporting parental journey. We offer up to 16 weeks of fully paid parental and bonding leave to support your journey as a new parent.
  • As applicable complimentary real estate and tax consulting licensing and renewal

Ownwell’s vision is to democratize access to real estate expertise. When we say we want to provide access, we mean providing access to everyone. To do that well, we need a team that’s broadly representative. We welcome people from all backgrounds, ethnicities, cultures, and experiences. Ownwell is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital or family status, disability, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status.

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