General Counsel Jobs for OPT Students
General Counsel roles are among the most competitive legal positions for F-1 OPT students. Most employers require a J.D. and active bar admission, and your 12-month OPT window, or up to 36 months on STEM OPT extension, needs to align with a firm willing to sponsor H-1B before authorization expires.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
Let’s face it, a company whose mission is human transformation better have some fresh thinking about the employer/employee relationship. We do. We can’t cram it all in here, but you’ll start noticing it from the first interview. Even our candidate experience is different. And when you get an offer from us (and accept it), you get way more than a paycheck. You get a personal BetterUp Coach, a development plan, a trained and coached manager, the most amazing team you’ve ever met (yes, each with their own personal BetterUp Coach), and most importantly, work that matters. This makes for a remarkably focused and fulfilling work experience. Frankly, it’s not for everyone. But for people with fire in their belly, it’s a game-changing, career-defining, soul-lifting move.
Join us and we promise you the most intense and fulfilling years of your career, doing life-changing work in a fun, inventive, soulful culture. If that sounds exciting—and the job description below feels like a fit—we really should start talking.
LOCATION
We are a hybrid company with a focus on in-person collaboration when necessary. Employees are expected to be available to work from one of our office hubs at least 2 days per week, or 8 days per month. We are searching for someone who can join our San Francisco, CA or Austin, TX hubs. Please ensure you can realistically commit to this structure before applying.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Reporting to the Chief Legal Officer, we’re looking for an Associate General Counsel, Commercial with B2B SaaS or significant high value commercial transactions experience to lead our commercial contracting function and build the infrastructure that helps us scale with clarity and speed. You’ll own enterprise negotiations, lead a high-performing team, and build scalable systems that provide visibility into deal pipeline and contracting operations. You'll also help modernize our contract templates to reflect our evolving AI-powered products. This role requires executive presence, strong commercial judgment, and experience managing complex deal flows while ensuring our commercial terms reflect SaaS and large global customer market expectations. This is ideal for an experienced attorney who thrives on building processes, coaching teams, identifying and resolving operational bottlenecks, and partnering deeply with Sales, Finance and Product to drive business outcomes.
WHAT YOU’LL DO:
Team Leadership & Development
- Manage the commercial legal team and potentially deals desk setting clear expectations, priorities, and development paths
- Develop and maintain fallback terms and decision frameworks to empower teams to move quickly and consistently
- Member of the legal leadership team and acting as a guide to the broader legal team and contribute to cross-functional legal strategy and decision-making
Commercial Strategy and Deal Execution
- Lead negotiations for enterprise SaaS agreements, strategic partnerships, and high-value vendor contracts
- Establish service level expectations and intake/triage processes that balance speed with quality.
- Advise cross-functional teams on deal structure, risk mitigation, and commercial positioning
- Establish intake processes, service levels, and operating rhythms that balance speed with quality
- Partner closely with Sales leadership and Finance to shape deal strategy, manage pipeline risk, and accelerate enterprise cycles, serving as a trusted advisor to senior business leaders.
- Support customized deals by aligning legal terms with product capabilities, technical requirements, and customer expectations
Systems, Visibility & Process Excellence
- Implement and optimize CLM systems to track agreements, key terms, and renewal cycles
- Build dashboards providing real-time visibility into deal flow and bottlenecks
- Lead development of templates, automation, and workflows that streamline the commercial lifecycle
Risk Management and Governance
- Identify and manage legal risks related to commercial activities, data commitments, AI technologies, and customer obligations
- Shape commercial policies that balance compliance, operational needs, and business growth
Template Modernization & Product Evolution
- Lead refresh of contract templates to reflect new products, AI capabilities, and data governance requirements
- Collaborate with Privacy, AI Governance, and Product teams to translate regulatory requirements into defensible contract language
- Monitor market trends to keep BetterUp’s contracting approach current and competitive
- Monitor market trends and competitive positioning to keep BetterUp's contracting approach current and commercially viable
WHAT YOU BRING:
- JD from an accredited law school and active Bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction or eligibility for Registered In-House Counsel.
- 10+ years of experience in commercial and SaaS contracting across law firm and in-house roles, ideally at a scaling technology company with enterprise or AI-focused products.
- Expertise negotiating enterprise SaaS agreements, licensing deals, procurement contracts, and complex commercial transactions.
- Working knowledge of privacy, data governance, AI-related provisions, and international data privacy laws (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).
- Strong knowledge of intellectual property and open-source licensing.
- Operational mindset with experience building contracting systems, deal desk functions, and workflows that improve visibility and efficiency.
- Executive presence with strong relationship-building skills across Sales, Finance, and leadership—comfortable as a strategic partner.
- Clear communication skills with the ability to simplify complexity and influence decisions.
- Strong business judgment balancing legal risks with commercial objectives.
- Proven ability to work autonomously, manage multiple priorities, and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
- A collaborative, inclusive approach to partnering across teams.
AI AT BETTERUP
Our team thrives at the intersection of human expertise and AI capability. As an AI-forward company, adaptation and continuous learning are part of our daily work. We're looking for teammates who are excited to evolve alongside technology – people who experiment boldly, share their discoveries openly, and help define best practices for AI-augmented work. These professionals thoughtfully integrate AI into their work to deliver exceptional results while maintaining the human judgment and creativity that drives real innovation. During our interview process, you’ll have opportunities to showcase how you harness AI to learn, iterate, and amplify your impact.
BENEFITS:
At BetterUp, we are committed to living out our mission every day and that starts with providing benefits that allow our employees to care for themselves, support their families, and give back to their community.
- Access to BetterUp coaching; one for you and one for a friend or family member
- A competitive compensation plan with opportunity for advancement
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Flexible paid time off
- Per year:
- All federal/statutory holidays observed
- 4 BetterUp Inner Workdays
- 5 Volunteer Days to give back
- Learning and Development stipend
- Company wide Summer & Winter breaks
- Year-round charitable contribution of your choice on behalf of BetterUp
- 401(k) self contribution
We are dedicated to building diverse teams that fuel an authentic workplace and sense of belonging for each and every employee. We know applying for a job can be intimidating, please don’t hesitate to reach out — we encourage everyone interested in joining us to apply.
BetterUp Inc. provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, genetics, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status. In addition to federal law requirements, BetterUp Inc. complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.
At BetterUp, we compensate our employees fairly for their work. Base salary is determined by job-related experience, education/training, residence location, as well as market indicators. The range below is representative of base salary only and does not include equity, sales bonus plans (when applicable) and benefits. This range may be modified in the future.
The base salary range for this role is as follows:
San Francisco: $325,000 - $360,000 + Equity + Bonus
Austin: $288,000 - $324,000 + Equity + Bonus
Protecting your privacy and treating your personal information with care is very important to us, and central to the entire BetterUp family. By submitting your application, you acknowledge that your personal information will be processed in accordance with our Applicant Privacy Notice. If you have any questions about the privacy of your personal information or your rights with regards to your personal information, please reach out to support@betterup.co.
INTRODUCTION
Let’s face it, a company whose mission is human transformation better have some fresh thinking about the employer/employee relationship. We do. We can’t cram it all in here, but you’ll start noticing it from the first interview. Even our candidate experience is different. And when you get an offer from us (and accept it), you get way more than a paycheck. You get a personal BetterUp Coach, a development plan, a trained and coached manager, the most amazing team you’ve ever met (yes, each with their own personal BetterUp Coach), and most importantly, work that matters. This makes for a remarkably focused and fulfilling work experience. Frankly, it’s not for everyone. But for people with fire in their belly, it’s a game-changing, career-defining, soul-lifting move.
Join us and we promise you the most intense and fulfilling years of your career, doing life-changing work in a fun, inventive, soulful culture. If that sounds exciting—and the job description below feels like a fit—we really should start talking.
LOCATION
We are a hybrid company with a focus on in-person collaboration when necessary. Employees are expected to be available to work from one of our office hubs at least 2 days per week, or 8 days per month. We are searching for someone who can join our San Francisco, CA or Austin, TX hubs. Please ensure you can realistically commit to this structure before applying.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Reporting to the Chief Legal Officer, we’re looking for an Associate General Counsel, Commercial with B2B SaaS or significant high value commercial transactions experience to lead our commercial contracting function and build the infrastructure that helps us scale with clarity and speed. You’ll own enterprise negotiations, lead a high-performing team, and build scalable systems that provide visibility into deal pipeline and contracting operations. You'll also help modernize our contract templates to reflect our evolving AI-powered products. This role requires executive presence, strong commercial judgment, and experience managing complex deal flows while ensuring our commercial terms reflect SaaS and large global customer market expectations. This is ideal for an experienced attorney who thrives on building processes, coaching teams, identifying and resolving operational bottlenecks, and partnering deeply with Sales, Finance and Product to drive business outcomes.
WHAT YOU’LL DO:
Team Leadership & Development
- Manage the commercial legal team and potentially deals desk setting clear expectations, priorities, and development paths
- Develop and maintain fallback terms and decision frameworks to empower teams to move quickly and consistently
- Member of the legal leadership team and acting as a guide to the broader legal team and contribute to cross-functional legal strategy and decision-making
Commercial Strategy and Deal Execution
- Lead negotiations for enterprise SaaS agreements, strategic partnerships, and high-value vendor contracts
- Establish service level expectations and intake/triage processes that balance speed with quality.
- Advise cross-functional teams on deal structure, risk mitigation, and commercial positioning
- Establish intake processes, service levels, and operating rhythms that balance speed with quality
- Partner closely with Sales leadership and Finance to shape deal strategy, manage pipeline risk, and accelerate enterprise cycles, serving as a trusted advisor to senior business leaders.
- Support customized deals by aligning legal terms with product capabilities, technical requirements, and customer expectations
Systems, Visibility & Process Excellence
- Implement and optimize CLM systems to track agreements, key terms, and renewal cycles
- Build dashboards providing real-time visibility into deal flow and bottlenecks
- Lead development of templates, automation, and workflows that streamline the commercial lifecycle
Risk Management and Governance
- Identify and manage legal risks related to commercial activities, data commitments, AI technologies, and customer obligations
- Shape commercial policies that balance compliance, operational needs, and business growth
Template Modernization & Product Evolution
- Lead refresh of contract templates to reflect new products, AI capabilities, and data governance requirements
- Collaborate with Privacy, AI Governance, and Product teams to translate regulatory requirements into defensible contract language
- Monitor market trends to keep BetterUp’s contracting approach current and competitive
- Monitor market trends and competitive positioning to keep BetterUp's contracting approach current and commercially viable
WHAT YOU BRING:
- JD from an accredited law school and active Bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction or eligibility for Registered In-House Counsel.
- 10+ years of experience in commercial and SaaS contracting across law firm and in-house roles, ideally at a scaling technology company with enterprise or AI-focused products.
- Expertise negotiating enterprise SaaS agreements, licensing deals, procurement contracts, and complex commercial transactions.
- Working knowledge of privacy, data governance, AI-related provisions, and international data privacy laws (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).
- Strong knowledge of intellectual property and open-source licensing.
- Operational mindset with experience building contracting systems, deal desk functions, and workflows that improve visibility and efficiency.
- Executive presence with strong relationship-building skills across Sales, Finance, and leadership—comfortable as a strategic partner.
- Clear communication skills with the ability to simplify complexity and influence decisions.
- Strong business judgment balancing legal risks with commercial objectives.
- Proven ability to work autonomously, manage multiple priorities, and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
- A collaborative, inclusive approach to partnering across teams.
AI AT BETTERUP
Our team thrives at the intersection of human expertise and AI capability. As an AI-forward company, adaptation and continuous learning are part of our daily work. We're looking for teammates who are excited to evolve alongside technology – people who experiment boldly, share their discoveries openly, and help define best practices for AI-augmented work. These professionals thoughtfully integrate AI into their work to deliver exceptional results while maintaining the human judgment and creativity that drives real innovation. During our interview process, you’ll have opportunities to showcase how you harness AI to learn, iterate, and amplify your impact.
BENEFITS:
At BetterUp, we are committed to living out our mission every day and that starts with providing benefits that allow our employees to care for themselves, support their families, and give back to their community.
- Access to BetterUp coaching; one for you and one for a friend or family member
- A competitive compensation plan with opportunity for advancement
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Flexible paid time off
- Per year:
- All federal/statutory holidays observed
- 4 BetterUp Inner Workdays
- 5 Volunteer Days to give back
- Learning and Development stipend
- Company wide Summer & Winter breaks
- Year-round charitable contribution of your choice on behalf of BetterUp
- 401(k) self contribution
We are dedicated to building diverse teams that fuel an authentic workplace and sense of belonging for each and every employee. We know applying for a job can be intimidating, please don’t hesitate to reach out — we encourage everyone interested in joining us to apply.
BetterUp Inc. provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, genetics, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status. In addition to federal law requirements, BetterUp Inc. complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.
At BetterUp, we compensate our employees fairly for their work. Base salary is determined by job-related experience, education/training, residence location, as well as market indicators. The range below is representative of base salary only and does not include equity, sales bonus plans (when applicable) and benefits. This range may be modified in the future.
The base salary range for this role is as follows:
San Francisco: $325,000 - $360,000 + Equity + Bonus
Austin: $288,000 - $324,000 + Equity + Bonus
Protecting your privacy and treating your personal information with care is very important to us, and central to the entire BetterUp family. By submitting your application, you acknowledge that your personal information will be processed in accordance with our Applicant Privacy Notice. If you have any questions about the privacy of your personal information or your rights with regards to your personal information, please reach out to support@betterup.co.
How to Get Visa Sponsorship in General Counsel
Target companies with existing immigration infrastructure
Large corporations and Fortune 500 companies routinely sponsor attorneys for H-1B. Focus your search on employers who already have in-house legal teams, as they understand the sponsorship process and have the resources to support it.
Address bar admission proactively
Most General Counsel roles require active bar membership in at least one U.S. state. Passing the bar before or during your OPT period signals readiness and removes a common objection employers raise when weighing whether to sponsor an international candidate.
Leverage your law school's alumni and career networks
Law school alumni in General Counsel roles have direct hiring influence. A warm introduction from a fellow graduate carries more weight than a cold application, especially for senior legal positions where cultural and institutional fit matter as much as credentials.
Be transparent about your timeline from the first conversation
Raise your OPT status early, not after an offer. Employers appreciate candidates who come prepared with specifics about their authorization window, cap-gap eligibility, and what H-1B sponsorship would require from the company's legal or HR team.
Use Migrate Mate to find General Counsel roles open to OPT
Browsing general job boards wastes time on roles that won't sponsor. Migrate Mate filters for employers actively open to OPT candidates, so your search focuses on companies already willing to engage with international legal professionals.
General Counsel jobs are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find General Counsel JobsSee all 217+ General Counsel jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new General Counsel roles.
Get Access To All JobsFrequently Asked Questions
Can F-1 OPT students work as General Counsel?
Yes. F-1 students on OPT can work as General Counsel as long as the role relates to their field of study, typically law or a closely related discipline. Your work must fall within the scope of your authorized STEM or standard OPT period, and the position must align with your degree as reported on your I-20.
Do General Counsel positions typically sponsor H-1B visas?
Sponsorship varies significantly by employer size. Large corporations with established in-house legal departments, particularly those in regulated industries like finance, healthcare, and technology, are more likely to sponsor H-1B for General Counsel and senior attorney roles. Smaller companies or startups without prior immigration experience are far less predictable. Migrate Mate lists roles from employers already open to sponsoring international candidates.
Does a General Counsel role qualify for STEM OPT extension?
Generally no. STEM OPT extension applies to degree programs classified under STEM CIP codes, which typically excludes J.D. programs. If you hold both a STEM degree and a J.D., you may be able to apply for STEM OPT under your qualifying STEM degree, but the General Counsel role itself would need to relate directly to that STEM field, not just the legal function.
What happens if my OPT expires before H-1B approval?
If your employer files a timely, cap-subject H-1B petition before your OPT expires, you may be eligible for cap-gap protection, which extends your work authorization through September 30 of that year or until your H-1B is approved or denied. You must remain employed by the same sponsoring employer during this period. Gaps in employment during cap-gap can jeopardize your status.
Is bar admission required for General Counsel OPT roles?
Most General Counsel positions require active bar admission in at least one U.S. jurisdiction. Some employers will consider candidates awaiting bar results if they're already credentialed and practicing under supervision. Foreign-licensed attorneys may qualify for certain compliance-heavy or international legal roles, but full General Counsel responsibilities typically require U.S. bar membership to provide legal advice and represent the company.
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