Legal Director at Kerwin Associates

Job Description:

Latest job information from Kerwin Associates for the position of Legal Director. If the Legal Director vacancy in Santa Clara matches your qualifications, please submit your latest application or CV directly through the updated Jobkos job portal.

Please note that applying for a job may not always be easy, as new candidates must meet certain qualifications and requirements set by the company. We hope the career opportunity at Kerwin Associates for the position of Legal Director below matches your qualifications.

Our client, Nexthop AI, is seeking a Director, Legal for their Santa Clara office (hybrid onsite schedule).

Nexthop AI, a Series B, 300-person startup, is building the next-generation AI networking platforms for hyperscalers. As an AI infrastructure startup, they are developing innovative systems to enable large-scale AI deployments. Their team is comprised of industry veterans passionate about building sophisticated systems that support the next generation of computing in a fast-paced startup environment. They are backed by Lightspeed, Kleiner, Battery Ventures, and others.

Nexthop AI is seeking its first lawyer to own and scale legal and handle all customer-facing legal matters. This role will serve as the primary legal partner to Sales, enabling revenue growth while managing risk in a fast-moving AI infrastructure company.

As the company’s first legal hire, this role combines hands-on contract negotiation with building the foundational commercial legal processes, templates, and policies required to support scale. The ideal candidate is commercially minded, pragmatic, and comfortable operating independently within a rapidly scaling company.

Responsibilities:

• Be the point person on all legal matters for a growing startup
• Structure, negotiate, and draft commercial contracts supporting the execution of customer-facing agreements.
• Partner directly with Sales leadership to structure deals that close efficiently while protecting the company’s interests
• Provide clear, practical guidance to Sales on contract terms, fallback positions, and deal risk
• Serve as an escalation point for complex or high-value deals
• Identify, assess, and manage legal risk across commercial transactions, including:
• Data usage and AI-related provisions
• IP ownership and licensing
• Liability, indemnity, and limitation of liability
• Balance speed and risk tolerance appropriate for a growth-stage company
• Advise leadership on legal implications of new products, pricing models, and go-to-market strategies
• Drive continual process improvement within the legal team and broader commercial operations.
• Translate legal concepts into business-friendly guidance for non-lawyers
• Manage outside counsel as needed, including scoping work and controlling costs
• Scale and manage the legal team when appropriate

Qualifications:

• JD and an active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction
• 6–12+ years of experience in commercial contracting, preferably in:
• In-house roles closely aligned with Sales or Revenue teams in similar industries
• Proven experience negotiating complex manufacturing/supply contracts in an in-house setting
• Strong judgment and comfort in making decisions without extensive precedent or supervision
• Ability to operate as a one-person legal function in a startup environment
• Experience building and scaling - both people and infrastructure
• Commercially oriented and solutions-driven
• Direct, practical, and comfortable pushing back when necessary
• Bias towards action and getting to yes
• Comfortable with ambiguity and incomplete information

Compensation:

• The salary range for this position is $220-$250k per year, with significant equity.

Nexthop AI has exclusively engaged Kerwin Associates to conduct this search. Any resumes sent directly to Nexthop AI will be forwarded to Kerwin Associates. If interested in this role, please contact Anne Kerwin Payne () and Michelle LeBiavant () at Kerwin Associates.

Job Info:

• Company: Kerwin Associates
• Position: Legal Director
• Work Location: Santa Clara
• Country: US

How to Submit an Application:

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