Associate General Counsel, Corporate

Copper is a digital asset technology company dedicated to helping institutional investors safely acquire, trade, and store crypto assets.

Built and led by Dmitry Tokarev, a software and financial engineering specialist, the firm provides a comprehensive suite of custody, trading and settlement solutions that reduce counterparty risk and bring greater capital and operational efficiency to digital asset markets. At the heart of Copper's offering is Multi-Party Computation (MPC) technology - the gold standard in secure custody. Copper's multi-award winning custody system is unique in that it can be connected to centralised exchanges, DeFi applications and even staking pools without the assets leaving the custody.

Built on top of this state-of-the-art custody, ClearLoop is the first solution in the market that overcomes a growing industry challenge; counterparty risk with exchanges. This solution underpins a full prime services offering, connecting global exchanges and enabling customers to trade and settle directly from the safety of their MPC-secured wallets. By reducing settlement time for transfers to a few milliseconds (without blockchain network dependency) and offering enhanced security measures, ClearLoop is rapidly reshaping the way asset managers trade and manage capital.

In addition to industry-leading security certifications, Copper has one of the strongest insurance coverages in the industry from an A+ rated insurer, positioning the firm as the partner of choice for institutions seeking to safeguard their assets.

The Copper legal team is a collaborative and high energy group of smart, driven and intellectually curious lawyers and paralegals. We take our work but not ourselves incredibly seriously, tackling novel issues and supporting the business with focus, precision, and relentless good humour. We know and support each other deeply as professionals and humans. We proudly hold a range of passports and qualifications and speak as many languages as we have team members - diversity on all levels is deeply valued.

Our business is growing rapidly, both in terms of new people and new or enhanced products, and as a key support function the legal team has and continues to expand in a complimentary way. We need expert lawyers advising within their specialist areas, and for this reason we broadly break the team down into Product and Enterprise (including Commercial), Corporate and Regulatory. As we expand globally as a company, we are adding regional experts to help advise on the nuances of local legal and compliance regimes.

Key Responsibilities of the role

• Leading our Corporate Legal function, driving efforts in structuring, negotiating and executing M&A acquisitions and due diligence exercises.
• Advising on and managing all legal aspects of fundraising activities, working closely with the Finance Team and other key members of senior management.
• Assisting Chief Legal Officer in his role as Company Secretary, managing day to day company secretariat matters with support from more junior team members. Responsible for corporate governance matters including preparation of board meeting materials, resolutions of group entities and liaising with board members and shareholders for necessary approvals.
• Supporting other corporate transactions such as entity formation and management (including review and evaluation of constituting documentation), internal corporate reorganisation and employee incentive/shares schemes.
• Internal lead for contentious and real estate matters and intellectual property filings.
• Supporting the People Team on employment related matters, including drafting and reviewing employment contracts and supporting disciplinary procedures.
• Assisting with the management and maintenance of corporate records, filings and licences of group entities to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Collaborating with Compliance and Regulatory Legal on new licence applications and Product Legal with corporate aspects of new product structuring.
• Working with external counsel as and when required, including managing legal spend and invoices.
• Helping with the development of junior and trainee solicitors and paralegals.
• Assisting with ongoing development and maintenance of a contract management solution and effective management of documentation records.
• Negotiating third party agreements relating to corporate structuring, governance and processes.
• Ensuring compliance with all local corporate filing regimes in jurisdictions in which Copper operates.
• Managing all legal operations and procedures, implementing appropriate measures to protect company from legal risks.

Your experience, skills and knowledge

• Qualified solicitor, or barrister in a common law jurisdiction. A minimum of 6-8 years of experience in corporate law with significant exposure to mergers and acquisitions and fundraising activity.
• Prior in-house experience is highly preferred but candidates from top-tier law firms with relevant experience will also be considered.
• In-depth knowledge of corporate transactions and funding mechanisms. Proven ability to manage and close complex transactions independently and awareness as to when to escalate issues to senior management.
• Exceptional negotiation and drafting skills. Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with a keen eye for detail. Deep commercial acumen, with the ability to identify and articulate key risks for escalation.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, capable of influencing stakeholders at all levels.
• Ability to prioritise and manage projects from inception through to completion. Willingness to embrace ambiguous issues and situations.
• Keeping up-to-speed with developments in the law and regulation relevant to the role and sharing knowhow as appropriate within the Legal team.
• An interest and curiosity in financial technology, tokenisation and crypto (although professional experience not essential).

The benefits offered

• Holidays: 27 days per annum paid holiday, in addition to bank holidays
• Years of Service Days: Employees are awarded one additional day of paid time off per year of service (up to three years)
• Vitality Health:
• Medical Insurance: Copper provides all employees with individual cover. Medical history is disregarded, and a 24/7 virtual GP is available (£100 excess per person per year)
• Dental Insurance: Comprehensive dental cover for preventative, restorative and emergency treatment
• Audiology Cover: Employees can claim back up 80% of costs, up to £300, for any hearing tests or hearing aids
• Optical Cover: £500 optical cover (through Vision Express) or 80% reimbursement up to £300 for any other optician
• Menopause Support: Unlimited support for those experiencing symptoms of the menopause, such as video consultations with a dedicated menopause practitioner
• Vitality services also include an additional £100 for minor diagnostic tests and private prescriptions, including home diagnostics
• Headspace - Copper's policy provides all employees with a free Headspace subscription. Headspace provides great resources to manage stress, improve sleep, meditate and enhance mindfulness
• Discounts and free benefits - the Vitality programme has been designed for preventative care to encourage members to improve their overall health and will reward those for doing so. Employees can access additional benefits such as 50% off running shoes, discounted health screenings, 50% off at Nuffield Health or Virgin Active gyms and much more
• Home Working Energy Support Scheme: to combat energy prices increasing globally, Copper will provide you, in addition to your salary, with a monthly top-up of £60 or £75 (subject to your energy supplier)
• Pension up to 10% matched contribution to our company pension scheme via Smart Pensions
• Cycle to Work
• EAP: access unlimited mental health consultations and contact a 24/7 confidential helpline for emotional support
• Sponsored Learning and Development opportunities
• Regular company events and social activities

In return for everything you can bring to Copper, we can offer you an exciting, challenging role in a fast-growing and dynamic business, with career opportunities and welcoming working environment.

If you think you have everything we're looking for and more, then we'd love you to apply for the opportunity.

Copper is an equal opportunity employer. We embrace diversity and equal opportunities in a serious way. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. So, bring us your experience, perspectives, and skills. It is in our differences that we will continue to grow and ensure Copper is transforming how institutional investors engage with digital assets. Copper is a Disability Confident Employer, please let us know if you have a disability.If you require us to provide any assistance during the recruitment process, then we would ask you to highlight this to us and we will be happy to accommodate.