In-House Counsel

Scythe is looking for a highly-motivated, broadly-experienced, and growth-oriented attorney to handle a wide range of legal matters as we transition to the next phase of our growth. As our In-House Counsel, you'll advise the team and manage a variety of intellectual property items from invention disclosures to patent filing and from copyrights to licensing. You'd also be our primary point of contact for contract negotiations with both customers and vendors, help with other corporate matters, and generally be the first resource for Scythe legal matters. You'd be responsible for appropriately delegating all of the above to outside counsel where useful and managing costs prudently.

We expect you to be broadly experienced to be able to “see around corners”, to thrive in a fast-paced, self-managed engineering environment, and to be a collaborative, low-ego teammate who helps Scythe realize its big mission. You'd work closely with engineers, customer representatives, supply chain managers, and many more Scythers of different disciplines to position Scythe well for our exciting period of upcoming growth.

What you’ll do at Scythe  

• Execute patent strategy including identification and disclosure of new ideas, filing, prosecution of applications, decision on jurisdictional information, foreign prosecution, licensing (inbound and outbound), third-party negotiations, and assignments
• Review and assess strategy for IP threats (e.g., demand letters, infringement allegations, etc.)
• Execute trademark strategy including identification of new marks and branding, filing marks and prosecuting marks at the USPTO and other jurisdictions, responding to oppositions, policing the mark, preparing statements of use, reviewing marketing statements for FTC compliance, performing clearance of branding/marketing materials
• Review and advise on issues relating to Standard Essential Patents
• Draft and review contracts for customers, suppliers, and vendors, engaging in negotiations with third parties over terms
• Interface with procurement team on deal terms, understanding the business and supply chain risk
• Draft and advise on terms of conditions, privacy policy, data handling policy, etc. for customers
• Provide general counsel and legal recommendations to the business and leadership team
• Deliver critical communications and training, while partnering with People Operations on developing policies and procedures

What you know well

• IP - Developing and executing patent strategy, especially for highly technical applications like ours
• Commercial Law - Negotiating on terms, retaining IP, and aligning our strategy with our implementation
• Preparing and prosecuting domestic and international patent applications
• Patent prosecution either in a law firm or technology company
• Facilitating filings of licensing forms and other statutory requirements

What you’ve maybe done

• Commercial Law
• Employment Law
• Corporate Law - Reviewing corporate paperwork as needed (e.g., bylaws, SPAs, employee handbook, etc.)
  • Providing recommendations on terms 
  • Drafting and reviewing corporate resolutions
  • Ensuring compliance with SEC, etc.
• Drafted and reviewed product manuals 
• Assessed and advised on product risk

Why Scythe?

• Scythe is an early-stage but well-capitalized startup. Have a huge impact alongside an awesome team of experts shipping something the world has never before seen
• Competitive salary and equity compensation
• Fully-sponsored medical, vision, and dental insurance, including 75% funded dependent coverage
• 401(k) retirement plan (non-matching today)
• Headquarters near beautiful Boulder, CO. Enjoy the bounties of nature and open spaces close to home with mountain biking, hiking, skiing and more.
• Satellite offices in Austin, TX and Vero Beach, FL 
• Flexible paid time-off and remote work to let you do your best work where and when you want
• Highly collaborative learning culture where personal freedom, growth, and responsibility are valued
• An opportunity to have an incredible positive impact on the world

Closing

Scythe is a total compensation company, which provides employees a comprehensive salary, equity, and benefit package. However, only the minimum salary amounts are listed here. Scythe carefully considers a wide range of compensation factors, including education, years of experience, competencies and other relevant business considerations. These considerations can cause your compensation to vary along with your compensation mode preferences. The In-House Counsel position has an expected minimum annual cash salary of $150,000. The actual pay may be higher depending on your skills, qualifications, and experience. Equity and benefits packages are NOT included in this estimate. Please note that this information is provided for those hired in Colorado only, and this role is open to candidates outside of Colorado as well.