Legal Specialist

About Woolf

Our mission is to increase access to world-class higher education and ensure that it is globally recognized and transferable. See more at Woolf.university.

We're building a category-defining company, increasing the speed of innovation in higher education and increasing access to high-quality education

Woolf is a collegiate higher education institution modeled on the University of Oxford and the University of California. We are composed of our colleges, and we work closely with college Deans to define new programs, and manage regulatory paperwork related to those programs.

We're on a mission to increase the speed of innovation in higher education, while ensuring the most robust quality assurance process that has ever been built.

The Role

Reporting to the CEO, the Legal Specialist will be responsible for corporate compliance for all our entities, maintenance of accurate corporate records, and contract lifecycle management for our Deal Desk customers. This is a remote role based out of the Philippines, with required working hours overlap with USA Pacific business hours of at least 4 hours.

The Legal Specialist will also assist with state compliance checks, accreditation support, deal structuring, and patent filing management. This position will require a high level of collaboration and coordination with the CEO and outside counsel representing various jurisdictions, as well as an ability to quickly establish a deep familiarity with all of Woolf's contracts.

If you are excited to be part of a fast-growing startup, know when and how to ask the right questions, and are interested in legal research and discovery, this role may be a good fit for you.

• Process-oriented: You will be systematic about determining which clauses in a contract are high- and low-risk (both legally and commercially) and can make adjustments for clients accordingly.
• Integrity: You are trustworthy on liability/indemnification issues, and you can identify when it makes sense to tap into outside counsel budget.
• Contract Familiarity: You are comfortable learning every clause of our contract, understanding the IP and data issues, and understanding US legal terms like "commercially reasonable" — or you can get up to speed very quickly. You can identify areas of improvement in our MSA to reduce friction.
• Patent Filing and Trademark Experience: You will own and drive forward patent filing and trademark registration management.

Key Responsibilities

• Take progressive ownership over the entire contract lifecycle from initial drafting to execution, ensuring compliance with Woolf standards and alignment with stakeholders.
• Progressively expand responsibility to handle corporate and officer compliance for Woolf’s multiple legal entities, which are in the regulated higher education space
• Manage corporate compliance, maintaining accurate corporate records, and supporting state compliance checks and accreditation processes.
• Collaborate with the CEO and outside counsel to provide legal advice on deal structuring, contract negotiations, and regulatory requirements.
• Drive patent and trademark registration management, ensuring timely and accurate filings.
• Develop and implement efficient processes for contract management and legal operations, identifying areas for improvement.
• Conduct legal research and stay updated on relevant laws and regulations to support Woolf’s educational initiatives.

Requirements

• LLB/JD or LLM/ML
• 4-6 years of experience in contract lifecycle management (MSAs, SOWs, NDAs, etc.), legal operations
• Extensive knowledge of and experience in US Corporate Law
• High integrity, excellent judgment
• Demonstrated experience in contract management and negotiation, legal drafting, contract review, corporate law, providing legal advice, and audit management
• Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills, with proven ability in negotiation and client-facing interactions
• Self-motivated and able to work independently, but absolutely understand when it's necessary to sync with CEO/outside counsel before making a final judgement call
• Proven ability to meet tight deadlines and deliverables
• High EQ

What Makes You Stand Out

• Familiarity with patent filing and trademark registration
• Highly self-motivated and comfortable working in a remote-first environment
• Previous experience with accreditation regulation or demonstrated passion for higher education/edtech
• Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and adapt quickly to new circumstances
• Can jump in and do the hard things yourself when necessary
• Enthusiasm and a positive attitude
• Passion for Woolf’s mission, vision and embodiment of our core values
• Experience working in early-stage or high-growth tech startups

Benefits

• Annual compensation: $20,000 to $35,000 (based on requirements match)
• Flexible PTO and working hours
• Work from Home
• Laptop