Counsel, Strategic Response Legal

Ready to be pushed beyond what you think you’re capable of?

At Coinbase, our mission is to increase economic freedom in the world. It’s a massive, ambitious opportunity that demands the best of us, every day, as we build the emerging onchain platform — and with it, the future global financial system.

To achieve our mission, we’re seeking a very specific candidate. We want someone who is passionate about our mission and who believes in the power of crypto and blockchain technology to update the financial system. We want someone who is eager to leave their mark on the world, who relishes the pressure and privilege of working with high caliber colleagues, and who actively seeks feedback to keep leveling up.

We want someone who will run towards, not away from, solving the company’s hardest problems.

Our work culture is intense and isn’t for everyone. But if you want to build the future alongside others who excel in their disciplines and expect the same from you, there’s no better place to be.

While many roles at Coinbase are remote-first, we are not remote-only. In-person participation is required throughout the year. Team and company-wide offsites are held multiple times annually to foster collaboration, connection, and alignment. Attendance is expected and fully supported.

The Strategic Response Legal team serves as Coinbase’s legal "First Responders." We navigate the most complex, high‑stakes, and time‑sensitive legal issues facing the cryptoeconomy. This is not a standard advisory role; you will be tasked with managing crises, leading urgent internal investigations, and providing decisive legal counsel to protect the company’s reputation and operational integrity.

The Strategic Response Legal team also serves as advocates for the crypto‑economy and Coinbase, dedicated to preventing and addressing criminal activity. It partners with our Global Intelligence team to act as a liaison with law enforcement and conduct both proactive and reactive investigations. We are looking for a seasoned lawyer, with a background in criminal law or white‑collar internal investigations, who is hungry for a challenge and to have a big impact on a small team.

You should be someone who enjoys the grind of an investigation and finds genuine satisfaction in piecing together a complex, multi‑layered puzzle under pressure.

• Lead the legal response for high‑intensity, high‑priority projects that require seamless cross‑functional orchestration across Legal, Compliance, Product, and Communications.
• Conduct comprehensive, end‑to‑end internal investigations into sensitive matters. This requires the ability to interrogate data sets, interview stakeholders, and reconstruct complex sequences of events to reach a clear conclusion.
• Rapidly synthesize technical and legal information from cross‑functional stakeholders to frame critical decisions. You will communicate concise updates and strategic recommendations to company leadership.

• 5+ years as a practicing attorney, including at a law firm, company, or regulatory/government agency
• Experience in cross‑functional project management in a fast‑paced environment
• Experience leading internal investigations
• Experience interfacing with government regulators, agencies or law enforcement
• Ideal candidates will have demonstrated experience communicating and partnering at all levels of an organization to coordinate between multiple internal stakeholders and balance differing opinions and perspectives
• Must be flexible, able to multitask, detail‑oriented, and enjoy fast paced and high‑intensity work
• Exceptional organizational skills
• Exceptional legal writing abilities and skilled at synthesizing the perspectives of various stakeholders
• Excellent judgment and analytic rigor
• Must be active and in good standing in one State Bar in the United States

• Enthusiasm for and a basic understanding of digital currencies/blockchain

Pay Transparency Notice:
Depending on your work location, the target annual base salary for this position can range as detailed below. Full‑time offers from Coinbase also include bonus eligibility, equity eligibility, and benefits (including…