Counsel, Deal Legal

Equity Zen is a financial technology company, backed by leading venture and private equity investors. We’re looking for a knowledgeable and hardworking Counsel, Deal Legal, who has a strong interest in the pre-IPO space and private markets.

Since 2013, the Equity Zen marketplace has made it easy to buy and sell shares in private companies. Equity Zen brings together investors and shareholders, providing liquidity to early shareholders and private market access to accredited investors. With low investment minimums through our funds and with more than 45,000 private placements completed across 450+ companies, Equity Zen leads the way in delivering “Private Markets for the Public”.

In October, it was announced that Equity Zen is joining forces with Morgan Stanley. The acquisition, which is expected to close in early 2026, will propel forward our mission of building Private Markets for the Public, by integrating with one of the world's leading financial institutions.

• Act as one of Equity Zen’s transactional attorneys and close deals in the private secondary markets for some of the leading pre-IPO private companies
• Orchestrate legal efforts for Equity Zen’s deal team, managing innovative private placement transactions and all deal documents
• Work with the product, marketplace, sales, research and tech teams to optimize our transaction process: make deals faster, more automated, and more efficient
• Advise business units on key regulatory developments and compliance
• Negotiate and draft strategic and high value commercial contracts
• Prepare and submit regulatory filings

• 3+ years transactional experience in broader capital markets or investment funds at a top tier law firm; (ii) in‑house transactional role at venture funded fintech startup; (iii) in‑house capital markets role at an investment bank or hedge fund; or (iv) in‑house transactional role at a private fund.
• J.D. from an accredited law school
• Licensed in the State of New York or qualified to practice as in‑house counsel in the State of New York and in good standing
• You love being a lawyer and want to be part of a close and collaborative legal team
• You are detail‑oriented, enthusiastic, resourceful, diligent, comfortable acting in the face of ambiguity, and driving processes to conclusion
• You are a humble team player and believe that the users, the company mission, and team come before you
• You are able to work independently with little or no supervision
• You have excellent communication skills (verbal, written and listening)
• You exercise first‑rate judgment and have the ability to prioritize

• ’33 Act, ‘34 Act and/or ’40 Act experience
• Experience drafting the following documents:
  Share Transfer Agreements, Placement Agreements, Subscription Agreements, Non‑Disclosure Agreements, Offering Memoranda and Risk Factors
• Transactional experience in capital markets or investment funds at a top‑tier law firm
• In‑house transactional or capital markets role at a venture funded fintech startup, investment bank, investment adviser, broker‑dealer, hedge fund or other private fund

• $150,000 - $170,000 annually and eligibility for a discretionary annual bonus

• This role is based in our NYC office on a hybrid schedule of 3x a week (Tue/Wed/Thur)

Equity Zen also offers full employee benefits (health, dental, vision), 401k, individual professional development and wellness budget, generous time off policies and more!

Equity Zen provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Equity Zen complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Equity Zen expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of Equity Zen’s employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.