Commercial Counsel

Lifted is the first talent, country, and contract-agnostic contingent workforce management solution, giving enterprises a unified way to source, contract, manage, and pay any type of contingent talent, anywhere in the world. Today, contingent work runs through fragmented systems and providers, creating inefficiency, compliance risks, and limited visibility. We’re here to change that. By combining technology and global services into one seamless solution, we help enterprises hire faster, operate with confidence, and gain live visibility across all external talent. 

One solution. Global. Compliant. Seamless. Learn more at go-lifted.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

This is an exciting opportunity for a seasoned commercial attorney with strong expertise in staffing and other contingent workforce matters who thrives in a high-impact, high-autonomy environment and enjoys leading strategic, cross-functional deal work and operational improvements. You’ll serve as the first line of legal support for Lifted, ensuring efficient, standardized contract execution while escalating non-standard matters to the Upwork Inc. Legal team. This role blends hands-on contracting work with operational improvement—ideal for a pragmatic, business-minded lawyer who thrives on collaboration and operational excellence.

In particular, you will bring expertise in staffing and staffing-related contracting, including advising on Employer of Record (EOR) and contingent workforce arrangements, while also supporting a broad range of commercial agreements. You will help close deals with customers, partners, and vendors of all sizes, and will directly interface with and provide counsel to internal clients and cross-functional partners.  

Your Responsibilities:

• Lead the review, negotiation and strategic management of staffing and contingent workforce agreements, including those related to Employer of Record (EOR), Agent of Record (AOR), staff augmentation, and other workforce solutions.

• Manage a wide range of complex and high-impact commercial agreements with clients, vendors, and partners, including MSAs, amendments, NDAs, statements of work, DPAs, pilot agreements, partnership agreements, channel sales/collaboration agreements, terms of service, etc.

• Provide counsel on employment law considerations as they intersect with commercial agreements, including worker classification and co-employment considerations, benefits, and compliance with federal, state, and international labor and employment laws.

• Conduct ad hoc legal analysis and provide legal counsel in support of strategic initiatives and emerging business

• Serve as a key advisor to senior leaders across business units, delivering strategic, solutions-oriented legal counsel that aligns business goals with risk posture and drives stakeholder alignment 

• Collaborate with other cross-functional leaders such as RevOps, Sourcing, InfoSec, and Accounts Payable to address challenges, forecasting, process alignment, etc. 

• Work with enablement teams to develop, improve and participate in trainings to educate internal stakeholders on legal positions, contract related legal risks, best practices, and processes 

• Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency, and lead the design and implementation of scalable solutions including forms, templates, playbooks, and workflows with team members and cross-functional stakeholders

• Refine and maintain contract standards, fallback positions, and escalation policies

• Influence and build relationships with executives, product teams, and peers across the company

• Engage with and manage outside counsel and other legal resources as needed

• As needed, provide contract related support associated with corporate transactions 

• Support other projects based on company needs

What it takes to catch our eye:

• JD from an accredited U.S. law school and active license to practice in at least one U.S. jurisdiction 

• Significant experience advising on staffing models, contingent workforce arrangements, and employment law issues in a commercial contracting context.

• 3+ years of experience in an AmLaw 100 law firm 

• 2+ years in-house experience at a high-growth startup or public tech company

• A business-minded attorney with a track record of balancing risk mitigation with business enablement

• Experience supporting a large sales team 

• Expertise in drafting, negotiating, and managing customer and vendor agreements

• Excellent oral and written communication skills—the ability to explain complex issues and concepts in straightforward, everyday terms

• Eagerness to collaborate cross-functionally with partners across the company

• Ability to prioritize and handle multiple projects effectively -- big and small – and adapt in a fast-paced business environment

• Track record of influencing others in challenging discussions

• Collaborative, proactive, solution-oriented, positive attitude, curious, good sense of humor

How to really knock our socks off:

• Deep knowledge of employment law, including co-employment considerations, wage-and-hour and worker classification compliance, and cross-border employment compliance.

• Working knowledge and understanding of contingent workforce management, including VMS/MSPs, AOR and EOR models, staff augmentation, etc.  

• Working knowledge and understanding of global privacy regulations

• Experience using Ironclad, Salesforce, or other contract management systems 

• Strong interest in legal operations, data-driven decision making and leveraging AI to scale legal support

Lift Your Career. Shape the Future of Work.

Our Mission: Unify contingent work. Elevate how it gets done. This isn’t just a promise to clients, it’s how we work at Lifted. Every feature we build, every client interaction we have, and every team decision we make is a chance to reduce fragmentation and set a new standard for efficiency, quality, and impact. We’re not just building technology, we’re building the new standard for how enterprise companies engage talent.

This is the right place for you if you are motivated by ambitious goals, ready to do what it takes to win, boldly curious in asking questions and exploring better ways forward, and dedicated to following through on your commitments. You’ll thrive here if you raise the bar for yourself and others, collaborate across teams, and help others succeed so we can achieve our shared mission.

This may not be the right place for you if you’re uncomfortable with constructive feedback, prefer rigid structure, shy away from high expectations and accountability, or find it difficult to adapt in a fast-paced, startup-like environment.

We operate with the agility of a startup and the impact of a global enterprise. Our values — trust, innovation, curiosity, excellence, and ownership — guide how we work and fuel the culture we’re building together. And while our mission is big, growth here is both company-wide and personal, creating opportunities to learn fast, take ownership, and build a career that helps shape the future of work.

We’re proud to offer benefits that go beyond the basics, including comprehensive medical coverage for you and your family, unlimited PTO, a 401(k) plan with matching, and 12 weeks of paid parental leave. 

Lifted is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, or other legally protected characteristics under federal, state, or local law.

Please note that a criminal background check may be required once a conditional job offer is made. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered in accordance with applicable law, including the California Fair Chance Act and local Fair Chance ordinances.