Legal Counsel, Contracts

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.

We’re looking for a lawyer who thrives in a high-volume, fast-moving environment where speed, and sound judgment drive business results. As a Legal Counsel (Contracts), you’ll review, redline, and negotiate NDAs, MSAs, SOWs, amendments, vendor contracts, and other commercial agreements within frameworks approved by the Upwork Inc. Legal team. 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.

Your Responsibilities

• Review, redline, and negotiate a high volume of client and vendor agreements (NDAs, MSAs, SOWs, amendments, vendor contracts) within frameworks and playbooks approved by Upwork Inc. Legal.

• Serve as the first-tier legal contact for Lifted and Ascen, managing day-to-day contract requests and internal legal questions.

• Apply commercial judgment and pre-approved positions to speed up standard contract negotiations while maintaining compliance and risk alignment.

• Escalate non-standard issues to Upwork Inc. Legal with detailed context, analysis, and recommendations to streamline review.

• Partner closely with Upwork Inc. Legal to refine frameworks, playbooks, and processes, ensuring consistency and scalability across teams.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with internal functions to ensure seamless contract execution.

• Support the design, documentation, and automation of LegalOps processes (intake, triage, routing, approvals, metrics).

• Contribute to legal enablement efforts through FAQs, training materials, self-service tools, and content libraries.

What It Takes to Catch Our Eye

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

• 4+ years of experience handling commercial contracts, preferably in-house or at a high-volume service organization.

• Demonstrated ability to manage and negotiate a large portfolio of agreements independently within structured frameworks.

• Demonstrated experience in staffing, EOR, or contingent workforce environments

• Excellent redlining and drafting skills; strong attention to commercial nuance and business context.

• Experience collaborating with legal and non-legal stakeholders across departments.

• Business-minded and pragmatic—you enable speed while managing risk intelligently.

• Comfortable operating in a high-velocity, high-volume environment with shifting priorities.

• Familiarity with contract lifecycle management systems (Ironclad).

• Experience working directly with sales & operational teams.

How You’ll Stand Out

• Proven experience building or refining contract templates, playbooks, or workflows.

• Demonstrated ability to improve legal processes that reduce turnaround times and increase clarity.

• Strong communication skills, capable of translating legal positions into clear operational guidance.

• Pragmatic, proactive operator who drives business outcomes while maintaining compliance.

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.