Special Counsel, Transactions

About This Role

As a Special Counsel in Transactions at Circle, you will focus on corporate development and financial partnerships, primarily handling mergers and acquisitions, strategic transactions, and agreements with banks and financial institutions. This role requires a seasoned transactional attorney who can lead negotiations and provide legal guidance in a fast-paced digital asset environment.

Responsibilities

• Support mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, asset purchases, and other strategic transactions, including structuring, conducting due diligence, drafting definitive agreements, and coordinating signing, closing, and integration matters.
• Advise on joint ventures, minority and venture investments, and strategic partnerships, including term sheets, investment agreements, side letters, and ancillary agreements.
• Structure, draft, and negotiate agreements with banks and financial institutions supporting Circle’s reserve, treasury, and payments operations.
• Serve as a trusted partner to Circle’s Corporate Development and Ventures, Treasury, and Financial Partnerships teams, leading transactions that involve Legal, Regulatory, Risk, Compliance, Tax, Corporate Governance, Product, and other stakeholders.
• Support select commercial transactions in which Circle provides products, services, or technology to banks and other financial institutions.
• Develop and expand transaction templates, playbooks, diligence tools, processes, and metrics to increase speed, consistency, and effectiveness across recurring transaction types.
• Help design and lead the adoption of AI-enabled workflows across the Transactions team, improving diligence, contract review, and other recurring workflows.

Requirements

• J.D. or foreign equivalent and active membership in good standing of at least one U.S. State Bar.
• 7+ years of transactional legal experience at a leading law firm, an in-house legal department, or a combination of both.
• Substantial experience with M&A and other corporate transactions, including structuring transactions and leading negotiations.
• Strong working knowledge of corporate and commercial law, sound business judgment, and the ability to coordinate legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, and operational considerations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong ownership and organization, and the ability to manage multiple matters simultaneously.
• Familiarity with generative AI in legal workflows, with sound judgment about when and how to use AI.
• Passion for Circle’s mission and values, financial technology, and the potential of stablecoins and blockchain technology.

Nice to have:

• Experience with banking, deposit, custody, safeguarding, treasury, or other financial services agreements.