Published 2026-05-04
Deputy General Counsel – Employment Law (Canada)
– Equity Partner –
Location: Remote (Canada-based)
Jurisdiction: Canada (Federal & Provincial)
Minimum Commitment: 20 hours per week
Department: Legal Guild – Employment Risk & People Infrastructure
Reports To: General Counsel
This Is not a Job. It’s a Stake.
We’re not hiring legal help—we’re bringing on a founding partner to help design the employment systems of a global creative company from scratch. This is a rare opportunity to architect culture through law . To shape how talent is hired, managed, protected, and scaled—across a growing Canada team and beyond.
Minimum commitment: 20 hours/week. If that’s not realistic, it’s not the right fit. No hard feelings. We operate on clarity—not stretch.
This is an equity partner role. That means:
No upfront cash compensation
Equity (shares) at founding partner level (vesting standard)
Future token-based rewards (pending legal approvals)
Salary activates with revenue-based milestones
Remote-first, async-native, counsel-to-creation model
If you’re the kind of counsel who thinks like a builder, not a blocker—this is your moment.
Let’s Be Very Clear
We’re not looking for someone to “clean up after growth.” We’re looking for someone to design for scale - in alignment with creative freedom, strategic clarity, and employment integrity. This is for a Canada-licensed attorney who thrives in ambiguity, thinks in frameworks, and understands that the most strategic layer of any company is how it manages people.
We’re building that layer—and we want you to lead it.
Overview
As Deputy General Counsel – Employment Law (Canada) , you will lead all employment law and workplace legal operations across our Canadian entities. From talent contracts and investigations to compliance and policy—you’ll be the go-to partner for legal, HR, and leadership teams.
You’ll ensure that everything we do—hiring, managing, compensating, and growing talent—is done with legal clarity, cultural alignment, and strategic foresight.
What You’ll Own Employment Law Strategy: Lead employment law design across Canada (federal & provincial), with a focus on Québec, Ontario, and BC Policy & Agreements: Draft and maintain compliant, modern employment agreements, handbooks, contractor terms, codes of conduct, etc. People Ops Partnership: Work directly with HR, Execs, and Ops on hiring frameworks, terminations, accommodations, DEI, and compensation Workplace Investigations: Oversee and conduct internal investigations with legal and ethical integrity Risk & Compliance: Track provincial changes, lead compliance projects, and advise on how law intersects with growth Remote Work & Classification: Advise on contractor vs. employee rules, remote jurisdictional frameworks, and hybrid team structures Litigation Oversight: Manage external counsel on any employment disputes, labor board claims, or legal escalations
Culture-Legal Bridge: Embed values into legal processes—ensuring our policies support innovation, inclusion, and equity
What We’re Looking For Licensed to practice law in Canada (Québec Bar or Ontario Bar preferred) 8+ years of employment law experience in Canada—ideally with a blend of in-house and firm-side work Strong grasp of multi-province employment law : contracts, compliance, wrongful dismissal, human rights, investigations Experience partnering cross-functionally with HR, leadership, and operations teams
Excellent async communication and documentation habits (Notion, Confluence, GDocs, etc.)
Risk-aware but growth-minded; you know how to protect and empower
Bonus: Fluency in French and experience with Québec employment law Bonus: Prior work with creative/tech/media companies or IP-driven businesses
Compensation Equity (Shares): Founding partner-level equity stake Token-Based Rewards: Potential future token allocation pending compliance Future Salary: Activates at revenue milestones
Remote-First: Canadian-based, async-native, globally integrated team
Our Promise
We’re not just building a media company—we’re building infrastructure for creativity, culture, and compliance at scale. We want our legal systems to be ethical, scalable, and empowering—and we want a partner who sees the law as a tool for progress, not just protection.
If you’re ready to build the employment law backbone of a global IP company— this is your seat at the table.
