Chief Legal Officer (CLO) ($1M-$5M salary)

**1. THE OPPORTUNITY** Baton Corporation is the development company that builds and maintains http://pump.fun — the dominant memecoin launchpad on Solana, processing $300M+ daily volume. Last year http://pump.fun generated more than $500M in profit with a team of fewer than 100 people. We are a technology development company with our operational centre in New York, NY, serving hundreds of thousands of users globally — across the US, EU, Asia, and beyond. Our legal and regulatory environment is complex, fast-moving, and consequential. We are creating this role because we need someone who can own it. This is a newly created, senior in-house position reporting directly to the General Counsel. The successful candidate will serve as the principal legal advisor across regulatory affairs, product counsel, corporate governance, and cross-border compliance. The role demands technical legal depth combined with the pragmatic, commercial instinct of someone comfortable operating at pace, in an environment with low bureaucracy and high expectations. **2. SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITIES** **Regulatory Affairs & Digital Asset Compliance** - Serve as the primary internal expert on US digital asset regulation — SEC, CFTC, FinCEN, OFAC — providing timely, well-reasoned guidance across product, engineering, and commercial teams. - Own and manage the company's global regulatory posture across UK (FCA), EU (MiCA/DORA), and APAC jurisdictions; identify exposure and develop defensible compliance frameworks. - Lead regulatory engagement: respond to inquiries, manage investigations, and represent the company in proceedings alongside outside counsel. - Monitor legislative and regulatory developments across all relevant jurisdictions and translate them into actionable recommendations for senior leadership. - Oversee AML/KYC programme integrity in collaboration with the Head of Compliance, ensuring frameworks are robust, current, and audit-ready. **Product & Commercial Counsel** - Provide timely legal review for all product launches, feature expansions, and go-to-market activities across multiple jurisdictions. - Draft, negotiate, and manage all commercial contracts: partnerships, exchange listings, data and API agreements, vendor relationships, and enterprise arrangements. - Advise on data privacy obligations (GDPR, CCPA) and consumer protection requirements embedded in product design and terms of service. - Review marketing and promotional materials for regulatory compliance across relevant markets. **Corporate Governance & Litigation** - Advise on corporate governance and board matters across the UK parent entity and any US or international subsidiaries. - Lead the company's response to litigation, class actions, and law enforcement requests; manage outside counsel relationships effectively, controlling quality and cost. - Oversee IP strategy including trademark registration, brand protection, and global enforcement. - Manage cross-border corporate structuring matters as the company's legal footprint evolves. **Legal Operations & Team Building** - Identify emerging legal risks before they become existential; build scalable internal processes that the business can actually use. - Manage and develop outside counsel panel relationships — driving quality up and costs down. - Contribute to building a world-class legal function appropriate to the company's scale and ambition. **3. CANDIDATE PROFILE** **Qualifications & Experience** - JD from an accredited US law school; admitted to the New York Bar or eligible for admission on motion. Additional UK or international qualifications are a plus. - 10+ years of legal experience, combining top-tier law firm practice with meaningful in-house time in crypto, fintech, payments, or regulated financial services. - Deep, practitioner-level knowledge of US digital asset regulation — you understand the current state of SEC/CFTC jurisdiction, FinCEN expectations, and OFAC sanctions compliance. - Genuine familiarity with intern…