Product Counsel/Estate Strategist

Vanilla is a fast–growing financial and legal technology company that is revolutionizing the way that people approach estate planning. As category leaders, we empower advisors to unlock decades of industry–leading expertise to create an extensive and valuable plan for their clients.

At Vanilla, we are committed to creating an exceptional product and culture. We believe work is just one part of a happy, healthy life. We don't speak in startup tropes or have craft beer on tap. We're a small team of people that are very good at what we do and are happy to be doing it.

We're currently looking for a Product Counsel who is passionate about what Vanilla is delivering to customers. You'll be working with a group of diverse designers, developers, operations managers, and attorneys, all of whom share a passion for building beautifully designed products and making complex processes user friendly.

Vanilla is looking for an experienced trust and estate lawyer/estate strategist who is passionate about technology to join our team, reporting to the General Counsel. Note that this is a completely remote position. This person will play a crucial role in working cross–functionally at Vanilla to support the build of our estate planning solution and other products, provide subject matter expertise, and bring a deep understanding of the needs of wealth advisors and their clients.

• Report to General Counsel and work closely with other members of the Legal team to provide practical, effective legal and compliance support to Vanilla.
• Build strong relationships with cross–functional teams (product, engineering, marketing, sales, customer care); serve as a strategic adviser and partner through product development and go–to–market lifecycle in developing and maintaining compliant products.
• Leverage trust + estate and tax expertise to play critical role as subject matter expert in product and content development.
• Work with cross–functional teams to build scalable processes and internal education on trust and estate issues.
• Provide practical in–depth analysis and guidance on legal issues, risks, complex products, and company policies, in a risk–tolerant, compliance–focused environment.
• Stay current on laws, regulations, and policy trends relevant to trusts and estate and tax across relevant jurisdictions.
• Identify potential issues concerning data, privacy, and intellectual property for referral to, and collaboration with internal specialists.
• Respond to business questions and apply sound legal judgment in mitigating risks and providing appropriate legal solutions.

• JD or equivalent required
• Prior experience as a Wealth Strategist or Trust Officer (or similar) at a financial institution
• 14+ years of legal experience with a focus on trusts and estates (high net worth clientele), ideally at least 2 years as in–house counsel
• Current license to practice law in any U.S. State
• Experience drafting, reviewing, and diagramming advanced estate planning documents, and administering and settling complex taxable estates
• Command of sophisticated income, gift, estate, and generation skipping transfer tax planning strategies
• Fundamental understanding of financial planning and fiduciary principles
• Ability to work effectively independently and with others in a virtual team environment
• Superior legal and business judgment as well as an ability to apply critical thinking skills in a fast–paced environment
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, especially in providing concise, plain language advice
• Team player willing to pitch in to get the job done, including performing tasks outside of job description; should be willing to help others on the team and take on additional responsibilities
• Self–motivated, curious, and organized

• Experience in building and launching software products
• Experience working with cross–functional teams, including product, engineering, marketing, sales, compliance, security
• Experience with privacy and security concepts

Please include your resume AND a brief cover letter of your most recent accomplishments.

Vanilla Technologies Inc. (dba "Vanilla") provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

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