Compliance Counsel - CONTRACTOR

ABOUT

At Arceus, we believe the way companies get legal support is overdue for reinvention. In-house teams are expected to move faster than ever, but the tools and delivery models available to them havent kept pace.
Were building the legal infrastructure layer for modern companies, pairing experienced attorneys with intelligent technology to deliver high-quality legal work at the speed growing businesses need. Our attorneys dont just practice law: they shape the playbooks, systems, and tools that make every engagement better than the last.
This is a remote role based anywhere in the U.Youll serve as fractional employment counsel to fast-growing tech companies, many of which have no dedicated people-law expertise in-house. Youll handle the full range of everyday employment questions, from the first hire to the first reduction in force, as a trusted extension of each customers legal and People teams.
Youll also help us turn recurring employment work into playbooks, templates, and AI-assisted workflows, so every answer gets faster and more consistent over time.
You give practical, risk-calibrated advice in plain language. Hiring and onboarding:

offer letters, employment agreements, contractor agreements, confidentiality and invention assignment agreements, and background-check compliance.
contractor, exempt vs. non-exempt, overtime, and pay transparency rules.
Multi-state and remote workforce:

state registration, state-specific policies, and coordination with PEOs and employers of record for international hires.
Policies and handbooks:

draft and update handbooks, remote-work, leave, and AI-use policies.
FMLA and state leave laws, disability and pregnancy accommodations, and return-to-work questions.
Performance and separations:

performance plans, terminations, separation and release agreements, RIFs, and WARN analysis.
Workplace issues:

triage complaints, scope and support internal investigations, and advise on harassment, discrimination, and retaliation risk.
Restrictive covenants and equity touchpoints:

non-solicits, state non-compete limits, and coordination with corporate counsel on equity grants.
Scale the practice:

turn recurring questions into templates, playbooks, and quality bars, and work with product and engineering to improve our tools.
5+ years of employment law practice, advising employers rather than litigating only
~ Experience as in-house employment counsel, or advising many startups and growth-stage companies from a firm
~ Working knowledge of California employment law is a strong plus
~ A customer-first mindset: responsive, low-ego, and focused on practical outcomes
~ Experience with, or real excitement about, AI-assisted legal workflows
~ Strong grounding in professional responsibility and legal ethics
~ Hourly rate of $100–$150, based on experience
At least 10 hours per week of availability for client matters; Part-time independent contractor engagement