Senior Counsel, UK Legal

Senior Counsel, UK Legal

1. Location: London, England, United Kingdom
2. Salary: £129,240 - £143,600 GBP + bonus + equity + benefits

Role Overview:

As Senior Counsel, you will advise Coinbase’s UK entity on a wide range of legal and regulatory matters related to crypto, financial services, and payments law. You will work closely with the UK, EU, and US legal teams, business stakeholders, and compliance to ensure legal and regulatory compliance, help manage risks, and support Coinbase’s growth and product launches in the UK and beyond.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide legal advice on UK financial services regulations such as VASP, e-money, payment services, SMCR, MiFID, consumer protection, and financial promotions rules.
• Support business leads and compliance on regulatory compliance and new product rollouts.
• Advise on inter-company arrangements, commercial partnerships, and banking relationships.
• Monitor regulatory developments and help Coinbase advocate for sensible crypto regulation.
• Manage outside counsel and build deep domain expertise.
• Collaborate across multiple teams to manage complex legal projects under tight deadlines.

Required Qualifications:

• Qualified solicitor in England & Wales with 5+ years’ experience in regulated financial services or crypto legal work (in-house or law firm).
• Strong knowledge of UK financial regulations: FSMA, MiFID, SMCR, COBS, FinProm, etc.
• Experience dealing with UK regulators such as the FCA and PRA preferred.
• Proven ability to manage complex projects across time zones and teams.
• Excellent judgment, analytical skills, and commercial pragmatism.
• Clear, practical legal advice and excellent writing skills.
• Self-driven, proactive, and able to work independently in a fast-paced, regulated environment.

Nice to Have:

• Enthusiasm for and understanding of digital currencies and blockchain technology.