General Counsel, Ownwell
4-5 days a week in office
Online property tax appeals
Open for applications
Online property tax appeals
21-100 employees
Open for applications
4-5 days a week in office
21-100 employees
Company mission
To make the costs of real estate ownership more clear and equitable.
Role
Who you are
- We are seeking an experienced and dynamic General Counsel to join our fast-growing company
- In summary, the role of a General Counsel is multifaceted and requires a deep understanding of various legal domains, strong strategic thinking, and excellent interpersonal skills
- Ownwell core values reflect your ethos
- You care about Ownwell’s mission and making an impact for all types of property owners
- You are passionate about what you do and bring a thoughtful perspective to the function as well as overall organization
- Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school and admission to the state bar
- At least 10 years of relevant legal experience, preferably in the real estate or prop tech space or in a law firm serving real estate clients
- Expertise in contracts, compliance, litigation, intellectual property, corporate governance, and employment law
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills
- Strong business acumen and strategic thinking
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced and dynamic environment
- High ethical standards and integrity
What the job involves
- Reporting to the CEO, the General Counsel will oversee all legal matters, providing strategic guidance to the executive team
- This role is pivotal in ensuring the company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, managing risk, and supporting business objectives
- This role will play a critical role in safeguarding the company’s legal interests and ensuring its long-term success
- Develop and implement the company’s legal strategy
- Ensure compliance with all relevant laws and regulations
- Advise the executive team on legal implications of business decisions
- Serve as Corporate Secretary and advise the senior management and the board of directors on all legal, compliance and related matters
- Draft, review, negotiate, and manage contracts and agreements with customers, vendors, partners, and investors
- Identify and mitigate potential legal risks
- Develop policies and procedures to minimize legal risks
- Oversee internal audits and compliance checks
- Develop and implement policies and procedures to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, such as data privacy, antitrust, securities, and consumer protection
- Draft, review, and negotiate contracts and agreements
- Ensure that all contracts comply with legal requirements and company policies
- Manage contract disputes and resolutions
- Work with external legal counsel as needed
- Develop strategies for dispute resolution and litigation avoidance
- File litigation on behalf of property tax customers or coordinate externally
- Advise the board of directors on corporate governance issues
- Ensure that the company adheres to best practices in corporate governance
- Maintain corporate records and documentation
- Select, evaluate and effectively manage external legal counsel and vendors in a cost-effective manner
- Protect and enforce the company's intellectual property rights, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets
- Manage trademarks, patents, and copyrights
- Address any IP infringement issues
- Stay abreast of emerging legal trends and developments in the software industry and provide proactive guidance and training to the business units
- Collaborate with the People team on creating and maintaining a compliant workplace through thoughtful policy design and managing employee relations
- Research and assess risks associated with new product development and potential opportunities
- Coordinate with external counsel as needed for new products within real estate, financial, insurance, lending, and other industries
Our take
The real estate industry has been historically slow to adopt new technologies, however in more recent years many real estate companies have become keen to incorporate new tech into their business operations. This is good news for proptech companies like Ownwell, a platform offering users the services of tax experts to help appeal their property taxes.
Appealing real estate tax has historically been the preserve of those with the time and resources to file informed, well-constructed cases, but Ownwell (previously known as realAppeal) opens up the opportunity to anyone - saving users on average over $1000. The company sets itself apart from the competition with its platform's ease of use, taking under 5 minutes to sign up and register for the property value assessment, and boasting no upfront costs.
Overall, Ownwell has saved its users millions of dollars. The company has a presence in several states and has raised good levels of funding that are cited to accelerate hiring across the business and further its position at the head of the tech-enabled tax protest space.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
Many candidates hear
back within 2 weeks
93% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Company benefits
- Entrepreneurial Culture: Own your career; we are here to support you on your journey
- Flexible PTO: We believe in giving you the flexibility to own your time off. In addition to flexible time off, you get 11 company holidays. We offer the last week of the year to recharge and reset
- Comprehensive Health Benefits: We care for you and your family’s health, as reflected in our benefits coverage
- Licensing and Renewal: As applicable complimentary real estate and tax consulting licensing and renewal
- Learning Stipend: Learning support through a $1,000 stipend per year to enable investing in your individual learning needs
- Support Parental Journey: We offer up to 16 weeks of fully paid parental and bonding leave to support your journey as a new parent
Company values
- Customer Obsession: Everything starts and ends with our customers. Ownwellians serve them and work vigorously to earn and keep their trust via effective communication and providing the best possible results
- Take Ownership: Ownwellians act in the best interests of the company, and as such, we proactively look for avenues to improve both ourselves and the company. We recognize that meeting goals and deadlines are vital to our success. As a result - we hustle, are resilient, exhibit grit, and we never say, 'that's not my job'. Additionally, we continuously and constructively challenge the status quo to ensure we are operating at the highest possible levels
- Do the Right Thing: We act with integrity. We expect the highest possible standards of ethical business conduct. We set the bar that high for practical as well as aspirational reasons. Respect for our customers, for the opportunity, and for each other are foundational to our success. If you see something that you think isn't right — Speak up
- Go Far Together: Ownwellians cultivate an environment of highly effective, extraordinary people pursuing ambitious common goals. We foster collaboration, embrace diversity, support sharing, and discourage politics. We hire and develop team members to ensure we have superstars in every position. We win together and continuously strive to help others succeed
- Constructive Communication: Ownwellians embrace a culture of rapid innovation and continuous improvement. We encourage creativity, experimentation, and the exploration of new ideas. By pushing boundaries, taking risks, and challenging the status quo, we drive meaningful change and deliver exceptional value to our customers
Company HQ
Old West Austin, Austin, TX
Articles
Leadership
Colton Pace
(Co-Founder & CEO)Previously an Investment Analyst at Vulcan Capital, an Investment Associate at Madrona Venture Labs, and an Investor at Fika Ventures.
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