Product Counsel, Upgrade
$190-230k
+ Stock options
More information about location
Offering responsible credit to mainstream consumers
Job no longer available
Offering responsible credit to mainstream consumers
1001+ employees
Job no longer available
$190-230k
+ Stock options
More information about location
1001+ employees
Company mission
To help our customers move in the right direction with responsible financial products that put more money in their pocket.
Role
Who you are
- J.D. and Bar membership in good standing
- 5+ years advising financial institutions/fintech companies as a lawyer at a leading law firm or in-house legal department
- Experience advising on financial products, in particular consumer loans, deposit accounts and payments; experience with AI a plus
- Innate curiosity, desire and ability to learn rapidly
- Resiliency and comfort serving as a trusted business partner
- Quick adopter of new and evolving technology
- A team player with a sense of humor and self awareness
Desirable
- Big Law and fintech startup experience
What the job involves
- Upgrade’s growing Legal team is seeking a Product Counsel to provide legal guidance on a variety of financial products offered through Upgrade and related initiatives. You’ll work cross-functionally as we help develop new products and advise on legal risks and regulatory compliance. The legal issues you'll encounter are cutting edge and always evolving. The successful candidate will be skilled at building strong relationships, working in the unknown while balancing legal risks, and comfortable working in a fast-paced and dynamic environment
- Review new products and features from early stages of development through launch, advising on legal risks while providing practical legal advice
- Work closely with Product, Compliance, Marketing, Engineering, Risk and other teams to help bring new products and features to market while ensuring legal and regulatory compliance
- Draft consumer facing agreements (loan agreements, TILA disclosures, program terms, etc.) and review marketing collateral
- Research and spot issues related to consumer protection laws and regulations, commercial agreements, privacy, and other legal requirements
- Prioritize workload to set goals and meet deadlines in a fluctuating and sometimes ambiguous business environment
- Own your projects with a can-do attitude and a willingness to jump in where needed – no job is too big or too small – and some may not exactly fit in the four corners of this job description
Our take
Most credit cards don't encourage the owner to pay down their debt. The longer it takes to pay off the balance, the more money lenders are set to make. Upgrade is an online lender and card issuer doing things differently. The company offers personal loans and credit cards, but with a fixed instalment structure and a set number of equal payments. This ensures the balance reduces every month.
The company believes this model reduces default rates, as borrowers are forced to pay down rather than maintain their debt, and it encourages a greater commitment to repay the balance. Further, by combining the ease of a Visa card with the fixed payments and decreased rates of a personal loan, Upgrade sets itself apart from competitors.
In 2021, Upgrade launched its mobile banking and debit card to onboard new customers and increase loyalty. The fixed-rate nature of the company's cards is expected to be of use to customers in future years in an environment of rising rates. Off the back of impressive growth milestones in 2025, the company raised $165 million in Series G funding, raising its valuation to $7.3 billion, a comfortable position for a future IPO.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
18% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 6 rounds)
Oct 2025
$165m
SERIES G
Nov 2021
$280m
SERIES F
Total funding: $712m
Company benefits
- Stock option plan
- 100% paid coverage of medical, dental and vision insurance
- Flexible PTO
- Opportunities for professional growth and development
- Paid parental leave
- Health & wellness initiatives
Company HQ
Financial District, San Francisco, CA
Leadership
Renaud Laplanche
(Co-Founder & CEO)After an MBA at London Business School, Renaud spent 5 years as an Associate at Clearly Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and co-founded MatchPoint. They then left Oracle after a year to co-found Lending Club in 2006 and co-founded Upgrade in August 2016.
Adelina Grozdanova
(Co-Founder & Head of Investor Group)Adelina started their career with 6 years at Morgan Stanley after a degree at Princeton. They left banking in 2012 to join Lending Club as VP, and after 3 years co-founded Upgrade, serving as Head of Investor Group since 2016.
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