Legal Counsel

About Birchal

Birchal is Australia’s leading crowd-sourced funding (CSF) investment platform. We are at the forefront of the Australian CSF landscape, dedicated to bridging the gap between enthusiastic investors and innovative companies. Our robust digital platform enables start-ups and growth-stage businesses to achieve their fundraising goals, whilst providing investors with unique opportunities in the Australian market.

Birchal is on an impressive growth trajectory and with an ambitious vision for the future, we're excited to expand our team. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to become an integral part of Australia's CSF and startup communities and interact with a wide variety of stakeholders - from our amazing founders, to our talented Birchal team and our community of passionate investors.

About The Opportunity

In this role, you’ll be reporting to our Head of Legal and be a key player in supporting the execution of successful CSF campaigns in full compliance with the Australian CSF regime. This is an exciting opportunity for an ambitious, commercially-minded lawyer to work at the forefront of a new regime, on exciting and high-profile projects, with high-calibre leaders in Australia’s fintech industry.

Here’s a glimpse of the things you’ll be working on as part of the team at Birchal:

Core Business

Assist Birchal campaign managers by providing expert legal guidance to issuing companies on the Birchal process and the CSF regimeSupport the Head of Legal and the Board to ensure compliance with Birchal’s gatekeeper process for publication of CSF offers, including legal and commercial guidance on CSF Offer Documents & other required documentationParticipate in ideation sessions to create amazing user experiences for Birchal’s customers that comply with the lawAssist in the creation of exciting new products and services, engaging with various ceremonies which support Birchal’s product led ways of working

Financial Services

Assist in preparing and updating compliance materials, staff training, annual compliance reporting and auditPartner with the broader team to share information about the regulatory environment to facilitate efficient and transparent legal support across the businessAdvise Birchal on regulation applicable to the Australian CSF regime and provide guidance to issuing companies on the same

Commercial

Provide practical, risk-weighted legal guidance on a wide range of legal & regulatory matters related to the services providedDraft customer facing template documents & internal corporate governance policies & procedures such as terms of service, privacy policies and regulatory disclosuresAssist in advising on privacy and data security matters impacting the businessStay up to date on legal & regulatory matters relevant to the business

Corporate/ Company Secretarial

Support the business in a variety of Corporate/ Company Secretarial matters including assistance with Board meetings and documentation, administration of Birchal’s employee share option plan, shareholder updates and capital raising activitiesAdvising on general legal matters such as insurance, risk management and employment related matters

What We’re Looking For

5+ years of legal experience (with strong awareness of Australia’s financial services regulatory regime & the Corporations Act)Bachelor of Laws, Juris Doctor and/or Master of LawsPractising certificate in Australia (foreign qualified lawyers will also be considered)Excellent communication skills - personable and articulateProactive and tech-savvyA keen interest in start-ups, financial services regulation, equity capital markets and the fintech industry

Nice to haves:

Experience in M&A, private equity, corporate advisory, investment banking or equity capital marketsExperience working in a technology startup, fintech or other in-house, high growth environment

What We Offer:

Birchal provides a fun and energetic, supportive and inclusive work environment. We have a create office in Cremorne, Melbourne, and offer flexible working arrangements including work-from-home 2 days per week. We invest in our people by continuously upskiling through our L&D programs, holding social team activities and providing an employee assistance program (including Health & Wellness resources) amongst other great benefits. We celebrate the diversity of people, and we pride ourselves on ensuring everyone belongs. As an equal opportunity employer, we want to create opportunities for everyone and will consider all applications without bias.