Deputy General Counsel – Employment Law (Canada)
– Equity Partner –
Location: Remote (Canada-based)
Jurisdiction: Canada (Federal & Provincial)
Minimum Commitment: 20 hours per week
Department: Legal Guild – Risk, Compliance & People Systems
Reports To: General Counsel
This Is Not a Job. It’s a Stake.
This isn’t about billable hours or internal red tape.
This is about helping architect the legal engine of a company redefining anime, storytelling, and fan-first media—from Canada to the world.
We’re inviting you to join as a founding legal partner. Not as a support function—but as a builder of systems, culture, and strategic capability.
No salary (yet). No ivory tower. Just ownership, impact, and equity.
Minimum: 20 hours/week.
If that’s a stretch—no hard feelings. But if you’ve been waiting for the right “build from scratch” legal seat, this is it.
Let’s Be Very Clear
We’re not asking for templates—we’re asking for frameworks.
We’re not hiring to “stay safe”—we’re hiring to scale smart.
If you want to lead, advise, and shape a people-first company from the ground up,
this is the rarest kind of seat: early, strategic, and equity-based.
Overview
As Deputy General Counsel – Employment Law (Canada), you’ll lead all employment law and workplace legal operations across our Canadian entities. From talent contracts and investigations to compliance and policy—you’ll be the go-to partner for legal, HR, and leadership teams.
You’ll ensure that everything we do—hiring, managing, compensating, and growing talent—is done with legal clarity, cultural alignment, and strategic foresight.
What You’ll Own
- Employment Law Strategy: Lead employment law design across Canada (federal & provincial), with a focus on Québec, Ontario, and BC
- Policy & Agreements: Draft and maintain compliant, modern employment agreements, handbooks, contractor terms, codes of conduct, etc.
- People Ops Partnership: Work directly with HR, Execs, and Ops on hiring frameworks, terminations, accommodations, DEI, and compensation
- Workplace Investigations: Oversee and conduct internal investigations with legal and ethical integrity
- Risk & Compliance: Track provincial changes, lead compliance projects, and advise on how law intersects with growth
- Remote Work & Classification: Advise on contractor vs. employee rules, remote jurisdictional frameworks, and hybrid team structures
- Litigation Oversight: Manage external counsel on any employment disputes, labor board claims, or legal escalations
- Culture-Legal Bridge: Embed values into legal processes—ensuring our policies support innovation, inclusion, and equity
What We’re Looking For
- Licensed to practice law in Canada (Québec Bar or Ontario Bar preferred)
- 8+ years of employment law experience in Canada—ideally with a blend of in-house and firm-side work
- Strong grasp of multi-province employment law: contracts, compliance, wrongful dismissal, human rights, investigations
- Experience partnering cross-functionally with HR, leadership, and operations teams
- Excellent async communication and documentation habits (Notion, Confluence, GDocs, etc.)
- Risk-aware but growth-minded; you know how to protect and empower
- Bonus: Fluency in French and experience with Québec employment law
- Bonus: Prior work with creative/tech/media companies or IP-driven businesses
Compensation
- Equity (Shares): Founding partner-level equity stake
- Token-Based Rewards: Potential future token allocation pending regulatory clearance
- Future Salary: Unlocks with revenue benchmarks
- Remote-First: Canadian-based, async-native, flexible team structure
Our Promise
We don’t want just compliance—we want a culture where employment law is a strategic superpower.
You’ll help us build the legal layer that enables creativity, protects people, and scales with integrity.
If you’re ready to bring your legal mind, leadership, and heart into a role that matters—
this is your seat at the table.