Legal Counsel

Complete Guide: Legal Counsel Opportunity at Chowbus (Chicago, IL)

Chowbus, a leading Asian restaurant technology SaaS platform with a robust footprint in the North American market, is seeking a highly motivated and skilled Legal Counsel. This is a high-ownership, high-exposure, full-time role based in Chicago, IL, designed for an early-career attorney ready to build and shape a legal function from the ground up.

Role Overview & Key Responsibilities

As the first point of contact for legal matters at Chowbus, the Legal Counsel will manage the commercial contract pipeline and serve as the primary in-house contact for commercial disputes. Key responsibilities include:

• Commercial Contracts: Drafting, reviewing, redlining, and negotiating vendor, partnership, integration, SaaS, hardware supply, NDAs, and merchant-facing agreements.
• Business & Dispute Support: Handling merchant and commercial disputes, including franchise-control matters, termination mechanics, payment-routing, and data-governance issues.
• Compliance & Risk Management: Resolving routine legal questions, managing the outside-counsel relationship, and ensuring compliance across payments (PCI, card-scheme rules) and data privacy.

Eligibility & Requirements

Candidates applying for this position must meet the following criteria:

• Education & Bar Admission: A Juris Doctor (JD) degree with an active bar membership in good standing in any U.S. state (Illinois bar admission is a plus).
• Professional Experience: Approximately 2 to 4 years of commercial contracts experience (drafting and negotiating) at a law firm or in-house.
• Language Skills: Bilingual proficiency in Mandarin and English is highly preferred to manage merchant-facing and cross-border matters.
• Preferred Background: Prior experience in technology, SaaS, payments, or marketplace businesses, alongside exposure to commercial disputes or franchise matters.

Compensation & Benefits

Chowbus offers a highly competitive compensation package and comprehensive benefits, including:

• Salary Range: $130,000 to $200,000 per annum, commensurate with experience.
• Health & Insurance: Medical, dental, and vision insurance, along with 100% employer-paid Short-Term Disability (STD), Life Insurance, and Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance.
• Retirement & Leave: 401(k) plan, flexible Paid Time Off (PTO), paid parental leave, company holidays, and a birthday off.

Application Process

Interested candidates can apply directly through the official LinkedIn job posting. Ensure your resume highlights your commercial drafting experience and bilingual capabilities, if applicable.