Counsel, Product & Commercial (Rideshare & Safety)

At Lyft, our purpose is to serve and connect. We aim to achieve this by cultivating a work environment where all team members belong and have the opportunity to thrive.

Lyft is seeking an experienced, strategic, and self-motivated attorney to join the Product & Commercial Legal Team to focus primarily on Lyft’s safety initiatives, driver issues, and public policy.  You’ll partner with and provide legal guidance to various cross-functional organizations such as Safety & Customer Care, Risk, Driver, Rider, Policy, and Marketing. The legal issues you’ll encounter are some of the most challenging in the industry; they are cutting edge, revolutionary and always evolving, so it will be up to you to advise with a creative and pragmatic approach. 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.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as a strategic thought leader and trusted advisor to cross-functional teams such as Safety and Risk to actively shape and guide Lyft's overall approach to community safety, road safety, and fraud prevention on the Lyft Platform — providing the legal frameworks needed to drive immediate and long-term strategies forward
• Provide rapid-response legal guidance on sensitive safety incidents and collaborate with the Comms and Litigation teams to manage risk
• Lead and contribute to high-impact, long-term initiatives coordinating across teams to ensure timely execution of public-facing and internal programs
• Partner closely with various cross-functional organizations such as Product, Marketing, Engineering, Risk, Public Policy and Comms to recognize and mitigate regulatory, safety, consumer protection, and employment classification issues related to the development and commercialization of driver and rider-facing products and programs
• Understand and advance Lyft’s priorities by connecting issues across business leaders and subject matter experts to develop and drive comprehensive, long-term legal strategies that balance risk and business objectives
• The successful candidate will be pragmatic, entrepreneurial and resourceful, skilled at building strong relationships, and comfortable working in a fast-paced, dynamic, and often ambiguous environment
• Collaborate with legal team members to improve processes, calibrate an approach to legal risk, and ensure business demands are satisfied
• Assist other teams with projects on an as-needed basis

Experience:

• 5+ years of experience working in a law firm or in-house legal department
• J.D. from a top-tier law school and active membership in at least one U.S. state bar
• Experience providing legal counsel on user trust and safety issues at a tech company or other relevant industry
• Ability to approach unfamiliar questions and topics with energy and curiosity
• Demonstrated experience handling sensitive, high-profile, or reputationally complex matters with sound judgment  
• Comfort navigating uncharted territory — able to craft creative, practical legal solutions where the rules are unclear and there is no obvious playbook
• A creative and entrepreneurial approach to legal problem-solving, with the ability to balance legal risk against operational realities and propose solutions that are both defensible and workable in practice
• Excellent problem-solving capabilities, independent judgment, communication (written and verbal), interpersonal skills, and ability to provide firm but well-reasoned advice. 
• Ability to think quickly on your feet, convey grace under pressure, and simultaneously manage workloads, multiple client demands and shifting priorities.

Benefits:

• Great medical, dental, and vision insurance options
• Mental health benefits
• In addition to 12 observed holidays, salaried team members have unlimited paid time off, hourly team members have 15 days paid time off
• 401(k) plan to help save for your future
• 18 weeks of paid parental leave. Biological, adoptive, and foster parents are all eligible
• Pre-tax commuter benefits
• Lyft Pink - Lyft team members get an exclusive opportunity to test new benefits of our Ridership Program

Lyft is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace that fosters belonging. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by law. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with applicable federal, state and local law.

Lyft highly values having employees working in-office to foster a collaborative work environment and company culture. This role will be in-office on a hybrid schedule — Team Members will be expected to work in the office 3 days per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Lyft considers working in the office at least 3 days per week to be an essential function of this hybrid role. Your recruiter can share more information about the various in-office perks Lyft offers. Additionally, hybrid roles have the flexibility to work from anywhere for up to 4 weeks per year. #Hybrid

The expected base pay range for this position in the San Francisco area is $176,000-$220,000, not inclusive of potential equity offering, bonus or benefits. Salary ranges are dependent on a variety of factors, including qualifications, experience and geographic location. Your recruiter can share more information about the salary range specific to your working location and other factors during the hiring process.