Assistant General Counsel - Data, Technology & Litigation

Avant is looking for a motivated, experienced attorney to lead legal support for privacy, artificial intelligence (AI), intellectual property (IP), and consumer litigation. This highly cross-functional role serves as the primary legal partner to Avant’s Privacy Officer and to the Product, Risk, Technology, and Data teams that build and use our data-driven products. The role also supports development of and manages Avant’s enterprise IP strategy, including protecting Avant CreditOS™, our proprietary credit decisioning platform, and oversees consumer claims and disputes. This role will be split across these areas, and the successful candidate will manage their time based on the needs of the business. Our new attorney will build strong relationships among teammates and business partners.

What you do at Avant:

Privacy & AI

• Serve as the primary legal advisor for privacy and AI, supporting the design, implementation, and maturation of Avant’s privacy and AI governance programs, including policies, playbooks, impact assessments, and training.
• Provide practical legal guidance to the Privacy Officer, Product, Risk, Compliance, and other teams on the collection, use, sharing, consent, and retention of personal and consumer data.
• Counsel on the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), state comprehensive privacy laws (including their financial data exemptions), state AI and automated decision-making technology (ADMT) laws, and emerging consumer financial data requirements.
• Advise on AI, machine learning, and automated decision-making in credit underwriting, fraud prevention, marketing, servicing, and internal operations, including wiretap and call-recording laws as applied to AI-enabled tools.
• Monitor new and changing laws, regulations, guidance, and enforcement activity, and translate them into concise, actionable guidance and compliance plans.
• Draft privacy notices, consents, and terms of use, and negotiate privacy, data protection, and AI provisions in third-party agreements.
• Coordinate with the Deputy General Counsel on the privacy implications of data incidents, as requested.
  

Intellectual Property

• Support development, implementation, and management of Avant’s enterprise IP strategy, with a primary focus on trade secrets and trademarks.
• Oversee and manage outside counsel supporting day-to-day trademark clearance, enforcement, maintenance, docketing, and monitoring, and manage related budgets.
• Advise on branding, trademark licensing in co-brand and partner programs, and IP issues arising from AI and software development, including ownership of models and outputs, rights in training data, and open source software.
• Draft and negotiate IP ownership, licensing, and confidentiality provisions in vendor, partner, technology, and data agreements as necessary.
  

Consumer Litigation

• Oversee and support all aspects of Avant’s consumer litigation matters, subpoenas, and other disputes, including pre-litigation counseling, fact investigation, discovery, motions practice, arbitration, and dispute resolution in federal and state jurisdictions.
• Work cross-departmentally with stakeholders to provide practical and strategic advice and counseling to help resolve disputes while balancing risk and business objectives.
• Identify litigation and enforcement trends and potential areas of risk within new and existing products, and feed those lessons back into product design and privacy counseling.
  

General

• Operate in a fast-paced environment, provide supportive leadership within our legal and compliance department, partner with the legal team and outside counsel on issues outside your expertise, and handle other tasks as assigned.
• Efficiently manage outside counsel and operational budgets.

Why you are a fit

• J.D. degree with 6+ years of legal experience, including meaningful experience in the following: privacy/data protection, intellectual property, and litigation, gained at a law firm, in-house legal department, or government agency.
• Strong working knowledge of U.S. privacy, biometric, data protection, and AI laws and frameworks, including GLBA, FCRA, CCPA/CPRA (including its ADMT regulations), the Colorado AI Act, other state privacy and AI laws, TCPA, and the NIST AI Risk Management Framework.
• Experience with trademark clearance, enforcement, and portfolio management, and with trade secret protection under the Defend Trade Secrets Act and state trade secret laws, including managing outside counsel.
• Litigation experience with consumer financial services and privacy law, including the Dodd-Frank Act, UDAAP, FDCPA, TILA, ECOA, and TCPA, is highly preferred.
• In-house experience with a consumer financial services, fintech, or technology company, and experience advising on AI governance or automated decision-making in a regulated environment, are highly preferred.
• One or more IAPP certifications (e.g., CIPP/US, CIPM, or AIGP) preferred, or willingness to obtain one.
• Ability to explain complex legal and technical issues to non-lawyer audiences, including product, engineering, and data science teams.
• Excellent judgment, clear communication, business pragmatism, and intellectual curiosity, with comfort working through ambiguity and the ability to gain the trust of colleagues, business leaders, and executives.
• Active and in good standing in one State Bar in the United States.

This role is based on our downtown Chicago Office, located in the Merchandise Mart. We highly value collaboration and our hybrid schedule (M, T, Th in-office) enables flexibility to balance work and individual priorities.

Compensation Range:

The base salary range for this job is USD $170,000 - USD $205,000 / Year

Employees new to Avant typically come in below the midpoint of the pay range. The compensation range is based on the level outlined in the job posting, and compensation decisions are dependent on each applicant's experience, skills and abilities. 

[If an outstanding applicant's experience and skill level is above or below the qualifications outlined in the job posting, we reserve the right to make an offer at a different level than the one listed in this job posting, which may have a different compensation range.]

This role is eligible for additional incentives, including an annual bonus. These rewards are allocated based on level, impact and performance in the role.

Our benefits include:

• Choice of great Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance Plan options

• 401(k) match

• Flexible Time Off

• Flexible Work Environment - (i.e. Mon/Tues/Thurs in-person)

• Generous Paid Parental Leave, Adoption Assistance and Post-parental leave ramp-up program 

• Lunch Allowance (Fooda) and In-office Snacks

• Summer Fridays 

• Fun In-Office and Virtual Social Events

• And who doesn’t love the swag

Check out our Avant Blog!

We believe that a diverse set of backgrounds and experiences helps us create the most innovative solutions for our customers. We invite you to apply to our positions even if you do not meet 100% of the qualifications listed in the description. If you’re passionate about our mission and aligned to our values, we hope you’ll come contribute to our awesome culture.

Why Avant is the place for you:

At Avant, we believe our values make a difference:

Authenticity. We show up to work as our whole selves and make sure others can too.

Collaboration. We can only succeed when we do so as a team.

Problem-Solving. The harder the problem, the more satisfying the solution.

Customer. We are all owners of the customer experience.

Initiative. Plan. Adapt. Get Sh!t Done.

We believe that great ideas come from anyone and anywhere, that everyone is an owner who drives change, and that we have more fun when we work together. We're problem solvers who love collaborating with intelligent and highly-motivated people to reshape the face of digital banking. Avant offers terrific perks and benefits, fun social events with employees who actually like hanging out together, and a flexible growth environment where trying your hand at new projects and being the active owner of your career path is encouraged and supported.

To learn more about how Avant collects and uses your personal information, please see the Avant Privacy Policy.