How to apply for General Counsel

About AE Studio

AE Studio is a 160-person applied AI company that has been fully bootstrapped for over a decade. It builds production AI for clients in finance, defense, aviation, healthcare, and education, and funds alignment research through its own nonprofit, the AI Alignment Foundation. The company runs a DARPA seedling on alignment and control and collaborates with researchers at Anthropic, Princeton, University College London, Redwood Research, and MATS.

About the role

This is AE Studio's first in-house legal hire. You would take over legal work that currently sits with the founders and outside counsel, including research grants, government and national-security contracts, university and lab partnerships, and outcome-based commercial agreements. You would first learn the existing legal setup, then scale and adapt it as the company grows.

A typical day

You would review and negotiate contracts, coordinate with outside counsel on specialized matters, and advise founders on grants, government work, and partnerships. The mix would shift as new opportunities come in, so much of the day involves deciding what needs legal attention now and what can wait. Ask the company directly how they expect the first six months to be structured.

Who AE Studio is looking for

• A lawyer with experience in government contracts, grants, or national-security work, since the role involves DARPA and government engagement.
• Comfortable drafting and negotiating commercial agreements, including outcome-based or non-standard pricing models.
• Able to work with outside counsel and founders, and to build legal processes from scratch rather than inherit a large legal department.
• Interest in AI, alignment research, or emerging technology, given the company's research focus and partnerships with labs and universities.

Tips for this application

• Read AE Studio's public materials on the AI Alignment Foundation and the DARPA seedling before writing anything, and reference specific work in your application.
• Address the fact that this is the first in-house legal role. Explain how you would decide what to keep with outside counsel versus bring in-house.
• Show familiarity with government contracting or grant compliance if you have it, since the role names government and national-security work as a growth area.
• Avoid generic legal cover letters. Mention the types of agreements named in the posting: research grants, government work, university and lab partnerships, and outcome-based commercial contracts.
• If you have worked with AI companies or research organizations, say so directly and name the relevant matters.

What to cover in your cover letter

Explain why you want to be a first in-house lawyer at a bootstrapped AI company rather than a large legal department. Describe your experience with government contracts, grants, or national-security legal work. Give an example of building or scaling a legal process. State your interest in AI alignment or research, and connect it to AE Studio's nonprofit and DARPA work.

Research before applying

• Read AE Studio's website, especially any pages on the AI Alignment Foundation and the DARPA seedling.
• Look up the Wall Street Journal coverage of AE Studio mentioned in the posting.
• Review the public work of the researchers and organizations named: Anthropic, Princeton University, University College London, Redwood Research, and MATS.
• Check what AE Studio has said publicly about its shift to outcome-based commercial work and its work in aviation, healthcare, and education.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How you would triage legal work between in-house and outside counsel in your first 90 days.
• Your experience with government contracts, DARPA, or national-security legal requirements.
• How you would structure outcome-based commercial agreements and manage the risk.
• How you would handle grant compliance and reporting for research funding.
• Your understanding of AI alignment and why AE Studio funds it through a nonprofit.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Writing a generic cover letter that does not mention government contracts, grants, or AI research.
• Assuming the role is only commercial contracts when the posting names government, national-security, and grant work.
• Ignoring the bootstrapped structure and the nonprofit alignment foundation, which shape how the company makes decisions.