Nuance Labs is building photorealistic, real-time AI avatars with emotional intelligence: a full-duplex audiovisual system that can listen, speak, react, interrupt, and respond like a real person.
We're a research company, with PhDs from MIT, UW, Oxford, CMU, and Johns Hopkins, and industry experience from Apple, Meta, Amazon AGI, and more. Backed by Accel, Lightspeed, South Park Commons, and NVIDIA, we combine frontier research with ruthless engineering needed for consumer-grade, real-time systems. The team is small, the work is real, and the problems are unsolved.
How Nuance DifferentiatesMost conversational AI avatars today are hacks — a face slapped on a speech-to-speech pipeline, stuck in the uncanny valley: emotionless, mechanical, one-turn-at-a-time. Current systems take 2–5 seconds to respond; natural conversation requires sub-500ms. That's a 10x improvement, and it demands rethinking the entire stack.
That rethinking starts with full-duplex: an AI that listens and speaks simultaneously, perceives emotion in real time, and responds with a face that actually reflects it. It's an extremely hard problem, and we're developing foundation models designed for it from the ground up.
We're looking for a Senior Corporate Counsel to help Nuance Labs move quickly on day-to-day deals and navigate the evolving AI data and privacy landscape.
As our first in-house attorney, you'll work closely with our business, research, and data teams, alongside our external legal counsel team, to negotiate agreements and resolve practical legal questions.
Our work in real-time audio-visual AI raises questions around data sourcing, usage rights, consent, and privacy. You'll help translate those questions into clear advice and workable agreements that support research and product development.
This is a hands-on individual contributor role with an emphasis on day-to-day deal execution and practical guidance on AI data and privacy.
What You’ll Own- Draft, negotiate, and close day-to-day commercial agreements, including data collection and licensing agreements, vendor and customer contracts, NDAs, and partnership agreements.
- Manage the contract workflow from intake through signature, keeping deals moving and helping teams make informed decisions.
- Partner with research and data teams on the rights, permissions, and restrictions associated with sourcing and using data for AI training, evaluation, and product development.
- Advise on privacy and data protection issues involving audio, video, and other personal data, including consent, data processing terms, retention, and deletion, in partnership with our external legal counsel team.
- Track relevant developments in AI, data rights, and privacy, and translate them into practical guidance for our data practices and product decisions.
- Develop and maintain contract templates, negotiation playbooks, and lightweight review processes.
- Provide occasional support on routine employment, IP, and office lease matters in coordination with external counsel, with commercial transactions and AI data/privacy remaining the primary focus.
- At least 3 years of experience in commercial or technology transactions, ideally with a mix of law firm and in-house experience.
- Strong drafting and negotiation skills, with a track record of independently managing multiple deals from start to finish.
- Practical experience with privacy and data protection, including data processing agreements and consent requirements.
- Experience with data licensing, data acquisition, or AI-related legal issues.
- Sound judgment in ambiguous situations and the ability to give clear, actionable legal guidance.
- A hands-on approach and enthusiasm for day-to-day execution in a fast-moving research and technology company.
- Ability to recognize when specialist advice is needed and work effectively with external legal counsel.
- JD from an accredited law school and active bar membership.
- Familiarity with audio, video, or biometric data and the associated privacy and consent considerations.
- Experience supporting AI or machine learning teams on training data rights and related agreements.
- Experience at an early-stage technology company, including building practical contracting processes and templates.
$200,000 – $300,000 base salary, plus meaningful equity. We think long-term ownership matters and structure equity accordingly.
Logistics
- Location: In-person in Seattle, five days a week — we believe in the compounding value of working shoulder-to-shoulder.
- Visa sponsorship: We sponsor visas (O-1, H-1B, green card, etc.) from day one.
- AI-native tooling: Do your best work with the best tools, including unlimited tokens.
- Health: We offer a variety of plans that meet your needs, including an HDHP with ~$2,000 in annual HSA contributions by the company (roughly 2x what most big tech companies put in).
- Wellness: $2,000/yr to spend on gym memberships, fitness equipment, training/coaching, classes, and more.
- Work setup: One-time $500 to spend on any tech or accessories that you might need to optimize your workflow.
- Time off: 15 days of PTO, 10 public holidays, and we close the office for a full week at year-end.
- Food: Lunch, drinks, and snacks on us every workday. We observe boba tea Tuesdays and Thursdays.
- Commuter benefits: Utilize pre-tax money (up to $340/month) for parking and transportation.
- 401(k): 4% match (100% of 1st 3% + 50% of next 2% contributions).
Nuance Labs is an equal opportunity employer. We believe diverse teams build better AI.
Skills Required
- At least 3 years of experience in commercial or technology transactions
- Strong drafting and negotiation skills
- Experience independently managing multiple deals from start to finish
- Practical experience with privacy and data protection, including data processing agreements and consent requirements
- Experience with data licensing, data acquisition, or AI-related legal issues
- Sound judgment in ambiguous situations and ability to provide clear, actionable legal guidance
- Ability to work hands-on in a fast-moving research and technology company
- Ability to recognize when specialist advice is needed and work effectively with external legal counsel
- JD from an accredited law school
- Active bar membership
- Familiarity with audio, video, or biometric data and related privacy and consent considerations
- Experience supporting AI or machine learning teams on training data rights and related agreements
- Experience at an early-stage technology company building contracting processes and templates
What We Do
Nuance Labs is a Seattle-based AI research company building a 'human foundation model': a real-time, full-duplex audiovisual system that can see, hear, reason, speak, and express emotion simultaneously, enabling photorealistic AI avatars that listen, react, interrupt, and respond like a real person. Founded by former Apple PhD researchers and backed by Accel, Lightspeed, South Park Commons, and NVIDIA, it targets applications in sales, customer service, coaching, and education.
