Payments & Fintech Associate (Mid-Level)

Venable LLP is seeking a mid-level associate attorney with 3-5 years of relevant experience to join its nationally-recognized Payments & Fintech group in Washington, D.C. or New York. This is a unique opportunity to advise on cutting-edge legal issues at the intersection of technology, finance, and regulatory policy. Our team represents clients ranging from startups to major financial institutions, payment processors, payment platforms, and fintech innovators.

Key responsibilities:

• Drafting and Negotiation: Negotiate and draft complex commercial agreements including payment processing agreements, technology service arrangements, platform partnerships, and licensing deals involving fintech platforms and payment solutions.
• Regulatory Compliance: Advise clients on U.S. federal and state regulatory regimes impacting payments, including the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), anti-money laundering (AML) laws, money transmitter licensing (MTL), and consumer protection regulations.
• Payments Models & Risk Analysis: Counsel clients on structuring innovative payments models and supporting payments in higher risk industries.
• Investigations & Enforcement: Support responses to federal and state law enforcement investigations, subpoenas, and regulatory examinations.
• Due Diligence: Conduct regulatory diligence for mergers, acquisitions, and investments in the fintech and payments sectors, including assessing target companies' compliance posture.
• Strategic Counseling: Advise on the legal implications of launching novel fintech products and services.
• Thought Leadership and Business Development: Contribute the team's prolific output of thought leadership, including authorizing client alerts, white papers, and articles; speaking on panels and at conferences; and supporting business development initiatives.

• J.D. from an accredited law school and admission to a state bar in good standing (NY or DC preferred or ability to waive in).
• 3-5 years of experience at a law firm with a focus on fintech, payments, or financial services.
• Demonstrated knowledge of key payments regulations and commercial frameworks.
• Strong drafting and negotiation skills, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams and client expectations.
• Prior experience advising on regulatory due diligence and high-risk payments is strongly preferred.
• A proactive, collaborative, and detail-oriented approach with excellent communication and analytical abilities.

Venable LLP is an American Lawyer Global 100 law firm headquartered in Washington, DC, with offices in California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, New York, and Virginia. Our lawyers and legislative advisors serve domestic and international clients in all areas of corporate and business law, complex litigation, intellectual property, regulatory matters, and government affairs. Additional information can be found at Venable.com.

The salary range for associate positions is $215,000 to $355,000. The actual salary offered will be based on a number of job-related factors including, but not limited to, years of related experience, level of education, skills, credentials and certifications, responsibilities and performance.

Venable LLP does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or on any other basis prohibited by law. To view our inclusion and opportunity policy, please click here.

Contact:

Victoria Sievers

Senior Manager of Associate Recruiting

VKSievers@Venable.com