Founding Attorney

Title : Founding Attorney (Arizona ABS Law Practice)
Department : Executive/Legal
Reports to : CEO
Location : Scottsdale, Arizona

About Arizona Alternative Business Structure (ABS) Law Practice & Wise Pelican

Wise Pelican and our partner companies are launching a new, small law practice structured as an Arizona Alternative Business Structure (ABS), and we're hiring a founding attorney to build and lead it. This is a “build it with support” role, meaning you'll have a client pipeline and backing like a larger firm, but you're not going solo with zero infrastructure.

You'll lead a tech-enabled legal practice backed by an existing group of companies with real estate + marketing reach and a built-in client pipeline (agents, property owners, investors, small business operators). We'll bring the ops, marketing, and tech support; you'll focus on practicing law, building relationships, and shaping how the practice grows.

As the founding attorney, you'll have a meaningful voice in shaping our practice, our culture, our areas of focus, our growth strategy, and how legal our services are delivered. This role is for someone who wants to build something, not just fill a seat.

The practice areas you'll focus on are Construction Law, Real Estate Law, Business Litigation, and Contract Law.

This position is a full time position located in Scottsdale, Arizona.

What Will You Do?

• Serve as the founding attorney and lead the launch of the ABS Law Practice , from buildout to active client work.

• Manage matters across Construction Law, Real Estate Law, Business Litigation, and Contract Law (with flexibility to focus based on your strengths).

• Act as in-house counsel and offer best practices guidance, assist with transactions, oversee contracts, and mitigate risk for our affiliated companies.

• Drive business development locally : networking, industry events, referral relationships, and market reputation-building.

• Lead educational + trust-building initiatives like lunch-and-learns or creative activations with brokerages , contractor groups, and other technology enabled small businesses.

• Collaborate with product/technology teams to integrate legal services into software workflows , delivering modern client experiences.

What Big Things Will You Own?

At first…

• Stand up the core practice: solidify an intake flow, service menu, and “how we work” standards inside our ABS model.

• Launch core service lines in construction + real estate (contracts, disputes, risk management, and related litigation support).

• Build the early go-to-market plan using existing company channels + client pipeline.

• Establish the brand voice + educational presence through brokerage sessions, contractor groups, content cadence, etc.

Once you get your footing…

• Shape the growth roadmap: new offerings, tighter specialization, and repeatable client experience inside Wise Pelican's platform.

• Create a plan to expand your own capacity.

• Continue deep partnership with product teams so “legal help” feels native, fast, and modern for end users utilizing Wise Pelican.

Who Are You?

• Active Arizona attorney in good standing.

• 10+ years experience in one or more: construction law, real estate law, business litigation, contract law (construction/real estate depth strongly preferred).

• Entrepreneurial energy. You don't need a playbook handed to you, and you'll utilize the resources we have.

• Comfortable being client-facing: presenting, networking, and turning relationships into work.

• Excited about using modern tools and tech-enabled delivery (you don't need to code; you do need to be curious and collaborative with our Product teams).

• Self-directed, organized, and able to balance casework with business development.

Where Can You Easily Impress Us?

• Deep construction law and/or real estate law background in Arizona markets.

• You've built (or helped build) a book of business through education + community presence.

• You've worked in (or are excited by) a model where legal services are integrated into a client's workflow/tools.

• Comfortable working in a technology-forward environment. You don't need to be a technologist, but you should be excited about leveraging modern tools to deliver better client outcomes.

What's In It For You?

• Major Medical Insurance: Working at Wise Pelican gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. And happy people just don't get sick. But…if that does happen, we offer Major Medical Insurance to assist with life's biggest nuisance.

• Dental & Vision Coverage: An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. Talking dental and vision insurance, of course. No need for revenge when eyes and teeth are insured.

• Paid Time Away: The PTA you want to be involved with. Employees are given 3 weeks of Paid Time Off. Also Sick Time. Also Parental Leave. Also 7 Company Holidays per year. Also-

• Professional Development Stipends: “Pay me what you owe me! Don't act like you forgot! WPBHMM!” —You to Wise Pelican about fronting the bill on your professional development needs.

• 401(k) at tenure milestone: We hope you'll want to stop working here one day. This should help.

Compensation: This role is currently benchmarked by industry standards and ranges from $180,000–$225,000 . Additionally, there will be performance based-bonuses tied to the growth and performance of this practice. Offered compensation is based on merit and relevant qualifications.