Primary Function
The Legal Counsel will serve as a key member of SSC USA's legal department, providing sophisticated legal support for the company's commercial transactions with a primary focus on the negotiation and documentation of gaming machine sales, leases, and placement agreements. This role also encompasses a broad range of general corporate and transactional matters. The ideal candidate is a self-starter with strong commercial instincts, deep contract expertise, and the ability to navigate the highly regulated gaming industry.
Essential Duties
Gaming Machine Sales & Commercial Transactions
- Draft, review, and negotiate gaming machine distribution agreements, sales agreements, lease agreements, participation/revenue-sharing agreements with casinos, tribal gaming operations, and other licensed gaming operators.
- Advise on warranty provisions, limitation of liability clauses, indemnification structures, acceptance testing requirements, and title/risk of loss allocations specific to gaming equipment transactions.
- Collaborate closely with the Sales, Finance, and Operations teams to structure deal terms that are commercially viable and legally sound.
- Develop and maintain standard form agreements and contract playbooks for the sales team, including pre-approved fallback positions for common negotiated points.
- Manage and track contract lifecycles, including renewals, amendments, and terminations.
- Advise on customer disputes, breach claims, warranty issues, and equipment returns arising from commercial transactions.
Compliance Support
- Coordinate with the Compliance teams to ensure that sales contracts comply with applicable gaming control board requirements, technical standards, and approval conditions.
- Provide guidance on gaming regulatory requirements across multiple jurisdictions (state, tribal, and international) as they affect sales transactions, including licensing of equipment and operators.
- Monitor and advise on changes in gaming laws and regulations that may impact the company's commercial operations.
General Corporate & Transactional Work
- Support a variety of general corporate matters, including vendor and supplier agreements, NDAs, service agreements, consulting contracts, and SaaS/technology licensing arrangements.
- Assist with mergers, acquisitions, and other strategic transactions, including due diligence, transaction documentation, and post-closing integration matters.
- Advise on intellectual property matters, including licensing of gaming software and proprietary technology.
- Support the Chief Legal Officer on corporate governance matters, board resolutions, and subsidiary management.
- Assist with UCC-related matters as they arise in connection with gaming equipment placements.
Internal Client Support & Legal Operations
- Serve as a trusted legal advisor to internal business clients across Sales, Finance, Product Development, and Operations.
- Identify and communicate legal risk clearly and practically, offering business-oriented solutions.
- Manage outside counsel on specialized matters and control outside legal spend.
- Support the development and delivery of legal training to commercial teams on contracting best practices and regulatory requirements.
Key Competencies
- Commercial Judgment — Ability to assess legal risk in a business context and provide practical, actionable advice rather than purely theoretical guidance.
- Negotiation Skills — Confident, effective, and professional in direct negotiations with sophisticated counterparties.
- Regulatory Awareness — Comfort operating in a heavily regulated environment and understanding how compliance obligations intersect with commercial transactions.
- Collaboration — Works effectively as a partner to business teams; builds trust and credibility across the organization.
- Integrity — Upholds the highest ethical standards appropriate for the gaming industry, which requires licensure, public trust, and regulatory scrutiny.
Qualifications & Requirements
- J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school; admission to the Nevada bar.
- Minimum of 2–4 years of transactional legal experience, with a substantial portion focused on commercial contract drafting and negotiation, either in-house or at a law firm.
- Demonstrated experience drafting and negotiating complex commercial agreements, including sales, lease, licensing, and distribution contracts.
- Strong analytical, drafting, and negotiation skills with meticulous attention to detail.
- Ability to manage a high volume of matters simultaneously in a fast-paced commercial environment.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to explain complex legal issues to non-lawyers.
Preferred Skills & Experience
- Japanese language proficiency preferred.
- Experience in the gaming industry, including familiarity with gaming regulations in one or more major gaming jurisdictions.
- Exposure to intellectual property licensing, software agreements, or hardware/technology transactions.
Travel Requirements
