Job description

The Opportunity As Gelber Group's General Counsel, you will serve as a key member of the executive leadership team at one of the industry's leading proprietary trading firms. The General Counsel serves not only as the firm's chief legal advisor, but also as a trusted business partner whose judgment shapes important decisions across the organization. The role offers meaningful influence over the firm's strategic direction and the opportunity to make a lasting impact. We empower the General Counsel to shape the future of the legal function as an indispensable contributor to the business. Like all our executives, the General Counsel at Gelber embraces challenges of exceptional breadth. You will encounter a wide range of sophisticated legal, regulatory, governance, employment, commercial, and strategic issues. We have created an executive role that is intentionally hands-on, where leadership and execution go hand in hand. You will lead regulatory initiatives, protect Gelber's intellectual property, advise senior leadership on employment, governance, and organizational strategy, negotiate important agreements, and help shape complex business decisions. Proprietary trading is an outcomes business and we measure success by results. We expect our General Counsel to ensure that Legal serves as a foundational driver of Gelber's success. We believe exceptional work begins with exceptional relationships. You will work alongside highly analytical traders, researchers, technologists, and business professionals who genuinely enjoy solving difficult problems together. We combine the pace and intellectual challenge of sophisticated financial markets with the accessibility and collegiality of a relatively small organization. Our leaders remain visible, approachable, and engaged across the firm, investing in people and building high-performing teams. We also believe sustained excellence requires balance, and we foster an environment where demanding, rewarding work coexists with a healthy work-life balance. Above all, you'll join a team of talented people who trust one another and take pride in building something exceptional. About Gelber We are Gelber Group -- Passion for Trading. Powered by Technology. For more than 40 years, Gelber has been one of the industry's leading proprietary trading firms, combining entrepreneurial thinking with disciplined execution. Headquartered in Chicago, with offices and remote team members throughout the United States and Europe, we have built a reputation for innovation, longevity, and consistent performance. Through regulated businesses that include a FINRA-registered broker-dealer, a self-clearing Chicago Mercantile Exchange member firm, and an AFM-licensed MiFID II investment firm, Gelber is positioned to trade across all major global financial markets. Our business is driven by a relentless pursuit of new trading opportunities and a deep commitment to technical excellence. We trade a diverse range of asset classes and financial instruments using strategies that span the full spectrum of trading—from high-frequency and systematic approaches to longer-term discretionary trading. This diversity creates an intellectually rich environment where ideas, perspectives, and expertise from across the firm contribute to our continued evolution. Our culture is collaborative, entrepreneurial, and meritocratic. We empower talented people to take ownership, contribute meaningfully, and make an impact early in their careers. We believe our people are our greatest competitive advantage, and we invest in their development by providing meaningful responsibility, exceptional colleagues, and the resources they need to succeed. The Role The General Counsel serves as Gelber's chief legal advisor and a key member of the executive leadership team. You will partner closely with individuals across the firm to provide commercially grounded legal advice, guide strategic initiatives, and translate legal and regulatory complexity into practical business solutions. You will lead the Legal function while remaining actively engaged in substantive legal work. You will have the opportunity to shape the long-term capabilities of the Legal and Compliance functions, including recommending organizational structure and thoughtfully expanding the team as business needs evolve. Success in this role requires executive judgment, commercial instincts, and the ability to build trusted relationships throughout the organization. As General Counsel, you will: Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership on legal, regulatory, governance, and strategic matters Lead the firm's Legal function and oversee the Compliance function through a collaborative partnership with the Chief Compliance Officer Partner with business leaders to assess risk, solve problems, and support commercial objectives Advise on financial markets regulation, exchange matters, corporate governance, and strategic initiatives Lead or oversee regulatory inquiries, examinations, investigations, and enforcement matters Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of commercial, technology, licensing, employment, vendor, and other business-critical agreements Protect Gelber's competitive assets, including its technology, intellectual property, trading strategies, confidential information, talent, and reputation Advise on employment, restrictive covenants, intellectual property ownership, and other workplace matters Develop and maintain legal processes that are practical, scalable, and aligned with the firm's business objectives Direct the firm's use of outside counsel and specialized legal resources Remain actively engaged in substantive legal work while building the long-term capabilities of the Legal and Compliance functions The ideal candidate brings: Juris Doctor from an accredited law school and licensed (or eligible for admission) in Illinois Approximately 10–20 years of relevant legal experience, including substantial in-house and/or regulatory experience Deep experience supporting sophisticated financial markets businesses, ideally including proprietary trading, hedge funds, exchanges, regulators, or similar environments Strong knowledge of financial markets regulation, including the SEC, CFTC, FINRA, exchange rules, and related regulatory frameworks Experience leading legal teams, managing projects, building organizations, and partnering with senior stakeholders Experience advising on corporate governance, commercial contracts, intellectual property, technology licensing, data governance, vendor relationships, employment matters, and international legal issues Proven ability to balance legal risk with commercial objectives and deliver practical, business-oriented advice Experience directing outside counsel and specialized legal resources Unquestioned integrity, intellectual curiosity, humility, accountability, responsiveness, and sound business judgment Compensation and Benefits The approximate annual base salary for this position in Chicago, Illinois is $225,000 to $275,000. Because the position also participates in Gelber's performance-based incentive compensation program, total annual compensation is expected to substantially exceed base salary for successful candidates. Actual compensation will reflect a variety of factors, including experience, qualifications, performance, and overall fit for the role. Gelber offers a wide range of benefits to full-time employees, including: Traditional and Roth 401(k) retirement program with discretionary employer match Comprehensive health benefits including medical coverage provided by Blue Cross and Blue Shield (PPO and HDHP/HSA) and dental coverage; generous employer cost-sharing Tuition reimbursement for Undergraduate and Graduate courses Flexible Spending Accounts for health care and dependent care; pre-tax commuter benefits for parking and transit expenses Life insurance and long-term disability coverage Health club membership with on-site facilities (and reciprocal memberships) Generous vacation time (23-day accrual in first full calendar year of employment; prorated accrual in initial year), paid holidays, and paid maternity/paternity leave Weekly catered lunches and monthly continental breakfasts Social events including sponsored 5k races and annual company party Enjoyable work environment including golf simulator Employee referral bonus program Charitable giving and company matching opportunities Casual, relaxed dress code If you are based in California, we encourage you to read the Gelber Privacy Notice for California Employees and Applicants, linked here .

Requirements

Must-haves

Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership on legal, regulatory, governance, and strategic matters
Lead the firm's Legal function and oversee the Compliance function through a collaborative partnership with the Chief Compliance Officer
Partner with business leaders to assess risk, solve problems, and support commercial objectives
Advise on financial markets regulation, exchange matters, corporate governance, and strategic initiatives
Lead or oversee regulatory inquiries, examinations, investigations, and enforcement matters
Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of commercial, technology, licensing, employment, vendor, and other business-critical agreements
Protect Gelber's competitive assets, including its technology, intellectual property, trading strategies, confidential information, talent, and reputation
Advise on employment, restrictive covenants, intellectual property ownership, and other workplace matters
Develop and maintain legal processes that are practical, scalable, and aligned with the firm's business objectives
Direct the firm's use of outside counsel and specialized legal resources
Remain actively engaged in substantive legal work while building the long-term capabilities of the Legal and Compliance functions
Juris Doctor from an accredited law school and licensed (or eligible for admission) in Illinois
Approximately 10–20 years of relevant legal experience, including substantial in-house and/or regulatory experience
Deep experience supporting sophisticated financial markets businesses, ideally including proprietary trading, hedge funds, exchanges, regulators, or similar environments
Strong knowledge of financial markets regulation, including the SEC, CFTC, FINRA, exchange rules, and related regulatory frameworks
Experience leading legal teams, managing projects, building organizations, and partnering with senior stakeholders
Experience advising on corporate governance, commercial contracts, intellectual property, technology licensing, data governance, vendor relationships, employment matters, and international legal issues
Proven ability to balance legal risk with commercial objectives and deliver practical, business-oriented advice
Experience directing outside counsel and specialized legal resources
Unquestioned integrity, intellectual curiosity, humility, accountability, responsiveness, and sound business judgment

Nice-to-haves

None flagged.

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Benefits

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401(K)