We are seeking a creative bilingual backend engineer to join the team behind CoCounsel. You will help build applications that interact with state-of-the-art Large Language Models (LLMs) that deliver cutting-edge and time-saving solutions to attorneys in Japan. CoCounsel is already capable of writing legal research memos, summarizing and reviewing documents, and red-lining contracts, just to name a few capabilities--all in minutes, not days or weeks. And we're just getting started.
As a Senior Software Engineer, Legal Prompter – Japanese Speaking, you will develop Python code as well as Japanese prose prompts to LLMs to help expand CoCounsel's early success and localize CoCounsel to the Japanese legal market. This mix of writing instructions for an interpreter and an LLM is well-suited for someone who can produce reliable backend code, and can also write creative, lucid, and effective prose instructions.
Our ideal candidate is a bilingual software engineer who can write high-quality Python, work with APIs (consuming and serving), and also has domain knowledge of the law (JD, legal industry experience such as courtroom interpreter or paralegal, etc.). A legal background is absolutely necessary. Candidate must be highly proficient in spoken and written Japanese.
About the Role:
Orchestrate LLM-driven experiences that delight our customers
Develop Python code that interacts with state-of-the-art LLMs
Write, test, and iterate Japanese prose prompts for the LLM that leverage your legal domain knowledge, ensuring delivery of accurate, legally sound, and contextually appropriate responses
Develop Python code that interacts with data sources & services (APIs, SQL databases, etc.)
Liaise with legal professionals and other teams at Thomson Reuters to gather and understand requirements
Integrate the language models into multi-step systems, assessing their performance and making necessary modifications
About You:
Highly proficient in written and spoken Japanese. This can mean you are a native speaker, have a BA in the language or equivalent certification, or can demonstrate college-level proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing in that language.
Legal domain expertise. This can mean experience in legal practice, a JD-holder in a “non-traditional” legal career path, a courtroom interpreter, a paralegal, or legal industry experience in either the US or Japan.
One to two years of production level experience in software engineering on an engineering/product team, preferably at a startup
Proficiency in Python - if Python skills are low, then strong experience in other programming languages is necessary
Proficiency with APIs and SQL is a major plus
Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
Ability to work both independently and in a collaborative environment
Creative and clear writing skills
Experience using large language models through code is preferred (such as model services from OpenAI, Anthropic, or Cohere; and/or open source models such as Llama and Mistral)
#LI-SC1
What’s in it For You?
Hybrid Work Model: We’ve adopted a flexible hybrid working environment (2-3 days a week in the office depending on the role) for our office-based roles while delivering a seamless experience that is digitally and physically connected.
Flexibility & Work-Life Balance: Flex My Way is a set of supportive workplace policies designed to help manage personal and professional responsibilities, whether caring for family, giving back to the community, or finding time to refresh and reset. This builds upon our flexible work arrangements, including work from anywhere for up to 8 weeks per year, empowering employees to achieve a better work-life balance.
Career Development and Growth: By fostering a culture of continuous learning and skill development, we prepare our talent to tackle tomorrow’s challenges and deliver real-world solutions. Our Grow My Way programming and skills-first approach ensures you have the tools and knowledge to grow, lead, and thrive in an AI-enabled future.
Industry Competitive Benefits: We offer comprehensive benefit plans to include flexible vacation, two company-wide Mental Health Days off, access to the Headspace app, retirement savings, tuition reimbursement, employee incentive programs, and resources for mental, physical, and financial wellbeing.
Culture: Globally recognized, award-winning reputation for inclusion and belonging, flexibility, work-life balance, and more. We live by our values: Obsess over our Customers, Compete to Win, Challenge (Y)our Thinking, Act Fast / Learn Fast, and Stronger Together.
Social Impact: Make an impact in your community with our Social Impact Institute. We offer employees two paid volunteer days off annually and opportunities to get involved with pro-bono consulting projects and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives.
Making a Real-World Impact: We are one of the few companies globally that helps its customers pursue justice, truth, and transparency. Together, with the professionals and institutions we serve, we help uphold the rule of law, turn the wheels of commerce, catch bad actors, report the facts, and provide trusted, unbiased information to people all over the world.
About Us
Thomson Reuters informs the way forward by bringing together the trusted content and technology that people and organizations need to make the right decisions. We serve professionals across legal, tax, accounting, compliance, government, and media. Our products combine highly specialized software and insights to empower professionals with the data, intelligence, and solutions needed to make informed decisions, and to help institutions in their pursuit of justice, truth, and transparency. Reuters, part of Thomson Reuters, is a world leading provider of trusted journalism and news.
We are powered by the talents of 26,000 employees across more than 70 countries, where everyone has a chance to contribute and grow professionally in flexible work environments. At a time when objectivity, accuracy, fairness, and transparency are under attack, we consider it our duty to pursue them. Sound exciting? Join us and help shape the industries that move society forward.
As a global business, we rely on the unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences of all employees to deliver on our business goals. To ensure we can do that, we seek talented, qualified employees in all our operations around the world regardless of race, color, sex/gender, including pregnancy, gender identity and expression, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, citizen status, veteran status, or any other protected classification under applicable law. Thomson Reuters is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer providing a drug-free workplace.
We also make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs in accordance with applicable law. More information on requesting an accommodation here.
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More information about Thomson Reuters can be found on thomsonreuters.com.
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