Fractional General Counsel support for legal issues that need judgement, ownership and commercial context.
A practical first call to understand the issue and decide what should happen next.
Over 20 years’ senior in-house, commercial and transaction experience.
You may already have lawyers. You may already have a legal team.
But the issue in front of you may still need someone senior to take ownership.
Your team may be underwater with BAU work. The deal may have become more complicated than expected. A contract, dispute or transaction may have landed with you because nobody else has the time, budget or experience to deal with it properly.
This is where the problem becomes bigger than drafting or reviewing a clause.
It becomes a resource gap, a judgement gap and an ownership gap.
Commercial teams may want to get the deal done. Operational teams need to know they can deliver what has been agreed. Technical teams need the right protections in place. Senior leaders need to understand the risk before they commit.
That is often where progress slows.
The legal advice may be right, but the business still needs someone to align the people, priorities and next steps.
Start with what has happened, who is involved and why it matters now.
Clarify whether the issue is about capacity, judgement, ownership or risk.
Give the matter a clear legal lead, without adding a permanent role.
Look at the legal position alongside the commercial, operational and practical reality.
Work out what needs action now, what can wait and what the next step should be.
At QA Higher Education, Nigel acted as senior sole in-house counsel.
His work included re-engineering contractual arrangements with over 70 representative agents, supporting disputes, GDPR, supplier agreements and contract process improvement.
At BLME, Nigel worked on fintech, SaaS and virtual banking arrangements.
The work included IT supply contracts, cloud services and legal structuring for future business needs.
Nigel has worked across in-house, consultancy and senior counsel roles.
His experience includes Diageo, CBRE, Citi, Goldman Sachs and Standard Chartered Bank.
For businesses that need senior legal judgement, but do not need a full-time hire. Nigel can step in when an issue needs ownership, clarity and commercial context.
For General Counsel, Heads of Legal and internal teams at capacity. Get senior support when BAU work is heavy and a live matter needs experienced input.
For contracts that need more than a quick read-through. Nigel can help you understand the risk, the commercial position and what should change before you commit.
For deals, restructures and commercial matters with several moving parts. Nigel can help align legal, commercial, operational and technical priorities.
For issues that need careful handling before they grow. Nigel can help you assess the position, reduce risk and decide the next step.
For businesses dealing with SaaS, cloud, technology, AI, data or supplier arrangements. Nigel can help you review the legal, commercial and operational risk before you commit.
A practical first call to understand the issue and decide what should happen next.
Hiring a senior in-house lawyer takes time. Using a large law firm can become expensive. Handling the issue internally can leave too much on your desk.
Fractional General Counsel support sits between those options.
You get senior legal judgement when the business needs it, without creating a permanent role.
When you work with Nigel, you work directly with Nigel.
Nigel Thomas is a senior commercial lawyer and Fractional General Counsel.
He has worked in-house, in private practice and as a consultant across legal, commercial and operational matters.
His work is for businesses that need experienced legal judgement, but do not always need a full-time senior legal hire.
Use the booking link to choose a time that works for you.
Talk through the issue, the pressure and who is involved.
You discuss whether the matter needs senior legal support now.
If there is a fit, the work is scoped before anything starts.
The first call is a conversation, not a commitment.
If the issue needs judgement, ownership or extra capacity, start with a practical first call.
A practical first call to understand the issue and decide what should happen next.