For businesses that need senior legal judgement, but not full-time
Fractional General Counsel support
Senior legal support for live business issues that need ownership, clarity and commercial context.
THE PROBLEM
You need senior legal support, but hiring is not the answer
You may not need a full-time General Counsel.
But the issue in front of you may still need senior legal judgement.
Your internal team may be at capacity. Your external lawyers may not be close enough to the business. Or the matter may sit between legal, commercial and operational teams.
That is where the pressure builds.
You need someone who can step in, understand the context and help move the matter forward.
When Fractional GC Support Fits
This is for the gap between ad hoc advice and a full-time hire
- A legal issue has no clear owner
- Your legal team is at capacity
- A deal or contract has become more complicated
- You need support before recruitment can solve the problem
- You need senior judgement without adding permanent overhead
- You want someone closer to the business than a task-based adviser
What Nigel Helps With
Senior legal judgement across live business issues
Legal ownership
For matters that need someone senior to hold the thread, manage the moving parts and keep progress clear.
Contract and commercial risk
For contracts, supplier arrangements and commercial commitments that need a senior view before you sign.
Deal and transaction support
For deals, restructures and projects where legal, commercial, operational and technical priorities need to align.
Legal overflow support
For GCs, Heads of Legal and internal teams that need extra senior capacity without hiring permanently.
Strategic legal input
For senior leaders who need clear advice before making a business decision.
How The Work Starts
First, get clear on the issue
The first step is to understand what has happened, who is involved and why the issue matters now.
Nigel will look at the legal position alongside the commercial and practical reality.
From there, you can decide what support is actually needed.
Sometimes that means a short piece of advice. Sometimes it means taking ownership of a matter. Sometimes it means helping the business manage risk over a period of time.
Why This Works
You work with someone who sees the whole picture
Some legal problems do not sit neatly in one place.
Commercial teams may want to move quickly. Operational teams need to know they can deliver. Technical teams need the right protections. Senior leaders need to understand the risk.
Nigel brings those lenses together.
His work is not limited to reviewing documents. It is about helping the business understand what matters, what can wait and what should happen next.
Case Study
Senior experience across legal, commercial and operational matters
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 also worked across in-house, consultancy and senior counsel roles, including Diageo, CBRE, Citi, Goldman Sachs and Standard Chartered Bank.
- Reviewing the issue and identifying the legal risk
- Advising on the commercial position
- Managing contract or deal priorities
- Supporting negotiation points
- Working with internal teams
- Liaising with external lawyers where needed
- Helping senior leaders decide the next step
- Bringing structure to legal issues that have started to drift
What You Get
Senior support shaped around the issue
Who This Is For
A good fit for serious legal resource gaps
- A CEO, founder, MD or CFO carrying a legal issue
- A General Counsel or Head of Legal with a stretched team
- A senior leader managing a contract, dispute or deal
- A business that needs legal judgement before hiring full-time
- A team that needs senior support for a defined issue
What happens after you book a call
1. You choose a time
Use the booking link to choose a time that works for you.
2. You explain what is happening
Talk through the issue, the pressure and who is involved.
3. Nigel helps clarify the need
You discuss whether the matter needs Fractional General Counsel support now.
4. You agree the right scope
If there is a fit, the work is scoped before anything starts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Fractional General Counsel?
A Fractional General Counsel gives senior legal support without joining the business full-time.
It can help when you need senior judgement, ownership or legal capacity for a defined issue or period.
Is this the same as using a law firm?
No. A law firm may advise on a specific legal point.
Fractional General Counsel support sits closer to the business. It helps with judgement, ownership and the wider commercial context.
Do we need to commit to ongoing support?
Not necessarily.
Support can be shaped around the issue, whether that is ad hoc, overflow, project-based or ongoing.
Can Nigel work with our existing lawyers?
Yes.
Nigel can work alongside existing lawyers and help decide when specialist advice is needed.
Is this only for large companies?
No.
It is for serious businesses with a real legal resource gap. That could be an SME, a larger business or an in-house legal team.
What if we are not sure what support we need?
That is a good reason to start with a call.
The first step is to clarify the issue and decide whether Fractional General Counsel support fits.
Need senior legal support, but not a full-time hire?
If the issue needs judgement, ownership or extra capacity, start with a form submission.
