Fractional general counsel for BC businesses.
Ongoing legal support from one lawyer who learns your business, without the cost and commitment of a full-time hire. Also known as outsourced, part-time or virtual general counsel.
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Your picks are added to the booking and email below. General information only, not legal advice.
The legal work that keeps a business moving.
Commercial contracts
Customer, supplier, services, distribution, licensing and partnership agreements: drafting, review and negotiation.
Technology & SaaS
Software and SaaS agreements, technology procurement, IP provisions and AI-related terms. More →
Privacy & data
Data processing agreements, privacy policies, customer privacy requirements and contractual information-security obligations.
Corporate & governance
Corporate records, board and shareholder matters, intercompany agreements, financing support and due diligence coordination.
Employment & operations
Employment and contractor agreements, workplace policies, confidentiality and compensation documentation.
Managing outside counsel
For litigation or specialized matters, I help find, instruct and manage the right firm, and keep costs in view.
Scope first. Then we work together.
Introductory call
A 30-minute conversation about your business, priorities and legal support needs.
Scope & proposal
A proposed scope, engagement structure and fee: monthly or by project.
Work together
Once conflicts, onboarding and engagement terms are addressed, I work directly with your team by email, Slack, Teams or calls.
Best suited to recurring commercial legal work. Fractional counsel complements, rather than replaces, specialized firms for litigation and major transactions.
One lawyer who learns your business.
Corporate and commercial lawyer called to the British Columbia bar in 2020. Fractional general counsel to MailChannels, where I am the company's first in-house counsel. Previous work includes in-house articling at BCLC, contract-lawyer work for McCarthy Tétrault, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP and Deloitte, and legal technology consulting for Gavel, now part of Relativity. LL.M., Stockholm University.
Questions people ask.
What is fractional general counsel?
An experienced lawyer who works with your business on an ongoing, part-time basis. It is also called outsourced general counsel, part-time general counsel or virtual general counsel. You work with one lawyer who learns your business, under a scope and fee agreed in advance.
How is it different from outside counsel?
Outside counsel is usually a law firm engaged matter by matter and briefed each time. Fractional counsel is ongoing, so the same lawyer builds context on your contracts, people and priorities over time. Many businesses use both.
Can fractional counsel replace a full-time legal hire?
For some businesses, for a period of time, yes. It suits recurring commercial work that does not need someone full-time. If your legal workload is consistently full-time, a permanent hire may make more sense, and I will say so.
What does outsourced general counsel cost?
It depends on the scope and how much work there is. I arrange engagements as a monthly fee or a defined project fee rather than open-ended hourly billing. After an intro call I propose a scope and fee, and we agree both in writing before work begins.
How does a monthly legal retainer work?
A monthly engagement covers an agreed scope of recurring work for a set fee. We agree in writing what is included, how requests come in and how work outside the scope is handled, before we start.
Is fractional counsel appropriate for established companies?
Yes. Established companies and corporate groups use fractional counsel for ongoing contracting, governance and subsidiary matters, or to support an existing legal team.
Where do you practise?
I'm licensed to practise law in British Columbia. For matters governed by the laws of other jurisdictions, I coordinate with appropriately qualified local counsel where required.
Other ways I help.
What's your next clause?
Tell me where things stand, and we will work out whether fractional counsel fits.
Your choices on this page are added to the booking and email so we can start with context. Please don't include confidential information. Contacting Next Clause does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Any engagement is subject to a conflict check and a signed engagement agreement.