Fractional Legal Counsel

for Tech Startups and High Growth Companies

Legal support, when and how you need it.

I work with fast-moving companies that need legal support—but not a full legal department.

As fractional counsel, I plug into your team where you need it most; negotiating contracts, handling employment and compliance issues, or sorting through messy legal backlogs. Basically, in-house legal without the overhead.

Services

Business & Technology Law

    • Draft bylaws, shareholder agreements, and provide guidance on board structure and compliance.

    • Develop customized contracts for clients, suppliers, and partners, ensuring legal protection.

    • Draft employment agreements, advise on labor laws, and address compliance issues.

    • Implementing privacy policies and procedures to ensure compliance with GDPR, PIPEDA, and other privacy regulations

    • Legal guidance on data security measures to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access or disclosure.Item description

    • Drafting software licenses, service agreements, and SLAs.

  • Guidance on compliance, terms of service agreements, and digital sales laws.n

Real Estate Law 

    • Negotiate lease terms and review agreements

    • Handle property-related disputes, landlord-tenant conflicts, and breach of contract issues.

Litigation Support

    • Thorough review of contracts, communications, and financials

    • Categorization and organization for easy access

    • In-depth research on case law, statutes, and regulations relevant to your matter

    • Analysis of legal precedents to support case strategy and litigation decisions

Service Models

  • This fractional in house model is built for growing companies that need consistent legal support without hiring a full time lawyer. Instead of acting like outside counsel, I embed into your team so you have a go to legal partner who understands your business.

    I can help you:

    • manage day to day legal work, including contract review and negotiation, compliance, information security issues, and employment questions

    • align legal strategy with your product and growth plans

    • spot risks early and design practical ways to reduce them

    You receive the benefits of in house counsel, with clear structure and responsive support, while keeping your legal spend predictable and within budget. This lets your team scale with confidence and focus on building the business.

  • For businesses with specific legal needs, this model provides focused, efficient support without the commitment of an ongoing retainer. It is well suited for:

    • drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial agreements

    • implementing compliance and information security requirements

    • providing legal advice tailored to defined projects or issues

    You can address critical legal matters as they arise and access the right level of support when you need it.

    Services are available on an hourly basis or as a fixed fee for clearly scoped work.

  • This is a focused legal review for technology companies that are scaling, entering new markets, or preparing for larger customers or investment. It is designed for teams that already have operations in place, but want clarity on where legal gaps and friction points sit.

    Typical scope

    • Commercial and sales
      SaaS and enterprise agreements, partner and reseller terms, NDAs, intake and approval workflows

    • Privacy and information security
      Privacy notices, DPAs, data mapping, security commitments in contracts, support for SOC 2 or similar frameworks

    • Employment and contractors
      Templates, IP and confidentiality, policies, onboarding and offboarding practices across jurisdictions

    • Governance and risk
      Signing practices, delegations of authority, playbooks, and how legal decisions are documented

    You receive

    • A concise written report that maps key risks, pressure points, and quick wins

    • A prioritised action plan with clear timelines and ownership

    • Practical recommendations such as updated templates, playbooks, and process changes

    Pricing

    The audit is offered as a fixed fee based on company size and document volume. Ongoing implementation support can be added on a project or fractional in house basis.

Book

Who I work with:

I. High Growth Technology and SaaS Companies
Scaling fast and need your legal infrastructure to keep pace? I support contract, compliance, and operations needs with clarity and speed.

II. Corporate & In-House Legal Departments
Need experienced counsel for overflow, parental leave coverage, or specialized projects? I integrate seamlessly with your team and systems, delivering results efficiently without the cost of a full-time hire.

III. Established Startups without a Legal Department
Not ready for a full-time hire but need trusted legal guidance? I can provide practical, business-aligned legal support as your in-fractional house legal counsel.

Trusted by:

Formerly:

*

Ruby Lau, Lawyer & Founder

I started Next Clause Law Corporation with sheer determination and a clear vision to build a legal practice that meets the needs of fast-growing tech and logistics companies. Since then, I have worked as fractional counsel to a B2B SaaS platform, a $200 million logistics company, and legal teams at McCarthy Tétrault and Deloitte. My focus includes commercial contracts, employment law, privacy compliance, due diligence, and regulatory strategy.

My background spans big law, boutique firms, UN organizations, and government bodies. I have worked across four continents, in five legal systems, and in five languages. Across every role, I kept noticing the same thing: legal systems often lag behind how modern teams actually operate. I built Next Clause to offer legal infrastructure that is lean, clear, and built to support growth.

I. About Me

II. About Next Clause

Next Clause was founded with a simple mission:

Built for growing companies and legal teams, the model is flexible, embedded, and designed to work with the pace of business today. Whether you are closing deals, hiring, or launching something new, I aim to help you move forward, one clause at a time.

Because every smart business move starts with the next clause.

“To deliver clear, practical legal support that helps businesses keep moving.”

  • Education:

    LLM, Stockholm University

    JD, Thompson Rivers University

    • LLM, International Business Law, Université Catholique de Lyon (exchange semester)

    BA, University of British Columbia

    Bar Admission:

    Law Society of British Columbia, Canada

  • English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish

The Process

I. Introductory Call

A short conversation to understand your business, legal needs, and working style.

II. Tailored Proposal

I send over a clear outline of what I can help with including the scope, timeline, and cost.

III. Start

Once we’re aligned, I will start working from your systems — Slack, email, contract management tools, whatever you use. I operate as your in-house counsel.

Need practical legal support without the full-time overhead?

Contact me to discuss how fractional counsel can work for you.. Happy to chat about how I can support your team. I typically respond within 1-2 business days.