1. Understanding Fractional Legal Services
Q. What exactly is a fractional lawyer?
A fractional lawyer is a senior legal professional who works with your business on a flexible, part-time basis. Rather than hiring a full-time in-house lawyer or paying hourly rates to a traditional law firm, you engage a fractional lawyer for a set number of hours or days each month. They become an embedded part of your team, providing ongoing strategic legal support at a fraction of the cost of a permanent hire.
Q. How is this different from using a traditional law firm?
Traditional law firms are typically structured around discrete transactions or disputes. You instruct them when you have a specific matter, they bill for the time it takes, and the relationship is largely transactional. A fractional lawyer operates differently. I become part of your team – attending your meetings, understanding your commercial strategy, learning your people, and providing proactive advice rather than reactive responses. The relationship is ongoing and strategic, not transactional.
Q. How is it different from hiring an in-house lawyer?
An in-house lawyer is a full-time employee with the associated salary, National Insurance, pension contributions, benefits, and overhead. For many growing businesses, the legal workload does not justify a full-time hire, yet ad-hoc external advice is insufficient. Fractional legal support sits between these two options, giving you dedicated senior legal expertise at the level you actually need – whether that is a few hours a month or several days a week.
Q. Is “fractional” just a new word for consulting?
No. Traditional consultants are typically engaged for specific projects with defined scopes and end dates. A fractional lawyer is an ongoing part of your business, providing continuous legal support across whatever issues arise. Consultants deliver projects; fractional lawyers build relationships and provide ongoing guidance.
Q. Is this the same as an interim lawyer?
Interim lawyers typically fill a specific role for a defined period – for example, covering a maternity leave or bridging the gap before a permanent hire. They usually work full-time during the interim period. Fractional lawyers are different: the arrangement is designed to be ongoing and part-time, scaled to match your actual needs rather than filling a full-time role temporarily.
2. My Services and Practice Areas
Q. What areas of law does Fractional Legal cover?
I provide commercial legal support across the key areas that growing businesses typically need:
- Commercial contracts and procurement
- Data protection and UK and EU GDPR compliance
- Corporate governance and company secretarial matters
- Intellectual property and brand protection
- Fundraising and investment agreements
- Regulatory compliance for specific sectors
- Dispute resolution strategy and management
For specialist areas outside my direct expertise, I manage the relationship with specialist firms on your behalf, ensuring you get the right advice without the overhead of coordinating multiple external providers.
Q. What do you not do?
I do not undertake any kind of court room work. I also do not handle criminal matters, personal injury, family law, residential conveyancing or immigration matters. I can manage the relationship with specialist litigation counsel and oversee the strategy on your behalf.
Q. Do you act for individuals or only businesses?
I exclusively support businesses. My model is designed around the ongoing legal needs of companies sole trader businesses, and I do not undertake work for private individuals on personal matters.
Q. What size of business do you typically work with?
My clients are primarily small and medium-sized enterprises with between 5 and 250 employees, though I also work with early-stage start-ups and occasionally with larger businesses on specific projects. The common thread is that my clients are businesses for whom full-time in-house legal counsel is either not justified or not yet affordable, but who need more than ad-hoc external advice.
Q. Do you work with businesses in specific industries?
I work across a broad range of sectors, with particular strength in technology and SaaS, professional services, manufacturing, fintech, healthtech, and owner-managed businesses. If you operate in a heavily regulated sector, I will let you know if I have the specific expertise or if you would be better served by a specialist.3. How It Works in Practice
Q. How does an engagement typically start?
Every engagement begins with a complimentary discovery conversation. I spend time understanding your business, your current legal position, and what you are trying to achieve. If fractional legal support makes sense for your situation, I propose an engagement structure tailored to your needs. If it does not – for example, if your needs are genuinely one-off or require a specialist I cannot provide – I will tell you and, where I can, point you in the right direction.
Q. How do you deliver your services?
Exclusively online. I use secure client portals, video conferencing, collaborative document platforms, and encrypted messaging to deliver legal support efficiently regardless of where you are based.
Q. How many hours do I need to commit to?
There is no minimum commitment that fits every business. Some clients engage me for five hours a month for light-touch advisory support. Others work with me for several days a week during intensive periods such as funding rounds or major projects. Most clients sit in the middle, with monthly retainers in the range of 10 to 25 hours. I will recommend a starting point based on your actual needs, and the arrangement can flex up or down over time. The minimum engagement is three (3) months for all plan levels.
Q. Can I scale up or down as my needs change?
Yes. One of the core advantages of the fractional model is flexibility. If you are preparing for a funding round and need intensive support for two months, I can scale up. If your business goes through a quieter period, I can scale down. I believe retainer agreements should serve the client, not lock them in.
Q. How quickly can I get a response when I have a question?
For retained clients, I aim to respond to queries within hours. I communicate proactively when travel, holidays, or other commitments will affect availability.
4. Cost and Pricing
Q. How much does it cost?
I offer three main engagement tiers, though the exact fee depends on the scope and complexity of your needs:
- My base retainer plan starts from £750 per month
- Essentials: light-touch monthly support, typically £1,500–£3,000 per month
- Growth: more extensive monthly support with embedded advisory, typically £5,000–£7,500 per month
- Strategic: deeper engagement including board-level strategic advisory, typically £7,500–£15,000+ per month
Project-based work and ad-hoc support are also available for clients who are not yet ready for a full retainer.
Q. How does this compare to a traditional law firm?
A typical City commercial solicitor bills at £300 to £800 per hour. My maximum hourly rate currently runs at £150 per hour. A mid-tier retainer of £5,000 per month equates to roughly £100 per effective hour of senior legal advice. That is a rate that traditional law firms charge you for a junior associate, but with partner level expertise and the added value of being embedded in your business.
Q. How does it compare to hiring an in-house lawyer?
A qualified solicitor with ten years of post-qualification experience commands a salary of £80,000 to £120,000 or more, plus employer’s National Insurance, pension contributions, benefits, and overhead. The fully-loaded cost of such a hire is typically £110,000 to £160,000 annually. Fractional legal support at £5,000 per month is £60,000 annually – roughly half the cost of a permanent hire, with none of the commitment.
Q. Are there any hidden fees?
No. My retainers are inclusive of the agreed hours of senior legal advice. Third-party costs – such as Companies House fees, trade mark registration fees, or specialist counsel fees – are always agreed with you in advance and passed through at cost. I do not bill for short emails, quick calls, or minor clarifications that fall within the normal course of the relationship.
Q. Can I try it without a long-term commitment?
Yes. While my retainer model works best over time, I understand that clients want to test the relationship before committing. Most of my engagements start on a month-to-month basis with a standard notice period of one month. I do not use long lock-in agreements.
Q. What payment terms do you offer?
Retainers are billed monthly in advance. Payment terms are 7 days from invoice and I accept payment by bank transfer, direct debit or credit card. For larger project-based work, I typically agree a payment schedule tied to milestones.
5. Regulation and Professional Standards
Q. Are you regulated?
My consultants are qualified solicitors regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) or qualified barristers regulated by the Bar Standards Board. My firm structure and regulatory authorisation reflect the scope of services I provide. I are happy to share specific regulatory details with any prospective client as part of myonboarding process.
Q. Do you hold Professional Indemnity Insurance?
Yes. All my consultants and my firm hold comprehensive Professional Indemnity Insurance at levels appropriate to the work I undertake. Details of myinsurance coverage are available on request and are provided as part of my standard engagement documentation.
Q. How do you handle conflicts of interest?
Before I accept any new client, I conduct a conflict check against my existing client base. I will never act for you if I have a conflict with an existing client, and I will not take on a new client if it would create a conflict with you. My conflict-checking procedures are formally documented and consistently applied.
Q. How do you handle confidentiality?
Everything you tell us is treated as strictly confidential. My consultants are bound by professional duties of confidentiality, and I have robust data handling, access control, and information security procedures in place. My confidentiality obligations survive the end of my engagement.
Q. How is my data handled and protected?
I take data protection extremely seriously – both as a matter of regulatory compliance and as a matter of professional responsibility. I use secure, encrypted platforms for client data storage and communication, apply strict access controls, and maintain full compliance with UK and EU GDPR. My Data Processing Agreement is provided as part of my engagement terms and sets out in detail how your data is handled.
6. Scope and Limitations
Q. Can you handle litigation?
I do not handle litigation of any kind. I provide dispute resolution strategy, settlement negotiations, and oversight of litigation on your behalf.
Q. Do you handle international matters?
My primary expertise is in common law. For non-common law cross-border matters, I work with carefully selected international firms and counsel in the relevant jurisdictions, coordinating the advice and ensuring consistency with your position.
Q. Can you guarantee outcomes?
No lawyer, fractional or otherwise, can guarantee legal or commercial outcomes. What I can guarantee is that you will receive considered, experienced advice from a senior legal professional who understand your business – and that I will be honest with you about the risks, options, and likely outcomes in any given situation.
7. Getting Started
Q. How do I know if fractional legal support is right for my business?
The fractional model tends to suit businesses that recognise one or more of the following: you are growing and sense that legal risks are accumulating without dedicated attention; you spend money on ad-hoc external lawyers for matters that someone embedded in your business could handle more efficiently; you have been putting off legal questions because of cost concerns; you are preparing for a significant event such as a funding round, major contract, or acquisition; or you want a trusted legal adviser who understands your business as a whole rather than just specific transactions.
Q. What is the Introduction Meeting conversation like?
The initial conversation typically lasts 15 to 20 minutes. I will ask about your business, your current legal arrangements, what is working and what is not, and what challenges or opportunities you are facing. There is no sales pitch and no obligation. By the end of the call, you will have a clear sense of whether fractional legal support could add value to your business, and what that engagement might look like in practice.
Q. Is there a charge for the Introduction Meeting?
No. The initial ntroduction Meeting is complimentary. I believe you should be able to explore whether fractional legal support is right for you without financial commitment.
Q. What happens after the ntroduction Meeting?
If we both agree that there is a good fit, I will send you a written engagement proposal outlining the scope, structure, and cost of the proposed arrangement. Once agreed, I typically begin with a formal onboarding process including conflict checks, KYC verification where required, signed engagement letters, and a kick-off session to establish priorities. Most clients are fully onboarded within 2 to 3 days of agreeing to proceed.
Q. What if it does not work out?
The fractional model is built on trust and fit. If the relationship is not delivering the value you expected, I want to know early so I can address it – or, if the fit is not right, part ways cleanly. My engagement terms require a reasonable one month notice period that allow either party to end the arrangement without penalty.