Fractional general counsel, explained in plain English
If “do we need a lawyer or a legal department” feels like the wrong question for where your business is, you are not wrong. There is a third option sitting between the two, and most scaling SaaS founders only discover it after overpaying for one of the others.
If “do we need a lawyer or a legal department” feels like the wrong question for where your business is, you are not wrong. There is a third option sitting between the two, and most scaling SaaS founders only discover it after overpaying for one of the others.
What is a fractional general counsel?
A fractional general counsel is a senior in-house lawyer who works with your business for a set portion of their time, rather than full time or by the matter. You get the judgment of a general counsel, embedded in your business and accountable for your legal risk, sized to the volume of legal work you actually have.
The word fractional simply describes the commitment. The role itself is the same in-house function a larger company would expect from a full time GC: owning contracts, data protection, commercial risk and the legal questions that come with scaling.
What does a fractional GC actually do?
Day to day, the work tends to cover the same ground an in-house lawyer would handle:
- Reviewing, drafting and negotiating commercial and SaaS contracts
- Owning data protection and the data processing agreements that land on your desk
- Flagging and managing legal risk before it becomes a dispute
- Acting as the single point of contact for your team’s legal questions
- Bringing in specialist support only when a matter genuinely needs it
The difference from a law firm relationship is context. A fractional GC learns your product, your customers and your risk appetite, so the advice fits your business rather than arriving as a generic memo.
Fractional GC vs law firm vs full time hire
The three models solve different problems. A law firm is excellent for deep, occasional specialist work, but it is billed by the hour, which means teams ration legal input and often call only once something is already on fire.
A full time general counsel gives you constant senior cover, but at a salary that a scaling business frequently cannot justify for a role that is not yet full time work.
A fractional general counsel sits in the gap. You get embedded, senior legal judgment and fast answers, priced for the legal volume your business has this year, and you scale the arrangement as you grow.
Signs you have outgrown ad hoc legal support
- Contracts sit unsigned because no one has time to read them properly
- You only contact a lawyer when there is already a problem
- Legal costs are unpredictable and rise sharply around deals
- Customers are starting to send you their own contracts and DPAs to sign
- Your team makes commercial decisions with legal risk that no one is tracking
How does the pricing work?
A fractional arrangement is typically a fixed monthly engagement scoped to the support you need, rather than an hourly meter. That makes legal spend predictable and removes the hesitation that comes with billable-hour relationships.
The right level is set by your stage and deal flow, not by a one size fits all package.
The point
The question was never “firm or hire”. It is “how much senior legal judgment do we need this quarter, and how do we get it without overpaying for either”. A fractional general counsel is built to answer exactly that.
Frequently asked questions
What is a fractional general counsel?
A fractional general counsel is a senior in-house lawyer who works with a business for a set portion of their time rather than full time. They own contracts, data protection and commercial risk, giving you the judgment of a general counsel sized to the legal volume you actually have.
How is a fractional GC different from a law firm?
A law firm is usually billed by the hour and engaged matter by matter, so legal input gets rationed. A fractional GC is embedded in your business on a predictable monthly basis, learns your product and risk profile, and gives fast answers in context rather than generic memos.
How much does a fractional general counsel cost in the UK?
A fractional engagement is normally a fixed monthly fee scoped to the support you need, which makes legal spend predictable. The level depends on your stage and deal flow rather than a fixed package, and it is typically a fraction of a full time GC salary.
When should a startup get a fractional general counsel?
Common triggers are contracts piling up unreviewed, customers sending their own contracts and DPAs to sign, unpredictable legal costs around deals, and commercial decisions being made with untracked legal risk. These are the signs a business has outgrown ad hoc legal support.
Is a fractional GC right for a SaaS business?
Yes. Scaling SaaS and tech businesses face constant contract, data protection and AI risk questions that suit an embedded, ongoing legal function, but rarely justify a full time hire yet. The fractional model fits that stage well.
Outgrown ad hoc legal, not ready for a hire?
We give scaling SaaS and tech businesses a senior general counsel on a fractional basis. Same in-house judgment, none of the full time cost.
Book a call with us: calendly.com/dhruve-eligaconsultancy
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