Question 1

What exactly is fractional in-house counsel, and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

Fractional counsel is an on-demand legal leadership model that gives you access to senior legal expertise without the cost of a full-time in-house lawyer. Eliga's team embeds with your business to deliver strategy, oversight, and risk management aligned with your goals. It is there when decisions are being made, not brought in after the fact.

Question 2

What services does Eliga Consultancy provide?

Accepted Answer

Eliga provides embedded, in-house commercial counsel for technology and SaaS businesses. Services span contracts and commercial deals, compliance and risk management, strategic legal direction, and founder and growth support. Support is delivered at decision level, not after documents are finalised, so legal input arrives while commercial flexibility still exists.

Question 3

Who are your typical clients?

Accepted Answer

Eliga primarily works with early-stage startups, SaaS companies, and high-growth technology businesses that need high-impact legal support without the overhead of traditional law firms. Clients are typically at a point where legal friction is beginning to show up in deals, hiring, or governance, and they need embedded support rather than reactive outside counsel.

Question 4

How is Eliga different from a traditional law firm?

Accepted Answer

Traditional law firms are engaged reactively: called in when there is a problem, a document to review, or a dispute to manage. Eliga works embedded inside your business, alongside your team, before direction hardens. Legal input is shaped around commercial reality and operating pressure, not delivered in isolation after the fact. You receive experienced commercial judgment positioned close to leadership and deal flow, not sitting outside the business reviewing things post-decision.

Question 5

How do you price your services?

Accepted Answer

Eliga offers transparent pricing with options including ad hoc fees, fixed fees for defined deliverables, and flexible retainers for ongoing counsel. Pricing is tailored based on scope, timeline, and complexity, so you are not paying for a one-size-fits-all arrangement. The aim is to give you the right level of support for your actual stage, without the overhead of a full-time hire.

Question 6

Do you offer subscription or retainer pricing?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Eliga provides retainer and subscription legal support models for clients requiring ongoing legal coverage without unpredictable hourly billing. Retainer arrangements are structured around agreed areas of responsibility and give you predictable access to senior legal input across the month, without escalating costs each time a new issue arises.

Question 7

What is included in a typical engagement?

Accepted Answer

Engagements are structured to reflect how an in-house lawyer would support your business. This typically includes agreed areas of responsibility, day-to-day legal support, drafting and reviewing documents, strategic input on key decisions, and ongoing access for advice and follow-up as your needs evolve. The scope flexes with what you need, whether that is a specific deal or ongoing support across the business.

Question 8

Is fractional counsel more cost-effective than hiring in-house?

Accepted Answer

For most tech and SaaS businesses at early and growth stages, yes, significantly. A full-time senior in-house counsel carries substantial fixed cost in salary, benefits, and overhead regardless of how much legal work is actually needed in any given month. Fractional counsel gives you senior expertise at the level your business actually requires, without the fixed overhead. The cost adapts to your stage and deal flow, not the other way around.

Question 9

How do I get started with Eliga?

Accepted Answer

The first step is a conversation. Visit the contact page and complete the enquiry form, or book a 30-minute call directly. A senior consultant will take the time to understand your business, what is currently happening, and what support would be most useful. No predefined solution is brought to the first call. We start by listening.

Question 10

What is the typical turnaround time for contract reviews?

Accepted Answer

For non-complex, standard contracts, Eliga aims to review within 48 to 72 hours of receiving all necessary materials, unless a different timeline is agreed based on complexity or urgency. Retainer clients typically receive faster turnaround as part of an ongoing working relationship. For time-sensitive deals, urgent review can usually be arranged.

Question 11

How do you communicate with clients?

Accepted Answer

Eliga uses email, video calls, secure document sharing, and project management tools to ensure clarity, accountability, and responsiveness throughout the engagement. The working approach mirrors how an in-house team operates: close to the business, accessible when needed, and responsive to how deals and decisions actually move.

Question 12

What happens when legal issues arise outside normal working hours?

Accepted Answer

Deals and decisions do not always follow a nine-to-five schedule. Eliga works with this reality. For retainer clients and active deal support, responsiveness is built into the engagement. The aim is that legal input arrives inside the working rhythm of the business, not as a separate bottleneck that slows deals down when time matters most.

Question 13

Do you provide jurisdiction-specific legal advice?

Accepted Answer

Eliga consults on applicable laws and compliance requirements in your operating jurisdictions. Technology regulation, data expectations, and commercial norms vary significantly by market, and embedded counsel means those changes are understood in the context of how your business actually operates. For highly specialised local requirements in jurisdictions outside our core coverage, we coordinate with local counsel where necessary.

Question 14

How do you handle confidentiality?

Accepted Answer

Eliga executes confidentiality agreements and uses secure communication and document storage to protect your sensitive information. Working embedded within your business means handling commercially sensitive materials regularly, so confidentiality is treated as foundational, not optional. We are happy to discuss specific requirements before any engagement begins.

Question 15

How do you handle data protection and GDPR compliance for SaaS businesses?

Accepted Answer

Data and compliance are structured around reality, not templates. For SaaS businesses, this typically means setting up the right data processing agreements, reviewing privacy policies against actual product behaviour, and ensuring governance frameworks keep pace with how the product and customer base evolve. The aim is to build things properly as you scale, so avoidable issues are not fixed later at greater cost.

Question 16

When should a SaaS business review and update its standard contracts?

Accepted Answer

The short answer: before you feel the friction. Most legal issues do not start as big problems. They build over time while the business is moving quickly. A useful signal is whether two people on your sales team, negotiating similar deals, would arrive at broadly the same outcome. If not, the issue is rarely the document itself. It is the absence of a shared and understood standard behind it. Periodic reviews aligned to product changes, new market entries, or shifts in commercial norms help prevent this drift.

Question 17

What should a SaaS agreement actually cover?

Accepted Answer

Drafting and negotiating SaaS and technology agreements at Eliga focuses on getting deals done without giving away more than you should. Key areas include: scope of licence and permitted use, data ownership and processing obligations, liability caps and indemnities, termination rights, and renewal and pricing mechanics. Beyond the document itself, the goal is terms that your sales team understands and can negotiate, not clauses that require escalation to legal on every deal.

Question 18

How does embedded counsel support contract negotiations in live deals?

Accepted Answer

Legal support arrives inside the working rhythm of the business, not as a separate bottleneck. During live negotiations, this means reviewing redlines against your risk appetite and commercial position, advising on what to hold and what to concede, and helping the business make decisions that are practical and proportionate rather than theoretically conservative. The aim is for deals to stay on track, terms to be set clearly, and the business to keep moving.

Fractional in-house counsel.
Everything you need to know.

Fractional in-house counsel: general questions

Pricing & Engagement

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Fractional in-house counsel.Everything you need to know.