Fractional General Counsel & Legal Team Support
Ongoing commercial legal support for businesses without in-house counsel, and flexible capacity for existing legal teams.
Fractional general counsel · British Columbia, Canada
What's your next clause?
Legal, the bottleneck the next step.
Fractional general counsel & commercial legal support for BC businesses
"Fractional general counsel" means an experienced lawyer who works with your business on an ongoing, part-time basis, for a monthly or project fee instead of a full-time salary. How it works ↓ for growing businesses, established companies and in-house legal teams: outsourced in-house counsel, SaaS and technology contract support, and extra capacity for existing legal teams. Work directly with a BC lawyer through flexible, scoped engagements, without the commitment of a full-time hire.
Where things stand
Sample draft · try itA sample for marketing purposes. Try it with your real details. Pick your situation, add your company and what you need, then accept. Nothing leaves this page unless you choose to send it. This sample is not an engagement letter or legal advice. Accepting it does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Any engagement is subject to a conflict check and a signed engagement agreement. Please don't include confidential information.
- Pick a situation
- Add your company
- Add your note
- Accept & send
Between and Next Clause.
1.
Where things stand
Ruby Lau: Choose the closest match. Most businesses are a mix, and that's fine.
2.
Next clause
Ruby Lau: This is where we'd start, with the scope and fees agreed before any work begins.
3.
How we'd work
One lawyer who learns your company's business. Services, engagement structure and fees agreed in advance.
Ruby Lau: Fractional means ongoing and part-time: I work alongside your team for a monthly or project fee instead of a salary.
3.
Your note to Ruby
A brief description is plenty. Please leave out confidential details.
Review the changes, then accept.
Illustrative only. This sample is for marketing purposes and is not an offer, an engagement or legal advice.
Meet your lawyer
Ruby Lau, Barrister & Solicitor
Corporate and commercial lawyer called to the British Columbia bar in 2020. Fractional general counsel to MailChannels. Previous engagements include fractional legal counsel to Cymax Group and contract-lawyer work for McCarthy Tétrault, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP and Deloitte.
- Called to the BC bar, 2020
- LL.M., Stockholm University
- Say hi in:
Clients, previous engagements and affiliations
- Clients I've worked with
- Cymax Group
- Gavelnow part of
- Contract-lawyer engagements
- McCarthy Tétrault
- Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
- Deloitte
- Previously
- UN ICTY
- BCLC
- Fasken
- Also counsel with
Virtus Counsel
What I handle
Commercial and corporate legal support, clause by clause.
Fractional general counsel and commercial legal support for businesses and in-house legal teams.
Commercial Contracts & Negotiations
Drafting, reviewing and negotiating customer, supplier, distribution, services, licensing and partnership agreements.
Technology, SaaS & Intellectual Property
Commercial legal support for software, SaaS, technology procurement, licensing, IP provisions and AI-related contracts.
Privacy & Data Protection
Privacy compliance, data processing agreements, policies, customer privacy requirements and contractual information-security obligations.
Corporate Governance & Transactions
Corporate governance, intercompany agreements, financing support, commercial due diligence and M&A coordination.
Employment & Business Operations
Employment and contractor agreements, workplace policies, confidentiality, compensation documentation and operational legal matters.
Who I work with
Established Companies & Corporate Groups
Legal support for established businesses and corporate groups managing contracts, governance, subsidiaries and operational needs.
In-House Legal Teams
Flexible support for legal departments managing growing workloads, transactions, temporary absences or commercial contracting overflow.
Growing Technology Businesses
Commercial counsel for technology and SaaS companies managing customers, vendors, privacy, licensing and business expansion.
Experience
Corporate Financing Experience
Advised on senior and bridge financing matters involving an established corporate group.
Acquisition Due Diligence
Supported acquisition due diligence in a contract-lawyer capacity.
International Perspective
Commercial legal experience involving businesses and matters across jurisdictions.
Multilingual Background
English, Cantonese, Spanish, French and Mandarin.
Fractional general counsel, explained
A lawyer on your team. Without a full-time hire.
Fractional general counsel, also called outsourced in-house counsel or fractional corporate counsel, is an experienced lawyer who works with your business on an ongoing, part-time basis: someone who knows your company, your contracts and your people.
| Dimension | Traditional External Law Firm | Recurring supportFractional General Counsel | Full-Time In-House Counsel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engagement structure | Engaged matter by matter | Ongoing, part-time engagement with one lawyer | Full-time employee |
| Cost model | Typically hourly or per matter | Monthly or project fee, agreed in advance | Salary, benefits and recruitment costs |
| Business integration | Briefed on each matter | Works alongside your team and learns the business over time | Fully embedded in the business |
| Flexibility | Brought in for specific matters | Scope can be adjusted as needs change | Fixed capacity; changes usually mean hiring |
| Best suited for | Litigation, major transactions and specialist advice | Recurring commercial legal work and legal team support | A consistent, full-time legal workload |
Fractional counsel provides recurring commercial legal support and can complement both in-house teams and external law firms. Compare all your options →
How it works
01
Introductory Call
A 30-minute conversation about your business, priorities and legal support needs.
02
Scope & Proposal
We identify the proposed services, engagement structure and fees.
03
Work Together
Once conflicts, onboarding and engagement terms are addressed, we begin providing legal support under the agreed scope.
Questions People Ask
What is fractional general counsel?
Fractional general counsel provides ongoing legal support on a part-time or flexible basis. You work directly with a qualified lawyer without necessarily hiring someone full-time.
How is this different from hiring in-house counsel?
You get many of the benefits of in-house counsel—ongoing support, familiarity with your business and direct access to legal advice—without a permanent full-time hire.
We already have a legal team. Is this still for us?
Absolutely. I support in-house legal teams with overflow work, temporary absences, transactions and defined projects.
What kinds of businesses do you work with?
Primarily established companies, corporate groups, technology and SaaS businesses, and in-house legal teams needing additional capacity.
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.
Can fractional counsel replace a full-time legal hire?
For some businesses, for a period of time, yes. It suits recurring commercial work that doesn't need someone full-time. If your legal workload is consistently full-time, a permanent hire may make more sense, and I'll say so.
Can an existing legal department outsource commercial contract negotiations?
Yes. I can take on a defined stream of work, such as customer agreements, vendor contracts or data processing agreements, working from your templates and playbooks and escalating to your team as agreed.
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.
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's included, how requests come in and how work outside the scope is handled, before we start.
What is the difference between outside, fractional and interim counsel?
Outside counsel is a law firm engaged matter by matter. Fractional counsel is an ongoing, part-time engagement with one lawyer who learns your business. Interim counsel fills an in-house role for a set period, for example during a leave or a hiring gap.
How do we work together day to day?
I work directly with your team through email, Slack, Teams or your existing communication channels, with meetings as needed.
Where do you practise?
I'm licensed to practise law in British Columbia. For matters involving the laws of other jurisdictions, I coordinate with appropriately qualified local counsel where required.
Behind Next Clause
Law should be a practical tool for building, not a barrier to growth.
A contract isn't a good agreement simply because it's legally sound. The terms also have to make sense for the business and what happens after everyone signs.
Working as fractional in-house counsel has taught me that legal issues rarely exist in isolation. A contract might resolve an immediate problem, but understanding why that problem arose in the first place can be just as important.
That's what interests me about working closely with businesses. I like getting to the root of recurring issues and finding ways to address them, whether through better contracts, clearer processes or simply asking the right questions before a decision is made.
Not every risk needs to be eliminated, and not every negotiation is worth winning. What matters is knowing when to push back, when to compromise and when something simply isn't worth the risk.
My approach is straightforward: I'll tell you what I think, explain why, and help you understand the trade-offs. The decisions are ultimately yours to make.
Ruby Lau
Barrister & Solicitor
Optional
Ask about a risk review →
Business Legal Risk Review
An initial review of selected commercial contracts, documentation and business processes to identify material legal issues and recommend practical next steps. Scope and fees are agreed in advance.