Fractional Legal Team · general counsel, legal counsel
Fractional Legal Team · in-house legal, part of the week
A fractional legal team is in-house legal leadership bought for part of the week rather than full-time: usually a fractional general counsel owning the legal function, sometimes supported by a fractional legal counsel for day-to-day contract and advisory work.
Some companies call this an outsourced legal department or outsourced general counsel — the shape is the same.
This page sets out what the role covers, what it costs, and where it stops: some legal work can only be done by an authorised firm, whatever the in-house team is bought for.
We recruit fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent legal leaders, and non-executive directors.
We come back with a shortlist of 3–5.
How a brief runswhat we undertake
- 01Brief30-MINUTE SCOPING CALLDay 0
- 02Shortlist of 3–5VETTED · RATE BENCHMARK · IR35After the brief
- 03InterviewsYOU MEET THE SHORTLISTYour diary
- 04Scoped startFIRST-MONTH OUTCOMES AGREEDYou set the date
- 05Fractional, interim and permanentIR35 POSITION SET OUTOn every brief
Shortlist3–5
15 minutes · video or phone
Book 15 minutes to hire a fractional legal team
Tell us the scope and the days a week. We come back with Legal team candidates, their day rates and availability.
- 0115 minutes, video or phone
- 02We scope the role and the days a week
- 03A shortlist of 3–5 after the call
- 04Fractional, interim and permanent briefs
Pick a day that suits · live availability
On the board · last 3 months
Fractional Legal Team jobs on the board
Current legal leadership roles
How fractional recruitment agencies compare is set out in one place, including how we work: a Legal team brief and a shortlist of three to five.
01/ the role
What is a fractional legal team? in-house leadership, part of the week
A fractional legal team is in-house legal leadership bought for an agreed number of days a week rather than as a full-time hire: a fractional general counsel owning the legal function and reporting to the board, sometimes with a fractional legal counsel doing the day-to-day contract review and advisory work underneath them.
Some companies describe this as an outsourced legal department or outsourced general counsel.
What it does not replace
A fractional legal team manages risk, policy and the relationship with outside firms — it is not a substitute for a law firm on reserved legal activities such as conducting litigation or advocacy, which only an authorised person can carry out.
Where the general counsel is a solicitor, you can check their status on the SRA's Solicitors Register before you hire; see fractional general counsel for the fuller regulatory detail.
02/ scope
When to buy a fractional legal team
No in-house legal function yet
A company running everything through outside counsel, with no one owning legal risk day to day, is the classic trigger — a fractional GC becomes the point of contact and decides what goes to a firm.
Volume has grown past ad hoc advice
Regular contracts, employment questions and compliance work that used to go out one email at a time to a law firm often costs less and moves faster with a fractional legal counsel handling it directly.
A raise, a regulator or a board that wants oversight
Investors, lenders or a regulator asking who owns legal risk is a common reason to bring in a fractional general counsel rather than keep answering that question informally.
03/ the week
How a week divides.
Part of a week is the point of the model: the days you buy are yours, the rest of the week goes to other clients. Move the days a week and the week redraws.
Illustration only: one way a fractional legal team’s week can divide at 2 days a week for you. Each block is half a day.
04/ the board
What the board holds.
A read of the roles on the board on this page, counted as they stand: how each is engaged, whether the posting gives the days and the rate, and where the work happens.
On this board, last 90 days · 2 roles · Fractional Legal Team
Engagement
- Fractional2
Days a week
- Stated in the posting1
- Not stated1
Day rate
- Verified rate0
- Estimated (est)2
- Rate not stated0
Work arrangement (as the job feed classifies it)
- Remote0
- Hybrid2
- On-site0
Newest posting on the board: 9 Oct 2026.
05/ the route
Fractional, interim or permanent?
Four taps. The answer names the route for the seat and the page that covers it.
The route · Fractional
A fractional legal team.The work fills part of the week, so buy the days it needs.
A fractional legal team holds the seat on agreed days for as long as the seat is needed, and works for other clients on the rest.
The route · Interim
An interim legal team.The work fills the week, and it has an end: a programme, a cover, a transaction.
An interim legal team takes the seat full time for that stretch and hands it over when it is done.
The route · Interim, then permanent
Interim now, a permanent legal team after.The seat is full time and long term, and the need is now.
An interim legal team holds it while the permanent search runs, so the seat is not left empty.
The route · Permanent
A permanent legal team.A full-time seat that sits at the table for years is a permanent hire.
There is time to run a search, so run one.
06/ vetting
How we vet fractional legal teams
What we undertake on every brief, before a candidate reaches you.
- 01
Qualification screen
Verify Legal team tenure, sector context and stage fit.
SOURCING - 02
Mandate fit
Match to your situation — stage, board dynamics, timing.
MATCHING - 03
Reference deep-dive
We take references ourselves, from recent past clients — real outcomes, not titles.
VERIFY - 04
Shortlist
Three to five candidates with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
SHORTLIST OF 3–5
07/ what it costs
What a fractional legal team costs by commitment
Sartori & Partners publishes UK fractional general counsel day rates of £1,800–£3,200 for 2–3 days a week, and £1,500–£2,400 for a first-GC fractional hire at 1–2 days a week, both from its own closed engagements rather than a survey.
RMOK Legal publishes a fractional GC retainer of £3,000–£12,000 a month depending on scope and seniority.
No source we trust publishes a fractional day rate for a standalone legal counsel seat, so we do not quote one — every shortlist we send states each candidate’s day rate or pay.
Our rate calculator turns a day rate and a number of days into a monthly and annual figure.
08/ questions
Fractional Legal Team FAQ
The questions people ask before bringing in a fractional legal team.
Book 15 minutes · shortlist of 3–5
Bring the brief. We architect the team.
A shortlist of 3–5 with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after five-stage vetting.
