Virtual General Counsel
What We Do
Coleman Law is an innovative, boutique law firm working for clients operating at the intersection of the built environment, technology and people. We work with large corporates in our focus sectors, delivering on our mission to unlock innovation. However, we know much innovation comes from smaller businesses and we're keen to help those businesses too! Through Conexus GC, our Virtual General Counsel service, the same innovative lawyers are available to UK small and medium sized businesses in these sectors at a predictable and affordable price. Here's some of what we offer through Conexus GC:
Sustainable Business
Creation of climate-friendly innovative solutions and other sustainable business risk management and governance systems, including audit and remediation of existing regimes
Dispute Avoidance and Resolution
Early-stage dispute avoidance and strategy.
Day-to-Day Commercial Contracts
Drafting and negotiation of technology contracts, NDAs, development of contract playbooks, RAG reporting on contracts, contract management, joint venture and partnership agreements, customer and supplier agreements etc.
Immediate Crisis Response
Provision of prompt legal advice in relation to any crisis your business is facing which requires legal input.
Employment
Day-to-day employment advice, such as dealing with HR issues, diversity and discrimination, business transfers and TUPE, contracts and policy documents, and settlement agreements.
Intellectual Property
IP strategy advice, assignments and licensing, monetisation of IP, management of IP.
How We Work
For a wide range of legal problems our clients may face, our Virtual General Counsel services offer a solution.
Real proof of value is shown through real life examples. See how we've helped some of our clients:
1. London based fintech company
Problem
A Fintech CEO in London knew their company was lacking in one key area. Although they had template agreements in place, there was no infrastructure in place for employees to understand how best to use them without contracting expensive hours for lawyers to guide them through it. This wasn't cost-effective and often resulted in mounting fees that sometimes caused a significant dent in the overall budget of getting the agreement from point A to point B.
Our Solution
>3 annual horizon scans to aid understanding of how new laws would affect their organization and what actions they could take
>A tailored playbook that would act as a guide in how to use their template agreements effectively
>Negotiation of customer agreements
>Data protection advice
2. An education-provider tenant in central London
Problem
An education-provider tenant was seeking to secure specialist teaching premises in central London. Appropriate premises were in very short supply and so any opportunities required early commitment by our client, as and when they arose, owing to the nature of the tenant and a degree of complexity with its proposed use of any premises.
Our Solution
>Undertake efficient, early high-level assessments of any prospective premises identified by our client
>Input into proposed commercial terms and transaction structures, having regard to the specific parties and premises involved
>Store all key documents in our contract management system and remind our client of any key dates
3. London-based events company, underpinned by its technology
Problem
A London-based events company was in dire need of safeguards that could govern their client relationships whilst also protecting their ideas and processes from being used by third parties. As the business grew, the Finance Director worried that the website policies were no longer protecting the company against potential liabilities, nor were they fulfilling the requirements of current data protection laws.
Our Solution
>Draft non-disclosure agreements that would protect their intellectual property
>Draft website policies in reflection of their business' current risk exposure
>Negotiate customer agreements
>Provide data protection advice according to the most recent updates
4. Manchester based SaaS business
Problem
With no in-house legal team, a Manchester based SaaS provider found their contracts and policies were more reactive to immediate issues, rather than proactive to business objectives and changes in data protection laws and regulations. Reliant upon lawyers that would work on an ad-hoc basis, their COO realised that their company wasn't able to effectively prepare or handle negotiations and agreements around their terms and services.
Our Solution:
>Ongoing, real-time data protection advice
>Negotiation of their SaaS terms in anticipation of buyer requests
>A bank of ready-to-use customizable SaaS vendor agreements
>Drafting of internal and external policies and procedures that aligned with changes in laws and regulations
FAQ
Q. What does a Virtual General Counsel do?
Our Virtual General Counsel services are delivered by a team of seasoned experts. They work alongside your business to ensure that your processes, services and agreements are adhering to the specific laws governing your industry. Our advice will always be tailored to the unique needs of your business and, where possible, be actionable and aligned with sustainable business practices.
Q. What is the difference between the service offering of Conexus Law and Conexus GC?
Conexus GC was created to cater directly to the needs of small to medium sized enterprises who have little or no internal support. Our Virtual General Counsel services offer a pre-designed package to tackle unique business challenges. On the other hand, our Conexus Law services are tailored to companies of all sizes and works better for businesses with large scale, more complex needs, where a more robust legal support system is required.
Q. Does Conexus GC offer in-house GC services?
Our Virtual General Counsel services are for UK-based businesses but are virtual. If a client of ours determines they need an in-house GC, we are happy to assist them in finding the most appropriate solution.
Q. What services can I use my hours on?
Our Conexus GC services are wide ranging but do not include large scale or particularly complex projects, which typically fall outside of the Virtual General Counsel solutions and would be priced separately by Conexus Law. Examples of the types of services we provide can be found here.
Q. Can you help with international matters?
From global contract management to cross-border strategies, we can also help our clients unlock opportunities internationally. Our services are for UK businesses, but not limited exclusively to UK business affairs. If you have doubts as to whether your particular situation would be eligible for our Virtual General Counsel services, please get in touch with our team here.
We approach your questions like we approach our counsel. Always anticipating what will come next.
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