What is a fractional general counsel and is it the right model for my business?

A fractional general counsel provides senior legal leadership on a retained part-time basis, giving organisations access to strategic, commercial and regulatory support without the cost of a full-time hire. It is well suited to businesses in regulated, technology-driven or infrastructure-heavy sectors where legal issues are continuous and multi-disciplinary but do not yet justify a full-time GC, or where a business faces a specific period of change or growth.

Who typically uses Bratby Law's fractional general counsel service?

Typical clients include CEOs, founders and boards requiring senior legal leadership without full-time headcount; technology scale-ups managing SaaS, data, AI and commercial contracting demands; overseas businesses with UK or European operations; joint ventures and partnerships needing independent governance; businesses undergoing M&A, restructuring or significant regulatory events; and organisations facing short-term resourcing gaps who need experienced leadership to maintain continuity.

How does Bratby Law operate as a fractional general counsel in practice?

Bratby Law operates as part of the client's internal team, providing a predictable and senior point of contact for legal, commercial and regulatory matters. The model is flexible and scales as business requirements change, and can also provide interim cover during recruitment, transactions or organisational change. All work is led directly by Rob Bratby.

What legal and regulatory matters does the fractional GC service cover?

The service covers general counsel capability across regulatory, commercial and corporate matters relevant to the telecoms, data and payments sectors. This includes regulatory compliance and engagement with Ofcom, the FCA and the ICO, technology and commercial contracting, data protection and governance, board-level advice, and support for transactions, disputes or significant regulatory events.

What experience does Rob Bratby bring to a fractional GC appointment?

Rob Bratby brings over 30 years' experience spanning the UK telecoms regulator (Oftel), senior in-house and general counsel roles within operator-side businesses, partnership roles at international law firms, and a current General Counsel appointment at UK Payments Initiative Limited. This combination of regulatory, operational and advisory experience means clients receive commercially aligned advice that reflects how businesses are actually run.

Fractional General Counsel

Introduction

A fractional general counsel provides senior legal leadership on a retained part-time basis, giving organisations access to strategic, commercial and regulatory support without the cost of a full-time hire. This model is suited to businesses operating in regulated, technology-driven and infrastructure-heavy sectors where legal issues are continuous, multi-disciplinary and operationally significant.

Bratby Law delivers embedded general counsel capability for operators, technology companies, platforms, investors and international groups. The service is led directly by Rob Bratby, drawing on more than thirty years’ experience across private practice, the UK telecoms regulator’s predecessor and senior in-house roles.

Who this is for

Fractional general counsel support is used by organisations that require senior legal, regulatory and governance input on a flexible or sustained basis. The examples below illustrate the typical profiles of businesses that instruct Bratby Law in this capacity.

CEOs and boards

CEOs, founders and boards requiring senior legal leadership without full-time headcount.

Tech scale-ups

Technology scale-ups managing SaaS, data, AI and commercial contracting demands of rapid growth.

Overseas businesses with UK operations

Overseas organisations with UK or European operations needing local legal presence, ensuring alignment with headquarters legal teams and regulatory expectations.

Joint ventures

Joint ventures and partnerships requiring independent governance and stakeholder management.

Businesses undergoing transformational change

Operators and communications providers undertaking transformational change, including M&A, restructuring, high-stakes disputes or significant regulatory events requiring coordinated senior legal oversight.

Businesses with short-term resource challenges

Organisations facing short-term resourcing gaps and requiring experienced senior legal leadership to maintain continuity across operational, commercial and regulatory work.

How it works

We operate as part of your internal team, providing a predictable and senior point of contact for legal, commercial and regulatory matters. Engagements typically include:

A retainer-based model with agreed monthly or quarterly time allocation.
Attendance at board, executive or project meetings where required.
Integration with internal workflows, product teams and operational processes.
Prioritisation, planning and coordination of legal work across the business.
Management of external counsel and specialist support.
Periodic reporting to senior leadership on risk, compliance and strategic legal issues.

The model is flexible and scales as business requirements change. It can also provide interim cover during recruitment, transactions or organisational change.

What we deliver

The service provides general counsel capability across regulatory, commercial and corporate matters, including:

Governance frameworks and board support.
Regulatory interpretation and compliance (telecoms, AI, data, security and related regimes).
Product, operational and commercial risk analysis.
Contracting and commercial negotiation across telecoms, technology, cloud and data.
data protection and AI governance frameworks, including accountability, oversight and assurance.
Support on transactions, due diligence and corporate initiatives.
Coordination of external advisers and specialist input.
Engagement with regulators, government and industry bodies where relevant.

Our approach is grounded in clear, practical advice aligned to commercial priorities, operational realities and senior-level decision-making.

An end-to-end regulatory perspective

Rob Bratby’s experience spans three perspectives that are seldom combined in a single advisor:

The Regulator’s Perspective

Work at Oftel, the predecessor to Ofcom, provides first-hand experience of how UK communications regulation is developed, interpreted and enforced. This includes leadership of the project to liberalise the UK’s international telecoms infrastructure market (subsea cables and satellite), and a detailed understanding of regulatory intent and enforcement dynamics.

The Operator’s Perspective

Senior in-house roles at COLT and embedded general-counsel roles within industry-wide joint ventures and operator-side businesses provide practical insight into how businesses are run, where risks arise, how compliance is operationalised and how commercial and regulatory decisions are made inside carriers, fintechs and infrastructure operators.

The Advisor’s Perspective

Senior partnership and management roles at international US and UK law firms in both London and Singapore provide a deep understanding of how high quality legal advice is delivered and translated into commercial and regulatory decisions at board level.

This combination enables advice that is legally rigorous, commercially aligned and technically grounded.

Core credentials

Rob Bratby’s experience spans regulation, operations, private practice and current market appointments:

Rob Bratby worked at Oftel, the predecessor to Ofcom, gaining direct experience of how UK communications regulation is developed, interpreted and enforced. That background informs how the firm reads regulatory intent and anticipates enforcement direction.

Senior in-house and general counsel roles within operator-side businesses provide a working understanding of how businesses operate, how compliance is operationalised, and how regulatory and commercial decisions are made inside carriers and infrastructure operators.

Partnership roles at international law firms included leading advice on major transactions, regulatory matters and infrastructure projects across Europe and Asia. That experience informs the firm’s approach to cross-border and multi-jurisdictional mandates.

Rob Bratby holds a General Counsel appointment at UK Payments Initiative Limited, providing direct engagement with the PSR, FCA and scheme governance frameworks. That appointment grounds the firm’s payments regulation practice in current, operational regulatory experience.

Recognised as a leading practitioner in data protection and privacy law, with experience advising on UK GDPR compliance, data protection impact assessments, controller and processor frameworks, and data protection considerations for AI-enabled products and services.

A science degree before law, subsequent intellectual property qualifications, an MBA and completion of the INSEAD International Directors Programme give the firm an unusually broad technical and governance foundation for a specialist regulatory practice.

Our Practice Areas

Other client engagement models

Independent directory rankings

Our specialist expertise is recognised in major independent legal directories:

Chambers & Partners: Rob Bratby is ranked in the UK Guide 2026 in the “Telecommunications” category: Chambers
The Legal 500: Rob Bratby is listed as a “Leading Partner – Telecoms” in London (TMT – IT & Telecoms): The Legal 500
Lexology: Rob Bratby is featured on Lexology’s expert profiles (Global Elite Thought Leader): Lexology

To discuss fractional general counsel support for your organisation, contact the firm to arrange a confidential conversation.

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Frequently asked questions

Fractional General Counsel