Fractional General Counsel

Consult; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Ffern is seeking a General Counsel to lead legal as a member of the leadership team. The role offers strategic influence, risk oversight, and a hands-on approach to shaping legal processes as the company grows.

The position is UK-based with occasional London office days, aimed at an experienced GC who can balance autonomy with partnership to enable bold business decisions.

Qualifications

• Qualified lawyer with in-house General Counsel or senior counsel experience.
• Consumer or DTC background, ideally in beauty.
• Broad competence across marketing compliance, IP, and data/privacy.
• Comfort working across UK, EU and US jurisdictions and managing external advisers.
• Commercial mindset with the ability to make calls under uncertainty.

Responsibilities

• Advising the leadership team on risk and judgment.
• Advertising and marketing compliance.
• Intellectual property oversight.
• Cosmetics regulation adherence.
• Data and privacy governance.
• Commercial contracts, governance and insurance.
• Building and briefing a trusted panel of external specialists.

Skills

In-house GC

DTC/consumer

Marketing compliance

IP knowledge

UK/EU/US law

Commercial contracts

Job description

We're looking for a General Counsel to lead legal at Ffern. It's a senior role with real influence: you'll sit alongside our leadership team as a trusted voice on risk and judgment, helping a fast-growing British brand make bold decisions with confidence.

At around one day a week, it's built for an experienced GC who wants meaningful, strategic work that fits alongside a wider portfolio.

What you need to know: The role will report to our Chief of Staff and will be an ongoing contract at around one day a week, with more time at the start while you settle in. Day rate open, depending on experience. UK-based, with occasional days at our London office.

If you're a commercially minded lawyer who enjoys being a partner to the business, we'd love to hear from you.

This is a generalist role, and we value judgment over encyclopedic knowledge. No one covers every area in depth, and we don't expect you to. What matters is knowing what to handle yourself, what to hand to specialist counsel, and where. You'll have the autonomy to shape how legal works here, build thoughtful process as we grow, and be the person leadership turns to when the answer isn't clear-cut.

• Advising the leadership team on risk and judgment
• Advertising and marketing compliance
• Intellectual property
• Cosmetics regulation
• Data and privacy
• Commercial contracts, governance and insurance
• Building and briefing a trusted panel of external specialists

Essential

• A qualified lawyer with in-house experience as General Counsel or senior counsel
• A consumer or DTC background, ideally in beauty
• Broad, confident competence across marketing compliance, IP, and data and privacy
• Comfort working across UK, EU and US jurisdictions and managing external advisers
• A commercial mindset, the confidence to make calls under uncertainty, and an appetite for building as well as advising

It would be great if you also have

• Experience in subscription businesses or the US market
• Physical product regulatory experience, fragrance in particular
• Experience advising startups or scale-ups
• A considered view on how technology and new tools can make legal work more efficient