Legal counsel built for founders.
Retained is an embedded commercial legal advisory service for founders and owner-led businesses. Practical, commercial, and always on your side.
Most legal support is built for law firms, not for you.
Traditional firms charge by the hour, move slowly, and treat your business like a transaction. You get a different person every time, a bill you did not expect, and advice that hedges every risk without ever helping you move forward.
Founders need something different. You need a legal partner who understands how business actually gets done and who is invested in the outcome, not just the invoice.
Our why.
Most founders have either under-invested in legal support or overpaid for advice they did not really understand. They hire a firm for a one-off contract, get a bill that stings, and then avoid calling again until they really have to. The result is a business that grows with legal gaps quietly building underneath.
Retained was founded to offer something different. A small number of clients get real ongoing access to experienced commercial legal support, clear thinking, and a partner who is invested in the outcome. Not a firm. Not a vendor. A partner.
Your legal function. Without the overhead.
Retained gives you access to an embedded commercial legal advisor on a fixed monthly arrangement. We learn your business, understand your goals, and provide the legal clarity you need to make fast, confident decisions.
Think of it as having a head of legal sitting alongside your leadership team, without the full-time cost.
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Proactive advice, not just document drafting
Commercial and founder-first thinking
Clear pricing and straightforward communication
Ongoing support, not one-off transactions
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We focus on long-term relationships rather than isolated tasks. That means understanding your business, your goals, and the decisions you’re facing – then helping you move forward with clarity.
You won’t find unnecessary legal jargon or over-engineering here. Just thoughtful, experienced guidance when it matters.
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From startups to seasoned brands, we partner with people who care about doing things right and doing them well.
We work with startups, SMEs, founder and owner driven businesses.
Everything a growing business needs.
Some of the things we can help with are:
– Commercial Contracts
– Employment and People
– Founder and Shareholder Matters
– Corporate and Governance
– Negotiations
– General Legal Guidance
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From £350.00 every month
Best for: early-stage founders who want reliable legal cover without heavy usage.
Some of what’s included:
Up to 5 hours of legal support per month
1 contract review or draft per month (up to standard complexity)
Email support for quick questions
Commercial, plain-English advice
How clients use this:
Reviewing customer or supplier contracts
Sense-checking legal decisions
Having a lawyer “on call” without committing to a firm
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From £750.00 every month
Best for: growing startups and SMEs with regular legal needs.
Some of what’s included:
Up to 10 hours of legal support per month
Up to 3 contract reviews or drafts
Priority response times
Ongoing commercial and strategic advice
Support across multiple areas as the business evolves
How clients use this:
Regular contract work
Negotiations
Structuring agreements
Ongoing legal input alongside leadership
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From £1,500.00 every month
Best for: founder-led businesses that want an embedded legal partner.
Some of what’s included:
Bespoke legal support per month
Unlimited contract reviews and drafting (within fair use)
Priority access and faster turnaround
Strategic legal input for key decisions
Acting as a fractional legal partner to the business
How clients use this:
Embedded legal support
Ongoing negotiations
Scaling, hiring, partnerships, and risk management
Clear and predictable pricing.
We favour transparent, straightforward pricing wherever possible. Depending on your needs, this may include fixed-fee work or ongoing advisory arrangements.
We’ll always discuss scope and cost upfront – no surprises.