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Virtual In-House Counsel

Imagine your business’ potential with both proactive and on-demand expert legal support aligned with your strategic objectives and delivered by a team of specialist virtual in-house counsel.

Our Virtual In-House Legal Counsel solution offers a flexible platform for delivering expert legal support for Directors of seriously growing SMEs.

Our Corporate Advisory Team is passionate about working with innovative and growing SMEs to collaboratively execute strategic projects and deliver sustainable enterprise growth.

Virtual In-House Counsel Legal Support & Advisory

We develop a genuine partnership to deliver a solution tailored to suit our clients’ needs and business objectives.

By getting to know our clients and understanding their businesses we can:

proactively identify legal issues and develop risk management strategies that act as foundations for executing enterprise growth or project success, and
maintain an on-demand virtual in-house counsel relationship that ensures our clients have expert advice and support in relation to legal issues as they arise

We can provide on-demand legal support, advice and legal services in relation to a range of corporate, commercial and workplace matters on the basis of a flexible general or month-to-month retainer.

This flexible bespoke solution has been developed to meet demand from clients experiencing rapid growth. It aims to ensure that innovative and growing SMEs have regular and on-demand access to quality legal advice and legal services from a range of specialist lawyers depending on their legal needs from time to time, while remaining within the monthly budget that works for their business.

General Files & Flexible Billing Options

Our virtual in-house counsel solution is underpinned by a flexible relationship with open communication and a common pursuit of success and value.

We will tailor our level of service to suit your company’s legal needs and budget both initially and as circumstances change.

The initial level of legal support and basis of our retainer will be assessed and agreed following a complimentary Discovery Meeting after which we will have a better understanding of your business, short and long-term objectives, strategy and existing legal needs.

We offer different options for how we can work together including:

opening a general file (pay as you go),
a monthly retainer addressing agreed scope eg monthly check in and review, attendance at board meetings etc and agreed level of virtual in-house counsel on demand support, or
fixed monthly fee for all corporate advisory and in-house counsel services or work relating to an agreed project (excluding litigation).

Proactive & On-Demand Legal Support Options

Our monthly legal support options include:

daily on-demand direct access to a specialist virtual in-house counsel for advice and support in relation to corporate, commercial and workplace legal issues,
ongoing progress of legal work in pursuit of prioritised legal issues, matters and projects,
monthly meetings to address new legal issues, review legal matters and strategies and provide progress updates on ongoing legal work (boardroom, in office or video conferencing available), and/or
attendance at strategic meetings, project planning, board meetings etc to ensure appropriate consideration of legal needs and successful execution of plans.

Benefits

By establishing a General or flexible Monthly Retainer with one of our Directors of Corporate Advisory & Enterprise Growth our clients have found that:

they are more likely to proactively seek legal advice and assistance as issues arise,
they make important decisions and react to situations quicker and with greater confidence,
they avoid costly mistakes and delays,
they are empowered to execute strategic plans and achieve enterprise growth,
they are more able to manage their company’s legal needs within an approved budget, and
they are more able to achieve regular ongoing profits and manage cash flow.

Our Services

Enterprise Growth

Advice & Support for Strategic Planning & Executive Decision Making
Transformation Planning & Execution
Legal Foundation Alignment for Enterprise Growth
Risk Evaluation & Management Strategies
Contract Negotiation & Support for Strategically Important and Complex Transactions
Mergers & Acquisitions
Product & New Market Development

Corporate Advisory

Directors’ Duties & Responsibilities
Corporate Governance
Constitutions & Board Charters
Directors Meetings & Resolutions
Shareholder Meetings
Deeds of Access, Indemnity & Insurance
Corporate Regulatory Compliance
Finance & Capital Raising
Share Transactions
Business Success Planning
Structuring & Restructuring
Asset Protection & Risk Mitigation Strategies
Corporate Insolvency, Restructuring & Safe Harbour

Strategic Agreements & Transactions

Shareholder Agreements
Funding & Security Agreements
Joint Venture Agreements
Head Contracts, Subcontracts & Supplier Agreements
Credit Management & Terms of Trade
Exclusivity Agreements
Non-Disclosure Agreements
Complex Transactions
Crowd-sourced Funding (crowdfunding) advice and related Agreements

Industrial Relations & Employment

Executive Employment Agreement
Employment Agreements & Policies
Compliance & Interpretation of Awards
Industrial Relations, Enterprise Agreements & Union Relations
Employee Performance Management & Termination
Management of Injured Workers & Workers Compensation Claims
Internal Workplace Investigations

Work Health & Safety

Boardroom Director Duties Education & Training
WHS Advice & Compliance
WHS Managements Systems Review & Audits
Workplace Health & Safety Training
Incident Management & Safety Regulator Investigations
Regulator Prosecutions & Enforcement Actions

Dispute Resolution

Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Building & Construction Law
Contract Administration Support
Security of Payment Claims, Adjudication & Enforcement
Debtor Management & Recoveries

Real & Intellectual Property

Intellectual Property Protection & Enforcement
Brand Protection
Commercial Property Acquisitions, Sales & Development
Commercial & Retail Leases

Superior Solution for Growing Businesses

Our virtual in-house counsel solution is a superior solution to the employment of actual in-house counsel in the following respects:

Access to Expertise

With our virtual in-house counsel solution your business will have access to a team of Senior Lawyers with separate niche expertise in relation to commercial, corporate and workplace law and litigation that can be utilised to provide advice and support as required from time to time.

Value for Money

Depending on their experience, the monthly salary for employed in-house counsel can range from about $5,800.00 to over $18,000.

Risk Free Trial or General Retainer

Trial our virtual in-house counsel solution risk free. If you are not satisfied with the results simply terminate the monthly retainer without risk of employee claims for unfair dismissal or liability for unpaid entitlements.

Save on Recruitment Fees

Avoid recruitment agency fees of finding an employed in-house counsel (15% to 18%). For an experienced in-house counsel your business will save approximately $23,000 to $40,000.00 and instead have access to a team of Senior Lawyers.

If your business already employs an in-house counsel, our Virtual In-House Counsel Legal Support & Advisory Solution may be the complementary option you need to give them access to specialist legal support when required whilst managing your additional legal spend.

Exclusivity

We believe our Enterprise Growth & Corporate Advisory Services are most suited to established innovative businesses experiencing rapid growth and/or businesses undertaking a transformation or restructure associated with a change of ownership, merger or acquisition, change of laws, funding or insolvency event.

To truly partner with these businesses we have set limits to the number of new Strategic Partner Clients accepted each year.

If you would like to apply to partner with our Enterprise Growth & Corporate Advisory Team to execute a strategic project or pursue ongoing and sustainable enterprise growth, click on the button below to arrange an initial discovery meeting or call and ask for Sam Roberts or Amanda Crosbie.

Discovery Meeting

Are you a Company Director managing rapid growth, a major project, transformation or restructure?

Our team of Senior Corporate, Commercial and Workplace Lawyers are eager to learn about your company, understand your legal concerns and offer expert legal insights.

If we can assist and there is potential for a Strategic Client Partner relationship one of our Senior Lawyers will arrange a complementary Discovery Meeting.

During the Discovery Meeting we will endeavour to understand your company’s existing plans, objectives and opportunities, and identify legal issues, solutions and strategies that may assist you to achieve your goals.

There is absolutely no legal cost unless, and until you accept a Proposal or Legal Services Agreement for any immediate assistance you may require.

After working with others it is refreshing to have you on our side.

“I would like to thank you and your team for assisting myself and Andrew with the restructure. You amazed us with your energy and knowledge, you are a champion.

Thanks also from all our staff for assisting in securing their future.”

Paul Barwick

MCA Engineering

Finally I have found a law firm who me and my family will be using for many years to come.

“Sam and the team at Roberts Crosbie Mortensen assisted me with a very complex business case. They are leagues ahead of any other law firm I have used in the past. Their attention to detail and professional prompt response to every item raised was a real stand out. The team keep you fully informed at all times in simple to understand language highlighting pros and cons of every decision that needs to be made.”

Paul C

I was absolutely satisfied with the level of service and communication.

“I was referred to Sam Roberts for advice due to the dire financial situation my wife and I found ourselves in as a result of the failure of our business and pressure from our Franchisor. I was very happy with the advice regarding insolvency issues for my company and options for my wife and I in relation to bankruptcy and alternatives. Sam was very professional and his advice was practical, clear and easy to understand.”

It is a pleasure to work with Sam.

“Sam is personable whilst remaining extremely professional. He has an ability to achieve a great result for his client without becoming confrontational with the transactional parties. He focuses clearly on what is needed to finalise the matter in an effective and efficient manner.”

Lindsey Karathanasis

Linkara Capital

I would recommend Sam to any of my business clients.

“I have just started working with Sam and find he has an in depth knowledge in commercial areas of the law which is invaluable to us as accountants.”

Richard McArtney

Bentley's Accountants Newcastle Pty Ltd

I certainly would recommend Sam and the Roberts Crosbie Mortensen team.

“Midac Technologies Pty Limited (“Midac”) started up in 1981 in Sydney and pioneered early “smart building” direct digital control technology. In 1994 Midac made an early start developing online software and solutions. The then Dungog based business was instrumental in encouraging and assisting many organizations to make their online debut, including large corporate entities like Boral and James Hardie. From about 1995 Midac focused on developing solutions for the tourism and real estate sectors and developed early online or “cloud based” applications.

By 2012 the Midac owners were ready to take a break from their business of some 30 years. By that time their online holiday rentals bookings management and reservation system, “YesBookit” was respected as the leader in the industry, providing an online application to booking agents around Australia, and some overseas. YesBookit also connected with and distributed an online bookable accommodation product to most leading accommodation portals; including Wotif, Home Away, Take a Break, Rent a Home and Stayz (a Fairfax Media division).

For a small business sale, the process was relatively complex and involved the sale of the business, intellectual property, transfer of staff, application and hosting servers, online application client service relationships and a myriad of provider contracts.

“Initially we thought Sydney Solicitors would be the way to go, but we found the answer just down the road in Newcastle. Roberts Crosbie Mortensen did a fantastic job with the entire process.

They expertly assisted us with every stage from, the preparation of an Information Memorandum, consideration of Expressions of Interest, negotiation of an Exclusivity Agreement, purchaser due diligence, the novation of key provider contracts and licences and the execution and performance at an exhaustive Business Sale Agreement including post-completion Fixed Term Consulting Agreements.

I couldn’t have been more pleased with my decision to engage Sam [Roberts] and his team for this assignment. They were more than capable and worked well with both in-house and external legal teams of the purchaser and other concerned parties to see the sale through to a successful outcome.

I certainly would recommend Sam and the Roberts Crosbie Mortensen team for this kind of work and would be pleased to speak with any prospective clients about the time we worked together.”

Kevin Johnson-Bade

Without you it would have been impossible to confront these multi-national corporate giants.

Toby Player

Bodyboard King

More Accredited Specialists in Commercial Litigation than 99% of all law firms in NSW.

Our Specialists

Our Corporate & Commercial Lawyers

Sam Roberts

Managing Partner

Accredited Specialist (Commercial Litigation)

Newcastle

Sam is an Accredited Specialist in Commercial Litigation with over 20 years’ experience helping businesses solve complex legal problems.

Amanda Crosbie

Partner

Accredited Specialist (Business Law)

Newcastle

Amanda’s practice focuses on providing timely corporate and commercial services to established and growing SMEs.

Jack Lindgren

Special Counsel

Accredited Specialist (Commercial Litigation)

Newcastle

Jack is an Accredited Specialist in Commercial Litigation with over a decade of experience assisting clients to resolve and avoid complex commercial disputes.

Haydon Potter

Senior Associate Solicitor

Newcastle

Haydon specialises in employment law and heads our Workplace Team. He has a talent for assisting employers and employees to navigate complex industrial relations laws and disputes.

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