Clear, commercial legal advice for ambitious businesses
30 years’ experience advising global businesses — now available on your terms
About PhilCofferLegal
I provide senior legal support without the overheads or complexity of a traditional firm, giving you clear, commercial advice that cuts through noise and delivers results.
30 years' experience advising global multinationals at Executive and Board level. Now available to you — directly, flexibly and cost‑effectively.
I support founders, leaders, and businesses across start-up and growth strategy, commercial and corporate legal work, employment and HR, intellectual property, privacy, governance, and compliance. My services range from one-off advice to ongoing support as a virtual General Counsel or HR Director, as well as board advisory and crisis management planning and support where needed.
I work in a personal and flexible way, adapting to your needs. Whether it's one‑off advice on a specific issue or ongoing support through a virtual General Counsel or HR Director model or Crisis Management Consultancy, you get direct access to senior expertise without layers, delays or unnecessary cost.
Flexible Legal & Consultancy Services for Your Business
Start-Up & Founder Support
Practical, grounded support for early-stage businesses, from pre-seed through scale-up. I help founders structure their company, protect their ideas, manage risk, and build strong foundations for both growth and cap table clarity.
Commercial Contracts
Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial agreements that protect your interests and support your strategy, from balanced customer terms to key supplier contracts. Clear, practical advice aligned with how your business operates.
Employment
Advice on contracts, director appointments, handbooks, policies, performance management, and day-to-day HR issues. Practical support that balances legal risk with commercial reality.
Intellectual Property
Protecting your brand, content, ideas, and innovation with clear guidance on IP strategy, ownership, licensing, and enforcement.
Privacy & Data Protection
Practical GDPR and privacy compliance advice, including policies, data mapping, risk assessments, and incident response.
Board Governance
Support for boards and senior leadership teams on governance, decision-making, risk management, and regulatory obligations, from template board packs to board evaluations.
Compliance
Helping businesses meet legal and regulatory responsibilities in a clear, proportionate, and manageable way.
Virtual General Counsel
Ongoing strategic legal support for businesses that need senior expertise without hiring in-house. Flexible, cost-effective, and tailored to your needs.
Crisis Management
Prepare for crises before they happen to reduce business impact. I provide the tools and guidance to strengthen your response plans, along with calm, experienced support when urgent issues arise.
Virtual HR Director
Senior HR support for growing businesses that need strategic people advice without a full-time hire. I help with workforce planning, organisational design, policies, employee relations, leadership support, and practical HR processes that scale with the business.
Advisory Board Member
Strategic advice for early-stage start-ups on growth, governance, key decisions, and founder challenges. I take on only a limited number of advisory board roles so I can offer focused, high-value support.
Independent Non-Executive Director (INED)
For a small number of clients, I may also agree to act as an INED, providing independent oversight, strategic challenge, and support on governance, growth, and key business decisions.
How I work
How?
I work directly with clients in a way that is personal, flexible and built around their needs. Some clients come to me for one off advice on a specific issue; others rely on me as a virtual General Counsel, HR Director or crisis management consultant for ongoing, strategic support. My model is simple: senior level expertise, delivered without the overheads or complexity of a traditional firm.
Flexible engagement options
• One off advice
• Project based support
• Retained arrangements
• Virtual General Counsel and/or HR Director model
• Crisis Management Consultancy
What you can expect
• Clear, practical guidance
• Fast, responsive communication
• Transparent pricing
• No hand offs or junior layers
• Advice that aligns with your strategy, risk appetite and pace