External General Counsel

As businesses grow, legal matters become increasingly complex.

Contracts become more significant. Regulatory obligations increase. Business decisions involve greater risk. Stakeholders require stronger governance. Management teams need timely legal guidance to make confident decisions.

However, many organisations are not ready—or do not need—to invest in a full-time General Counsel or build a complete internal legal department.

At SHAAS, our External General Counsel services in the UAE provide businesses with flexible access to experienced legal advisory support, allowing leadership teams to benefit from senior legal expertise whenever they need it.

We act as an extension of your management team, providing practical, business-focused legal guidance across contracts, governance, compliance, corporate matters, risk management, and strategic initiatives.

Our approach combines legal expertise with commercial understanding, helping organisations make better decisions, reduce risk, and move forward with confidence.

A General Counsel is not simply a lawyer who reviews documents.

A strong General Counsel understands the business.

They understand:

• The company's strategy
• Commercial priorities
• Operational challenges
• Stakeholder expectations
• Growth objectives
• Risk appetite

Traditional legal support is often reactive—businesses contact lawyers when a problem appears.

An External General Counsel takes a proactive approach by helping organisations identify risks early, establish stronger processes, and integrate legal thinking into everyday business decisions.

SHAAS provides this capability through a flexible advisory model designed around your organisation's needs.

Businesses typically consider an External General Counsel when they experience challenges such as:

"We need senior legal support, but hiring a full-time General Counsel is not practical."

Building an internal legal department requires significant investment in:

• Salaries
• Benefits
• Recruitment
• Training
• Management time

SHAAS provides access to senior legal advisory capability without the fixed cost of a permanent hire.

"Our legal matters are becoming too complex for occasional legal support."

As businesses grow, legal requirements become interconnected.

A single business decision may involve:

• Contracts
• Regulatory requirements
• Governance
• Commercial risk
• Employment matters
• Stakeholder considerations

We provide ongoing guidance that considers the wider business impact.

"We need someone who understands our business, not just individual legal issues."

External General Counsel support creates continuity.

Rather than repeatedly explaining your business to different advisors, SHAAS develops an understanding of your:

• Business model
• Industry
• Operations
• Strategic objectives
• Risk priorities

Allowing us to provide more effective and relevant advice.

"We want to become more professional before attracting investors or expanding."

Investors, partners, and stakeholders increasingly expect businesses to have:

• Strong governance
• Proper documentation
• Clear decision-making processes
• Effective risk management

SHAAS helps organisations strengthen their foundations and improve readiness for future opportunities.

"We need ongoing contract and compliance support."

Many businesses require regular support with:

• Contract reviews
• Negotiations
• Policies
• Governance matters
• Compliance questions
• Commercial decisions

Our flexible model provides ongoing access to advisory support when required.

An External General Counsel provides many of the strategic functions performed by an internal legal leader, including:

Supporting leadership teams with legal perspectives on important business decisions.

Examples include:

• Business expansion
• Strategic partnerships
• Investments
• Corporate restructuring
• New commercial initiatives
• Market entry decisions

Providing ongoing support across the contract lifecycle.

Including:

• Reviewing agreements
• Advising on negotiations
• Drafting commercial documents
• Identifying contractual risks
• Improving contract processes

Helping organisations establish stronger governance practices.

Support may include:

• Board documentation
• Corporate approvals
• Decision-making frameworks
• Delegation of Authority
• Governance policies
• Shareholder matters

Helping businesses identify and address legal risks before they become problems.

Services include:

• Legal risk assessments
• Contract risk reviews
• Compliance reviews
• Risk mitigation plans
• Internal legal controls

Supporting businesses in understanding and responding to regulatory requirements.

Including:

• Compliance assessments
• Policy development
• Regulatory monitoring
• Internal procedures
• Compliance frameworks

Providing legal guidance during important business events.

Including:

• Investments
• Partnerships
• Acquisitions
• Restructuring
• Financing arrangements
• Strategic transactions

Every business has different requirements.

SHAAS provides flexible External General Counsel models designed around your needs.

A structured monthly engagement providing ongoing access to legal advisory support.

Suitable for:

• Growing businesses
• SMEs
• Family businesses
• Companies without internal legal teams

Dedicated advisory support for specific initiatives.

Examples:

• Business restructuring
• Investment preparation
• Contract review projects
• Governance implementation
• Transaction support

Flexible access to legal guidance when specific questions or challenges arise.

Suitable for businesses requiring occasional senior support.

Our External General Counsel services support organisations across multiple industries, including:

• Technology
• Real Estate & Construction
• Healthcare
• Financial Services
• Manufacturing
• Energy
• Hospitality
• Education
• Retail
• Logistics
• Professional Services
• Family Businesses
• Startups
• Investment Companies
• Government-Related Entities

We begin by understanding your organisation, objectives, operations, stakeholders, and legal priorities.

We identify key legal requirements, risks, opportunities, and areas requiring immediate attention.

We work alongside your leadership team, providing practical guidance whenever important decisions arise.

Where required, we help develop:

• Agreements
• Policies
• Governance frameworks
• Compliance processes
• Risk management structures

As your organisation evolves, SHAAS continues to provide strategic legal support aligned with your changing needs.

Businesses choose SHAAS because we provide more than legal advice.

We provide strategic partnership.

Our approach combines:

Access to experienced advisors without the cost of a full-time executive hire.

We focus on understanding your commercial objectives, not only legal requirements.

We help identify issues before they become costly problems.

Our advisory capabilities extend across legal, governance, strategy, finance, and business consulting.

Engagement models designed around your business stage and requirements.

We become a trusted extension of your leadership team.

Depending on your engagement model, deliverables may include:

• Ongoing legal advisory support
• Contract reviews and negotiations
• Commercial agreement support
• Corporate governance advice
• Legal risk assessments
• Compliance guidance
• Corporate documentation
• Policy development
• Board and shareholder support
• Transaction advisory
• Legal improvement roadmaps

An External General Counsel is an outsourced legal advisor who provides ongoing strategic legal support to a business without the need to hire a full-time internal General Counsel.

Many businesses require senior legal guidance but do not have enough legal workload to justify a full-time hire. An External General Counsel provides flexibility, expertise, and cost efficiency.

No. This model is particularly valuable for startups, SMEs, family businesses, and growing organisations that require experienced legal support as they scale.

No. SHAAS can work alongside external law firms where specialised legal expertise or litigation support is required. Our role is to provide ongoing strategic legal guidance and business-focused advisory.

Yes. SHAAS offers flexible retained advisory arrangements designed around the organisation's requirements.

Every growing organisation reaches a point where legal decisions become too important to manage reactively.

With SHAAS as your External General Counsel partner, your business gains access to experienced legal advisory support that helps you make informed decisions, manage risk, strengthen governance, and pursue opportunities with confidence.

Whether you need ongoing legal support, assistance with strategic initiatives, or a trusted advisor to work alongside your leadership team, SHAAS provides the expertise and flexibility your business needs.

Contact SHAAS today to discuss how our External General Counsel services can support your organisation's growth and long-term success.