How to Hire Your First General Counsel (UK + US)

 Get it right and your business moves faster with fewer self-inflicted wounds. Get it wrong and you’ll pay for it in slow deals, messy risk, and “surprising” legal bills. I help founders, CFOs and investors hire first-time General Counsels in the UK and US. Fast. Clean. No drama.

The problem with first-time GC hiring

Most companies hire their first GC for one of two reasons:

1. You’ve outgrown “ask the lawyers” mode.
2. You’re about to get punched in the face by reality (regulators, contracts, disputes, fundraising complexity, cross-border expansion).
    

Either way, you’re past the point where a random external firm can “cover you” while you hope nothing explodes.

Your first GC isn’t there to sound clever. They’re there to stop the business bleeding time and money.

5 signs you need a GC now (not later)

If any of these are true, you’re already late:

• Deals are constant and the business is blocked by legal turnaround time
• Enterprise customers are dictating paper and timelines
• Fundraising is frequent and you’re tired of reinventing the wheel every round
• You’re operating across borders (UK + US + EU) and it’s getting spicy
• Risk is accumulating quietly (IP, data, employment, regulatory, litigation exposure)
   

If you’re thinking “we can wait another year”… you can. That’s how most people end up hiring a GC in a panic. Very premium. Very fun.

GC vs Legal Counsel vs Head of Legal: what should you hire first?

This is where founders get it wrong, because everyone’s ego wants a “General Counsel”.

Hire a General Counsel if:

• you need judgement at leadership level
• you need someone who can say no without starting a civil war
• you’re dealing with fundraising, board dynamics, regulators, M&A, and big contracts

Hire a Legal Counsel if:

• you mainly need delivery and volume
• contracts are repetitive and the main issue is speed 

Hire a Head of Legal (or “GC / Head of Legal”) if:

• you need someone who can build the function from scratch
• you want a doer who can later become the GC as the company scales
   

Your first hire sets the tone. Choose wrong and you’ll either get:

• a senior passenger who delegates everything, or 
• a junior who’s drowning while you call them “GC” for LinkedIn 

What a great first GC actually does:

A great first GC makes the company faster, not “safer”. They can:

• run commercial deals without turning every clause into a philosophical debate
• protect the company without blocking it
• manage external counsel spend like it’s their money (because it is)
• handle board pressure and investor expectations
• build templates, playbooks and process that stop repeat chaos
• hire the next layer properly (not a collection of random CVs)
   

And crucially: they’re calm. If you want panic and vibes, just keep doing everything yourself.

The biggest hiring mistakes (so you can avoid them)

1. Hiring “law firm impressive” instead of “in-house useful”
Some people are brilliant on paper and useless in the real world. If they can’t operate with incomplete info, commercial pressure, and tight timeframes, they’re not your first GC.

2. Hiring too senior too early
A £400k+ brand-name GC who needs a team and a committee isn’t leadership. It’s a luxury ornament.

3. Hiring too junior and calling it leadership
The classic: “They’re smart, they’ll figure it out.”
Yes. They will. On your cap table. During your Series C. In front of your board.

4. Hiring a “nice person” who can’t hold the line
Your first GC needs backbone. Not performative empathy.

5. Not being clear on what you actually need
If you can’t define the job, you’ll hire the wrong person and then blame recruitment. (Which is fine. Everyone does. It’s tradition.) 

The process that works (and doesn’t waste your life)

1. Define the mandate
What’s in. What’s out. What “good” looks like in 6 months.

2. Set compensation early
If your budget is fantasy, the process becomes theatre.

3. Shortlist 6 to 8 serious people
Not 30 CVs. You’re not shopping for curtains.

4. Interview 3 to 4 properly

 Commercial judgement. Speed. Authority. Risk appetite. Style.

5. Close 1

The best candidates don’t hang around while you “align internally”.

What does a first General Counsel cost? (UK + US)

If you’re hiring your first GC, you’re buying judgement and bandwidth. Not cheap. Worth it.

UK (rough ranges)

• VC / growth: £140k to £220k base (+ equity)
• PE-backed / complex: £200k to £350k base (+ bonus / equity)

US (rough ranges)

• VC / growth: $200k to $350k base (+ equity)
• PE-backed / complex: $300k to $600k base (+ bonus / equity)
   

If you want someone genuinely elite, assume the market will charge you for it. The universe doesn’t do discounts on competence.

What I do (and why it’s different)

I run senior legal search for funds, fintechs and complex growth businesses. I’m not trying to be everyone’s mate. I’m trying to get you the right hire, quickly, with minimal noise. You get:

• a tight shortlist
• straight feedback
• market reality (not hope)
• candidates who can actually operate at speed
• UK, EMEA & US searches covered.

FAQ

When should I hire my first General Counsel?

When legal work is slowing the business down, risk is stacking up, or fundraising and enterprise deals are becoming constant.

Should my first hire be a GC or a Legal Counsel?

If you need judgement and leadership: GC.

If you need throughput: Counsel.

If you need build + scale: Head of Legal / GC hybrid.

What background should a first GC have?

In-house experience matters. Commercial judgement matters more. Law firm pedigree is useful, but only if they can operate inside a business.

Can I hire part-time or fractional GC?

Sometimes. It can work as a bridge. But most companies use it to avoid committing, then end up hiring anyway under pressure.

Hiring your first GC in the UK, EMEA or US?

If you want a clean process and a serious shortlist, contact me.