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The keys to success as a freelance GC

Increasingly, in-house lawyers may seek flexibility and prioritise lifestyle rather than working for a single company, said two directors. If those lawyers are to succeed, the pair said, relationships across the board will be critical.

Having spent years in senior in-house roles, Sarah Galbally and Shannon Landers are at a point where they want to utilise their expertise to service clients in ways that make personal and vocational sense to them.

April 20, 2022 By Robyn Tongol

On this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes Neon Legal directors Sarah Galbally and Shannon Landers to discuss what it means to be a freelance general counsel, why such a pathway was appealing to them respectively, the kind of work that their boutique firm handles and why, running an outsourced in-house model and creating a hybrid between private practice and in-house styles.

Ms Galbally and Ms Landers also discuss how to look after one’s self while marketing services in the ways they want to, what they’ve learned about themselves as legal practitioners that they wouldn’t have known had they not chosen their new vocational pathway, why they think other in-house lawyers can and should consider freelancing as a GC as a viable career, and what boxes might need to be ticked to ensure success on that path.

March 3, 2022 By Tim Lamacraft

Neon Legal is a law firm, but it is not traditional.

Directors Sarah Galbally and Shannon Landers understand that businesses and in-house teams often need a different option to traditional law firm advice. So, they offer a more dynamic and flexible ‘freelance’ general counsel service to provide assistance from high quality lawyers.

Sarah Galbally, from the high caliber legal family, has 15-plus years of experience practicing and Shannon Landers 10-plus years of experience, both in corporate and commercial law, and have joined forces to help businesses navigate the law with a fresh, strategic and practical approach to legal services.

Sarah’s legal roots were grounded in commercial and corporate law, media law, sports law, commercial and litigation, where she worked for a boutique firm in Melbourne and represented celebrities and sports leagues, and a variety of organisations.

This led her into a commercial role as general manager at St Kilda Football Club, and then branched out to senior legal management roles for advertising and marketing legal with Toyota and then as the national lawyer for Southern Cross Austero, Australia’s largest listed entertainment company.

Sarah looked after all things legal for Fox FM and Triple M, and recently moved back into private practice representing large and small organisations, from tech and software organisations to AFL football clubs and a variety of Australian brands.

This is where Sarah and Shannon first crossed paths, when Shannon was heading up legal for global fashion retailer, Cotton On Group.

Shannon originally worked in law firms in Melbourne and Geelong in commercial and business law before moving in-house to Cotton On, where she was ultimately responsible for legal, employee relations and commercial risk across more than 20 countries.

Shannon’s experience is diverse, her skills see her speak at many legal industry events in Melbourne and Sydney, and she is sought after by many large retailers and charitable organisations for corporate and commercial advice and board positions.

At times, Shannon would brief Sarah to work with her on legal projects and deals, and what started as a professional relationship soon turned into a friendship.

One ladies’ lunch, Sarah and Shannon began talking about how lawyers support businesses and the opportunity to provide bright, energetic, dynamic and price certain legal support, and challenge the traditional model that was often not fit for clients’ purposes – and too expensive.

Sarah and Shannon then chatted endlessly about how they could mentor small businesses and support start-ups and side hustles with growth in a commercially savvy and pragmatic way, while balancing their risk profile and budget, and Neon Legal was born.

The pandemic shift opened up people’s eyes to diversifying their income streams and investing more time into passion projects, enter Sarah and Shannon who have a wealth of experience in navigating what is required for small and big business.

Neon Legal operates with an entrepreneurial spirit, allowing Sarah and Shannon to be as flexible as possible in their service offerings and fee structures.

The Neon Legal client list includes both public and private medium-large clients, where Sarah and Shannon can operate as Freelance General Counsel.

This is an outsourced legal management service for businesses that require legal support, but don’t need a legal counsel as an employee, and want a flexible alternative to a law firm that can also meet their budget.

This can be done on retainer or subscription and businesses are provided with the protection and certainty of being able to call someone who is experienced and knows their business when they need legal assistance.

Neon Legal will soon launch Neon Business Essentials which will help clients bundle up fixed fee legal services to suit their needs, much like ordering off a menu, so watch this space.

Check out Neon Legal online for more information.