Overview

My name is Chris Morgan, I am based in Cambridge (UK), and I have over 15 years of experience working as a commercial lawyer, both in law firms and ‘in-house’ in industry, for companies large and small. I have particular expertise in technology, intellectual property, and commercial contracts, but also broad experience of a range of related legal fields.

I have set up TechGC Limited to provide flexible and cost-effective legal services to UK-based start-ups, scale-ups, SMEs, and larger organisations. Working on a consultancy basis, I can provide high-quality, law firm partner-level service at a fraction of the cost - and in a way that is pragmatic, clear, and tailored very uniquely for you and your organisation. I can work with small businesses who do not have in-house lawyers, and I can also support in-house legal teams on anything from strategic to practical legal matters. I can provide interim cover, cover internal absences, and provide support to in-house teams at times that are particularly busy.

My core services are to provide:

• Ad hoc support on an hourly rate, day rate, or fixed-fee basis. (For examples of work I can undertake on a fixed-fee basis, please visit this page.)

• Regular support on a retainer with a discounted hourly rate for ‘overflow’ work, for organisations wishing to engage me for a regular 0.5 to 2 days per week. (For further details of my retainer packages, please visit this page.)

My approach is very much to work as an extra member of your team, an ‘external in-house lawyer’, able to get stuck in and work with you to achieve your organisation’s goals.

However an engagement is structured, my aim will always be to work with you in a way that is cost-efficient and effective for you and your organisation, providing practical and strategic benefits to you in a way that is utterly transparent on costs. I will invoice you monthly in arrears in respect of work done, and that’s it. No other costs or charges. No shares or share options, so no equity dilution of your company. No PAYE, no employer’s NIC or pension contributions, no employee benefits. No expenses.

Above all, I strive to ensure that my approach is straightforward and flexible. The engagement models described above are not intended to be exhaustive, so if you have ideas about how you would like to engage me and what would work best for you, please drop me a line by email to chris@techgc.co.uk and let’s discuss!

My expertise

My main areas of expertise and the key areas where I can provide assistance are as follows:

Contracts 📝

I can provide advice and support on customer, supplier, and/or collaboration agreements - including software licensing, IT hardware and/or services provision, outsourcing agreements, and SaaS / PaaS / IaaS / XaaS contracts, technology licensing, data processing agreements, and commercial contracts generally (e.g., marketing, general procurement, collaboration, and confidentiality agreements). I can review and advise on third-party terms, including preparing risk reviews and mark-ups, be involved in negotiations or negotiate on your behalf, and prepare new template contracts or provisions for use by your organisation. If you need anything from a quick ‘red flag’ risk review of a proposed new contract, to a detailed review and assistance with negotiation, I can help.

Intellectual property 💡

From brand protection and trade mark registration, to protecting confidential know-how and trade secrets, to patent licensing and technology licence agreements, I can help with both strategic and day-to-day matters relating to intellectual property.

Governance and regulatory compliance ⚖️

I can prepare new policies for your business, whether relating to ESG or other legal or compliance matters. I have particular expertise in data protection, but I can also assist with other compliance and risk management issues affecting your organisation.

Training 👨‍🏫

I can provide tailored training sessions in relevant legal, IP, governance, and compliance matters, whether to individuals or teams of in-house lawyers, non-lawyers, or leadership teams. For instance, I can provide data protection training to the sales team, IP training to the R&D team, or contracts training to the procurement team.

‘Phone a legal friend’ ☎️

I can support sole in-house lawyers, the heads of in-house legal teams, and indeed all members of in-house legal teams, and/or c-suite and leadership teams, on any matters where my skills and experience may be useful. From legal and IP strategy discussions, to being a second pair of eyes on complex contract drafting, to to working through different ideas or approaches to solve a particular legal issue, to risk and governance matters, I can act as an adviser or ‘virtual colleague’ on a range of issues. This could be as a ‘fractional General Counsel’ if you are a small start-up or scale-up, or as an extra member of your in-house legal team if you have one.

Other support I provide

Individual coaching, mentoring, and training services 🤝

If you are a junior to mid-level lawyer interested in the training, coaching, or mentoring that I can provide on an individual or small group basis, please visit my techgc.co.uk Academy page.

Reference and training materials 📚

Visit my Training materials page for materials on subjects from contract drafting and contract review to GenAI prompt engineering for legal practice.