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A refined corporate presence for a diverse group of specialist consultancy, investment, and charitable initiatives.

Burns & Co. Group

Knowledge.

Every article and insight published across the group, in one place. Search by topic or filter by division.

Why a Fractional General Counsel Beats Hiring In-House

A full-time general counsel is expensive, slow to recruit and hard to justify for many businesses. Here's why a fractional model often delivers more, for less.

11 October 2026 · 5 min read

General CounselCost

The True Cost of an In-House General Counsel

The salary is only the beginning. We break down what an in-house GC really costs once every overhead is counted.

11 October 2026 · 6 min read

General CounselWhy Fractional

Scalability: Legal Support That Grows With Your Business

Legal needs are lumpy. A fractional general counsel scales up for the busy periods and down for the quiet ones — something a single hire can never do.

11 October 2026 · 5 min read

General CounselWhy Fractional

Your Dedicated Counsel, Backed by a Team

You get a single, dedicated point of contact who knows your business — supported by a whole team of specialists behind them.

11 October 2026 · 5 min read

General CounselWhy Fractional

A Full Legal Department, at a Fraction of the Cost

Think Fortune 500 legal capability — dozens of specialists — without the Fortune 500 payroll. That is what fractional counsel makes possible.

11 October 2026 · 6 min read

General CounselWhy Fractional

The Flexibility Advantage of Fractional Counsel

Permanent hires are rigid. Fractional counsel bends to fit the way your business actually works.

11 October 2026 · 5 min read

General CounselWhy Fractional

Why Speed Matters: Legal Support Without the Recruitment Delay

Recruiting a general counsel can take months. A fractional GC can be in place in days — and that speed has real value.

11 October 2026 · 4 min read

General CounselRisk

Managing Legal Risk Proactively, Not Reactively

The most expensive legal problems are the ones you discover too late. A general counsel shifts you from reacting to anticipating.

11 October 2026 · 5 min read

General CounselWhy Fractional

Fractional GC vs Traditional Law Firms: What's the Difference?

Both provide lawyers. But the relationship, the incentives and the outcomes are very different.

11 October 2026 · 6 min read

General CounselRisk

The Continuity Problem: Why Single-Lawyer Legal Teams Fail

If your entire legal function rests on one person, you have a single point of failure. A team-based model removes that risk.

11 October 2026 · 5 min read

General CounselCost

How Fractional Counsel Reduces Your Legal Spend

Not by cutting corners — but by changing how legal work is delivered, priced and prioritised.

11 October 2026 · 5 min read

General CounselWhy Fractional

Board-Level Legal Advice Without the Boardroom Salary

You need a lawyer in the room when the big decisions are made. You do not need to pay a boardroom salary to get one.

11 October 2026 · 4 min read

General CounselGrowth

Scaling from £2m to £50m: Legal Support at Every Stage

The legal needs of a £2m business look nothing like those of a £50m one. A fractional GC evolves with you through every stage of growth.

11 October 2026 · 6 min read

General CounselGrowth

Why Growing Businesses Outgrow Ad-Hoc Legal Advice

There comes a point where phoning a solicitor when something goes wrong is no longer good enough. Here's how to know.

11 October 2026 · 5 min read

General CounselCost

The Hidden Costs of a Legal Vacancy

The gap between one general counsel leaving and the next starting is more expensive than most businesses realise.

11 October 2026 · 4 min read

General CounselIndustries

Fractional Counsel for Private Equity and Portfolio Companies

Portfolio businesses need senior legal leadership, but rarely each justify a full-time GC. Fractional counsel fills the gap.

11 October 2026 · 5 min read

General CounselCompliance

Compliance Without the Headache

Data protection, regulation, governance — compliance is a growing burden. A general counsel turns it from a headache into a routine.

11 October 2026 · 5 min read

General CounselCommercial

Contracts That Protect Your Margin

The terms you sign quietly shape your profitability. Good legal oversight makes sure they work for you.

11 October 2026 · 5 min read

General CounselWhy Fractional

Why Senior Experience Beats Junior Hours

Ten hours of a junior lawyer is not the same as one hour of a seasoned general counsel. Experience is what you are really buying.

11 October 2026 · 5 min read

General CounselCost

Predictable Legal Costs: Budgeting with a Fractional GC

Legal spend is notoriously hard to forecast. A retained model makes it a line item you can actually plan around.

11 October 2026 · 4 min read

General CounselGrowth

When to Hire a Fractional General Counsel

The signs that your business has reached the point where ad-hoc advice is no longer enough.

11 October 2026 · 5 min read

General CounselWhy Fractional

The Fortune 500 Legal Department, Democratised

For the first time, mid-market businesses can access the kind of legal function that used to be the preserve of giant corporations.

11 October 2026 · 6 min read

General CounselWhy Fractional

Fractional GC for Interim Cover and Transition

When a legal leader moves on, the function cannot wait. Fractional counsel provides continuity through periods of change.

11 October 2026 · 4 min read

General CounselWhy Fractional

Building a Legal Function Without Building Headcount

You can have all the capability of an in-house legal team — without any of the headcount, overhead or management burden.

11 October 2026 · 5 min read

General CounselGrowth

Five Signs Your Business Needs a General Counsel

A quick checklist to tell whether your business has reached the point where senior legal leadership would pay for itself.

11 October 2026 · 4 min read

SpeakingOpinion

The future of the legal profession

The drafting is leaving the profession. The judgment is not. My view on where the law firm that still exists in twenty years' time will find its value.

10 October 2026 · 7 min read

LegalConveyancing

How Much Does Conveyancing Cost in Essex? A Fixed-Fee Guide

What conveyancing actually costs in Essex, why quotes differ so much between firms, and how to compare a fixed-fee conveyancing quote with an hourly-rate estimate before you instruct a solicitor.

6 October 2026 · 9 min read

InvestmentFinance

What a first cheque actually buys

The money is the least of it. What a first investor really buys you is time, perspective and a second opinion you cannot sack.

6 October 2026 · 5 min read

CharitableEducation

Why the government is pushing schools into multi academy trusts — and is joining one a good thing?

Multi academy trusts are reshaping English education. Here is what is behind the push, what schools gain and give up, and the questions a governing body should ask before saying yes.

5 October 2026 · 8 min read

SpeakingOpinion

Biodiversity net gain: the principle is right, the policy is not

I agree with leaving habitats in a better state than we found them, and I am all for green initiatives. But not when the cost is Britain's ability to produce arable crop. The balance has not been found yet.

25 September 2026 · 6 min read

LegalConveyancing

The Conveyancing Process Explained: From Offer Accepted to Completion

The full conveyancing process, stage by stage: instruction and searches, contract review, exchange, completion, and the reasons chains stall — written for buyers and sellers who want to know what happens when.

22 September 2026 · 11 min read

InvestmentInvestment

The investor's arithmetic

How early-stage investors actually make money — and why understanding the maths makes you a better fundraiser.

22 September 2026 · 6 min read

CharitableGovernance

A local club has asked me to become a trustee — am I taking on massive liabilities?

The fear every prospective trustee has, and the truth about it: what liability actually attaches, where the real risks sit, and how to protect yourself properly.

18 September 2026 · 7 min read

LegalBusiness Transfers

Selling a Business: What a Business Transfer Solicitor Actually Does

From heads of terms to completion: what a business sale solicitor does at each stage of selling a company or business, and the preparation that protects both the price and the deal.

15 September 2026 · 10 min read

SpeakingOpinion

Why we need to back British farmers

A country that cannot feed itself negotiates every crisis from a position of weakness. The case for backing the people who put British food on British tables.

10 September 2026 · 6 min read

InvestmentFinance

Cash flow beats vanity revenue

A growing revenue line and a growing bank balance are different things. Only one of them keeps the lights on.

8 September 2026 · 5 min read

CharitableEducation

What governing a school for children with learning difficulties teaches you about governance

Governors of special schools carry the same duties as any other governor — and a sharper lesson in why the details matter. Some reflections from the governing board at Cedar Hall.

2 September 2026 · 6 min read

LegalBusiness Transfers

Buying a Business: The Due Diligence That Protects Your Money

What to check before you buy a company or business — commercial, financial and legal due diligence explained, with the questions that most often reveal a problem after the price has been agreed.

30 August 2026 · 10 min read

SpeakingOpinion

Law firm succession planning and the dreaded PII runoff

The six-year tail of professional indemnity insurance is the monster under the bed of every retiring partner. Why the fear is justified, and how to plan around it.

28 August 2026 · 7 min read

InvestmentFundraising

The runway conversation every founder should have

Raise when you have more runway than you need, not when you are about to need it. Desperation is expensive.

26 August 2026 · 5 min read

CharitableGovernance

Free legal support for charities: how it works

The majority of the consulting and legal work we provide to registered charities is free of charge. Here is what that covers, what it does not, and how to ask.

20 August 2026 · 5 min read

LegalAgricultural

Agricultural Tenancies Explained: FBTs, AHA Tenancies and Farm Succession

Farm business tenancies, AHA tenancies and succession: how agricultural land tenures differ, what each means for landlords and tenant farmers, and what to check before granting or taking on a tenancy.

18 August 2026 · 12 min read

SpeakingOpinion

Legal and illegal immigration are not the same thing — and the distinction matters

One route is controlled, taxed and protected; the other is run by smuggling gangs and paid for in the most terrible currency. Keeping the two distinct is the beginning of a serious policy.

12 August 2026 · 8 min read

InvestmentFundraising

Equity is the most expensive money you will ever spend

Debt has a price. Equity has a compounding one. Know which problem each one solves before you sign anything.

12 August 2026 · 6 min read

LegalCommercial Property

Signing a Commercial Lease: What Tenants Should Check Before They Commit

The commercial lease questions that matter most before signature: term and break rights, repairing obligations, service charges, rent review and assignment — written for tenants, not landlords.

5 August 2026 · 9 min read

CharitableGovernance

Five questions to ask before joining a charity board

Most trustee regret is preventable with an hour of due diligence. The five questions to ask — and the answers that should worry you.

4 August 2026 · 6 min read

InvestmentInvestment

Due diligence is not an interrogation, it is a mirror

Good due diligence does not catch founders out. It shows both sides the business they are actually about to build together.

28 July 2026 · 5 min read

LegalConveyancing

Stamp Duty Land Tax Explained: What Property Buyers Need to Know

How stamp duty land tax is calculated on residential purchases: rates and thresholds, the additional property surcharge, first-time buyer relief, and the mistakes that lead to overpayment or penalties.

24 July 2026 · 8 min read

CharitableGovernance

What the Charity Commission actually expects of new trustees

Beyond the induction pack: the six statutory duties, what 'acting reasonably' means in practice, and the mistakes that most often land trustees in trouble.

15 July 2026 · 7 min read

LegalConveyancing

Transfer of Equity Explained: Adding or Removing Someone from the Title

What a transfer of equity is, when it is used — adding a partner, removing a co-owner, divorce — what it costs, and the mortgage, tax and stamp duty points that decide whether it is straightforward.

10 July 2026 · 7 min read

InvestmentPerspective

When not to raise money

Some businesses should never take early-stage equity. Saying so out loud is a service, not a lost deal.

10 July 2026 · 5 min read

CharitableStructures

CIC or charity? Choosing the right structure for a community project

The structure you choose determines who will fund you, how you are taxed and what you can never do with the assets. A plain-English guide to the choice.

28 June 2026 · 6 min read

LegalConveyancing

Remortgaging: What Your Conveyancing Solicitor Does and Why It Costs Less Than You Think

The remortgage conveyancing process explained: what the solicitor does on a like-for-like remortgage, when extra work appears, and how long the whole thing takes from offer to new lender.

26 June 2026 · 7 min read

InvestmentGovernance

The board you build is the business you get

Governance is not bureaucracy. A well-built board is the cheapest senior advice a growing company will ever buy.

24 June 2026 · 6 min read

LegalBusiness Law

Shareholder Agreements: Why Every Company With More Than One Owner Needs One

What a shareholder agreement does that the articles cannot: deadlock, exits, minority protection, dividends and the valuation of shares — and why the cheapest moment to agree it is while everyone is still friends.

12 June 2026 · 10 min read

CharitableGovernance

Fundraising events: the compliance nobody plans for

Licences, raffles, food, insurance and data: the six areas where well-meaning charity events quietly break the rules — and how to keep yours clean.

10 June 2026 · 5 min read

InvestmentFinance

Debt, dilution and the middle path

Between the bank and the venture fund sits a quieter menu of funding. Most founders never see it.

5 June 2026 · 5 min read

CharitableStructures

When charities merge: getting collaboration right

Mergers fail for cultural reasons dressed up as legal ones. How to structure a charity merger — and the conversations to have before the paperwork.

22 May 2026 · 7 min read

InvestmentPerspective

Patience as a strategy

Most investment mistakes are timing mistakes dressed up as judgement mistakes. Patient capital changes the odds.

20 May 2026 · 5 min read

CharitableGovernance

Protecting volunteers: insurance, safeguarding and common sense

Volunteers are the workforce of most charities — and the part of it most often unprotected. What to check, and why 'they're only volunteers' is a dangerous sentence.

5 May 2026 · 5 min read

General CounselRisk & Governance

The Boardroom Blind Spot: Why Legal Risk Is the Last Thing Growing Businesses See

Most growing businesses can describe their cash position, their pipeline and their margins. Far fewer can describe their legal exposure. This article examines why legal risk sits in the blind spot of the boardroom, and what changes when somebody owns it.

12 min read

General CounselCost & Value

Buying Legal Advice by the Hour: The Quiet Cost of the Open-Ended Invoice

Hourly billing is not dishonest, but it is poorly matched to the way growing businesses need legal support. This article examines what the open-ended invoice does to behaviour, budgets and decision-making, and what a different model changes.

12 min read

General CounselThe Role

What a General Counsel Actually Does All Day

The title is well understood in large companies and widely misunderstood everywhere else. This article sets out, in plain terms, what a general counsel does, what they do not do, and why the role looks quite different from instructing a solicitor.

12 min read

General CounselTransactions

Due Diligence From the Inside: Getting Your Business Ready to Sell

Most of the value lost in a sale is lost before the process begins, in paperwork that was never tidied and questions that were never answered. This article explains what a buyer's advisers examine, and how to prepare years in advance.

12 min read

General CounselIntellectual Property

The Assets You Own Without Knowing It: Intellectual Property in a Growing Business

Most growing businesses hold valuable intellectual property on nothing more than assumption. This article explains what those assets are, where ownership quietly fails, and the small steps that turn an assumption into a documented position.

14 min read

General CounselProperty & Premises

The Lease That Outlives the Enthusiasm: Commercial Property Obligations

A commercial lease is one of the largest commitments most businesses make, and one of the least understood. This article examines the obligations that sit behind the signature, the ones that surface years later, and how to manage them.

14 min read

General CounselGovernance

Governance Beyond the Founder: How Growing Companies Make Decisions

Informal decision-making works well until it does not. This article examines what governance is genuinely for, why growing companies outgrow the founder's judgement, and the small disciplines that make a business easier to run, sell and invest in.

14 min read

General CounselDisputes

Before the Letter Arrives: Managing Disputes Before They Become Litigation

Most commercial disputes announce themselves long before anybody instructs a lawyer. This article examines how disputes build, what to do in the first days, and how to keep a disagreement from becoming an expense that outlasts the relationship.

14 min read