Commercial legal counsel for brands that move fast.
In-house quality. Without the in-house overhead.
Francesca Woods is an independent commercial lawyer and fractional general counsel for premium consumer brands across Australia and New Zealand. 19 years in law, 16 in house and 3 companies founded.
How I work with you
Three ways to work together:
Fractional General Counsel Embedded legal advisory on a retainer — strategic, proactive, and built around how your business actually operates. I become your in-house legal function, without the hire.
Commercial Legal Advisory Transactional and project-based support across contracts, partnerships, compliance, and commercial risk. Available when you need it, scoped to what the work requires.
AI Legal Implementation I implement AI contract and compliance tooling into your business — configured around your actual agreements and risk profile, with my legal judgment sitting behind the system. In-house capability at a fraction of the cost.
Not all lawyers understand what it takes to run a brand. Francesca does.
19 years in law. 16 years in-house.
I've held senior legal roles inside consumer businesses, which means I understand the commercial pressure behind every decision — not just the legal risk. I work across Australian and New Zealand jurisdictions, and my client base spans fashion, retail, wellness, homewares, automotive, and B2C tech.
I don't sit at arm's length and bill by the hour. I work the way a good in-house lawyer works — pragmatically, commercially, and in your corner.
I work with premium consumer brands at the growth stage — businesses that are scaling, signing significant commercial agreements, and need legal capability that keeps pace with them.
Current and past clients include brands across:
Fashion & Apparel — Retail & Homewares — Health & Wellness — Sport & Lifestyle — Automotive — B2C Technology