Fractional General counsel - 3 days per week in Rochdale

Footasylum is a leading UK-based retailer specialising in streetwear and sportswear, committed to delivering innovative and trend-setting products to our customers, with a strong focus on digital transformation and data-driven decision-making.

The role involves being the senior legal leader for Footasylum, responsible for overseeing all legal, governance, and compliance across the business. Operating as a trusted advisor to the Executive Team and Board, the role supports Footasylum’s commercial objectives while managing legal risk across retail operations, e-commerce, supply chain, brand protection, and international growth. This role blends strategic counsel with hands-on leadership in a fast-paced, consumer-focused retail environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead corporate governance for Footasylum, ensuring compliance with statutory, regulatory, and shareholder requirements.
• Act as principal legal advisor to the CEO, Executive Leadership Team and Board.
• Identify, manage and mitigate legal and regulatory risk across the business.
• Provide pragmatic, commercial legal advice aligned to Footasylum’s growth and brand strategy.
• Support major strategic initiatives including store expansion, partnerships, acquisitions, and international development.
• Embed legal insight early into business planning and decision-making.
• Oversee Board processes, including resolutions, policies, and reporting.
• Maintain effective risk management frameworks and legal controls.
• Lead legal support for UK and international retail operations, including store leases, property matters, and landlord negotiation.
• Advise on consumer law, pricing, promotions, returns, and customer complaints.
• Draft, negotiate and manage high-value commercial contracts (suppliers, distributors, logistics, technology, sponsorships).
• Support e-commerce operations, digital platforms, and omnichannel trading.
• Protect and manage Footasylum’s intellectual property, including trademarks, branding, and licensing.
• Advise marketing and brand teams on advertising standards, influencer partnerships, sponsorships, and promotions.
• Manage brand risk and reputational issues.
• Ensure compliance with data protection (GDPR), competition law, modern slavery, ESG and sustainability obligations.
• Oversee regulatory relationships and responses where required.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments impacting the retail and consumer landscape.
• Lead developing and mentoring the in-house legal team, including personally overseeing an SQE candidate completing their QWE and certifying such steps with the SRA.
• Manage external legal advisers, controlling quality, cost, and risk.
• Deliver efficient, scalable legal processes appropriate for a high-growth retail business.

Skills & Experience Required

• Qualified solicitor (England & Wales) with significant post-qualification experience (8 years minimum).
• Strong background in retail, consumer, fashion, or FMCG environments (in-house or top-tier private practice).
• Proven experience advising senior leadership and Boards.
• Commercial, pragmatic mindset with the ability to balance risk and opportunity.
• Expertise in commercial contracts, retail law, consumer law, and corporate governance.
• Strong leadership, influencing, and communication skills.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-moving, brand-driven environment.

Why Footasylum?

We are one of the leading omni-channel retailers across the UK, but more than that we are a brilliant place to work. We value you and your development. We have loads of examples of people moving upwards, across to other departments and given training to excel their personal and professional skills. Our aim is to create a fun environment, where your success is paramount to ours and you are given the right tools, support and platform to achieve your goals.

Diversity

We recognise and value the importance of diversity to help make sure we have lots of different perspectives when we are building services to customers and the wider business. This is great news for our business. Diversity for us is also, importantly, about building happy teams full of people that want to learn and want to be inspired by each other and our different experiences and backgrounds.

Recruitment Process

We review applications on an individual basis, and if we feel you would be a good fit we’ll invite you for a call or Teams video for an informal chat about the role, and to see if we’re a good fit for you. We value open and honest conversations and collaboration, giving you a chance to learn about what we are doing in an informal and friendly environment. We want to know about you and why you feel that this is the opportunity for you. Please note, this is not a remote role and our expectation is that you will be able to attend Head Office in a hybrid way, in Greater Manchester.