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Legal support for E-commerce brands

2 hours ago
2 min read

Providing commercial legal support to a global e-commerce accelerator

E-commerce products

AT A GLANCE  Client: Unybrands, a private equity-backed consumer brand accelerator Sector: E-commerce and consumer goods across multiple industries Engagement: Interim commercial lawyer, embedded in the legal team Focus: Ongoing commercial legal support across the business

THE CLIENT

Founded in 2020, Unybrands owns more than 20 e-commerce brands across Pet Care, Personal Care, Supplements, Baby & Juvenile, Sports & Fitness and Home. It has grown to a global team of over 240 people. Its model is built on speed: new brands, new products and new markets, all moving at once.

THE CHALLENGE

In a business moving this quickly, legal can easily become the bottleneck. Unybrands needed an interim commercial lawyer to cover a maternity leave who could start quickly, work independently and make sound judgement calls when the answer wasn't obvious. They also needed someone who could juggle competing priorities across a wide range of moving issues across a portfolio of brands without dropping the ball.

The legal questions behind a growing consumer brand are rarely glamorous, but they matter. Is this supplier contract safe to sign? Are our interests protected in this partnership? How do we stop counterfeit copies of our products being sold online? What happens if an influencer working with us attracts negative press?

WHAT WE DID

Where legal teams are small or a new project arises requiring more resource, an interim legal counsel is invaluable. We provided an experienced commercial lawyer who worked as part of the legal team rather than as a distant adviser. The commercial lawyer worked with internal departments including Supply, Procurement, Quality, Marketing, Customer Services and HR to support the business day to day.

Our work covered:

  • Contracts: drafting and negotiating supply, manufacturing and distribution agreements, partnership agreements and influencer content creator agreements.

  • Consumer protection: helping ensure ongoing operations complied with consumer law, including website terms, returns and cancellation policies, pricing and "sale" claims.

  • Policies and frameworks: producing bespoke internal policies and reviewing existing frameworks.

  • Brand protection: managing intellectual property issues to protect the business' brands.

  • Faster processes: implementing CLM tools to assist with faster contract negotiation and management.

THE RESULT

Unybrands gained senior legal capacity from day one, without the cost of a permanent hire. Routine work now moves faster, and the business continues to scale while staying compliant and protecting its interests. For a scaling brand, the right legal support doesn't slow growth. It keeps it safe.

C&S INSIGHT

A full-time General Counsel isn't always the right answer. Interim or fractional support gives you senior experience, with the flexibility and cost that matches the capacity you actually need.

Interested in legal support to cover maternity, sick or vacation leave in a small or solo legal team? Or interested in fractional legal support to co To discuss how we can support you, please book a consultation today.

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