Senior legal counsel, embedded in your team.
I'm Jessica Carroll — a Brisbane-based commercial lawyer with 14+ years across private practice and in-house roles. I provide flexible, embedded legal support without the overhead of a full-time hire or the eye-watering fees of a law firm.
How I help
Practical legal help — on your terms, when you need it.
All work is scoped clearly before we begin, so you know exactly what to expect.
Overflow support
Helping in-house teams manage workload during busy periods. Targeted embedded support for high-demand quarters.
Contracts & negotiation
Commercial contracts drafted or reviewed with a clear, practical lens. Clarity and risk mitigation for your team.
Legal frameworks & templates
Structure, templates and processes that work for your team and streamline daily operations.
Legal ops & process improvement
Self-service systems, automation and streamlined approvals to make legal feel like an asset, not a bottleneck.
Training & policy
Practical workshops, policy drafting and dispute support tailored to your commercial needs.
Tailored legal clarity
Bespoke legal strategies designed to match your specific commercial and strategic business objectives.
Who I work with
Two kinds of teams. One flexible model.
Growing businesses
You're scaling but don't have in-house legal yet. You need someone who can handle contracts, commercial risk and legal processes without the overhead of a firm.
Stretched in-house teams
Your GC or legal team is at capacity. I step in as an external resource — working under your brand or independently — to take work off their plate.
What clients say
"Jess is a standout for me in two key ways: her obvious passion in understanding and partnering with a business, and her focus on finding innovative solutions. She's creative and strategic, thinking about where a business is trying to evolve to and being part of the solution design.
Why TBL
Better than a law firm. More flexible than a full-time hire.
Most businesses sit somewhere between "we can't afford a firm" and "we're not ready to hire in-house." That's exactly where TBL works best.
| Traditional law firm | Full-time in-house hire | TBL Legal Solutions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | High hourly rates, billed by 6-minute units | Full salary, super, leave, recruitment — high fixed overhead | Agreed fees — retainer, project or embedded. Cost upfront. |
| Commercial context | Re-learns your business each new matter | Deep context — after long onboarding | Embedded from day one. Learns your business, stays across it. |
| Responsiveness | Queued behind other clients. Partner availability unpredictable. | Always available — but stretched across everything | Direct access to senior counsel. Your work is the priority. |
| Flexibility | Engaged per matter. No continuity. | Fixed headcount. Hard to scale. | Scales with your needs. More when busy, less when quiet. |
| Seniority | Variable. Senior advice often delegated to juniors. | One person — their experience is their experience | 14+ years across private practice and senior in-house roles. Always senior. |
| Business alignment | Legal advice in isolation from operational reality | Aligned — but may lack practice-area breadth | Advice calibrated to your goals, constraints and commercial context. |
About Jess
Brisbane-based. Commercially trained. Built for businesses that move.
I'm a Brisbane-based commercial lawyer with over 14 years of experience across private practice and senior in-house roles. Before starting TBL Legal Solutions, I worked at HopgoodGanim Lawyers, Thynne + Macartney, and as Head of Disputes at Eternus Group — giving me a broad commercial foundation that goes well beyond just knowing the law.
I started TBL because businesses deserve responsive, practical legal support — without the overhead of a firm or the gap that comes from waiting for the "right time" to hire in-house. I work the way you work: embedded, responsive, and focused on solutions.
Credentials
LLB (Griffith University) · Grad Dip Legal Practice · Practice Management (Qld Law Society) · Mini MBA (AIM)
Free resources & insights
Practical legal thinking — free to use.
How to Break Out of a Contracting Silo
When legal works in isolation, contracts get signed without context and disputes follow. A practical collaboration checklist to fix the disconnect.
Read the article Free DownloadThe Legal Intake Form Guide
The intake form is a legal team's most underrated tool. A free two-page guide with a blueprint table to get you started.
Download free Monthly NewsletterThe Low-Hanging Fruit
For in-house lawyers and business leaders who want practical wins — not more theory. 16 issues published. No jargon, no fluff.
Subscribe on LinkedInWork with TBL
Three ways to get started.
Embedded Counsel
Part-time, ongoing support ideal for in-house teams needing regular legal assistance without the full-time overhead.
Project Retainer
Fixed-fee, clearly scoped work for a defined deliverable. You know the cost upfront and exactly what to expect.
Advisory Retainer
Monthly advisory support on a retainer. Flexible hours, consistent access, and responsive legal on-call support.
Every engagement starts with a clear scope. No surprises.
Let's talk
Something keeping you up at night?
Contract chaos, policy gaps, or a growing business without legal backup — this is your first step toward legal clarity.