The contract is holding up the deal.
Risk, pricing, liability or approval wording is stopping signature, delivery or payment.
Sarvesh Nair · Senior commercial legal adviser
The lawyer to call when the decision matters.
I help executives resolve difficult contracts, governance questions and regulatory problems - without adding another permanent legal executive.
01 / The moment you may be in
Something important needs to move. The legal answer is not obvious.
Most clients do not begin with a legal category. They begin with pressure.
The regulator wants an answer.
The business needs a credible, evidence-based position quickly.
The board or executive team must decide.
Authority, governance, competition risk or accountability is unclear.
The legal workload has outgrown the available support.
You need senior ownership now, but not necessarily another permanent executive.
02 / How I help
Senior legal judgment, applied to the commercial decision.
Direct support to the executive or team responsible for the outcome.
01
Move the contract
Draft, repair or negotiate the agreement so the business can proceed on a position it understands and can live with.
Commercial contracts → 02Make the decision defensible
Clarify governance, regulatory and competition-law exposure before the business commits or responds.
Governance & regulatory risk → 03Add senior legal capacity
Bring in experienced legal leadership for a matter, project or defined period - without permanent executive overhead.
Fractional general counsel →Why this is different
Not legal advice in isolation. A clear position the business can act on.
I have spent years inside the business, not outside it. That means weighing the law alongside timing, leverage, cost, relationships, approvals and the practical consequences of delay.
03 / Proof
Experience tested inside the business.
The numbers matter because they sit behind years of real decisions, operating pressure and work across complex organisations.
ContinentalHead of Legal, South Africa · 2018-2026+
Led legal support across manufacturing, wholesale and a national franchise network, including commercial contracts, governance, competition, regulatory, intellectual-property and dispute matters.
SATMCIndustry governance & regulatory work+
Supported industry governance, member decision-making, regulatory strategy, competition matters and engagement with public bodies.
NAACAMAutomotive-sector governance+
Advised on governance structures, collaboration models and competition-law boundaries in an industry setting.
United UtilitiesRegulated utility experience+
Commercial and regulatory experience in a large, regulated operational environment.
Thames WaterInfrastructure & operations+
Experience of complex infrastructure, supplier relationships and operational risk.
Nelson Mandela UniversityLegal education+
Teaching experience grounded in making difficult legal concepts clear, practical and usable.
MOSLMarket development · London · 2016–2017+
Supported the legal and operational development of England’s non-household water market in a new regulated-market environment.
SubterraInfrastructure-sector experience+
Early exposure to operational delivery and infrastructure work in the United Kingdom.
Thorpe ParkHigh-volume operational experience+
Early customer-facing and operational experience in a complex, high-volume leisure environment.
04 / After the work was done
What people valued after the work was done.
Short extracts from unsolicited professional feedback following completed work.
“Thanks for always coming through for us.”
“Thank you for the comprehensive feedback.”
“Thank you for always looking to assist and improve how we work.”
05 / Representative work
The work is varied. The common thread is a decision that must move.
06 / Selected thinking
Practical ideas for legal teams and business leaders.
Written from the perspective of someone who has had to make the advice work inside the business.
A developing consideration
Opening a wider window for future lawyers.
South African law students do not lack ability. Many lack early exposure to multinational legal work and international markets. GQ Law is exploring how senior students might gain practical cross-border insight through practitioners, case studies and mentoring.
This is an early-stage idea. No formal university partnership or programme has yet been established.
Read the thinking →Start with the issue
What needs to move?
Tell me the decision, the timing and what is getting in the way. I will respond personally.
Discuss a matter