How Spektrix Built a Legal Function Fit for Scale

When their head of legal took extended sick leave, this fast-growing SaaS company restructured entirely – and discovered a better way to scale.

The Challenge

Spektrix, a UK-headquartered online ticketing SaaS platform serving theatres, academic institutions and councils, faced a turning point when their head of legal took extended sick leave. Initially planning to hire another full-time replacement, CFO Raphaelle Roux took the opportunity to rethink what the business actually needed.

The problem ran deeper than a staffing gap. Even before the sick leave, something wasn’t working.

“I think even with that person in place, we felt like we were missing that slightly more strategic advice,” Raphaelle explains. “We were missing a more pragmatic approach, that comes with a lot of seniority.”

With offices in the UK, a large US presence in New York, and ambitious growth plans, Spektrix needed legal support that could:

Provide senior strategic guidance, not just contract processing;

Navigate complex international expansion;

Free up the CFO’s time from legal firefighting;

Scale efficiently without breaking the budget;

Bring commercial pragmatism to risk decisions.

The Solution

Rather than hire another full-time head of legal, Spektrix completely restructured their legal function, bringing in:

A Contract Manager to handle the admin of tracking contracts, maintaining templates, and managing routine contract work;
The Legal Director’s Alana Tart as Fractional General Counsel at three days per month for complex, strategic legal work and to build the infrastructure the business needed;
Templates and Playbooks developed by Alana to enable the sales team to self-serve confidently on routine matters.

“The flexibility we were getting felt like the right approach,” says Raphaelle. “Alana is part of the business and she knows every stakeholder that she needs to be in touch with to make the right decisions… but we have the same flexibility we would with a contractor.”

The Legal Director service model worked for Spektrix from day one. Within the three-month trial period, Spektrix had already decided this was their permanent structure.

The Result

International Expansion Without the Headcount

Alana supported Spektrix through major strategic initiatives that would typically require a full-time senior GC:

Opened Canadian and Australian offices – Alana navigated jurisdictional requirements and sourced local counsel through her global network;

Restructured a key supplier relationship – converted them from a third-party contractor to a sub-processor, involving complex data protection work and commercial negotiations;

Managed external counsel in Australia and for specialist public procurement work;

Evaluated potential acquisitions – turned an asset purchase into a simpler referral agreement that suited everyone better.

“I can easily navigate any of those jurisdictions,” Alana notes. “I have negotiated with clients in any country without a problem because I’m very, very accustomed to that… There’s also just a confidence level that comes with being in the job a long time – I’ve been there, I’ve done it. I don’t find any of it overwhelming.”

Sales Team Autonomy

The playbooks Alana created transformed how Spektrix handles contract negotiations. The sales team now knows exactly which clauses they can accept, which need escalation, and how to handle common scenarios like governing law changes with public sector clients. “She’s essentially making herself a bit redundant,” Raphaelle laughs. “She’s finding ways for us to not have to massively increase her time with us but keep delivering on more things. Everything she picks up, she tries to streamline and package it back to us in a way we can be more autonomous.” This means Alana can focus on the truly complex issues – exactly where her 20+ years of experience adds the most value.

Better ROI, Lower Drama

Spektrix’s legal spend is now comparable to or less than it was with a full-time head of legal, but the return on investment is dramatically different. “I think ultimately we just get a lot more out of the money that we spend on legal fees” Raphaelle reflects “the return on investment is much greater.” “We feel more comfortable about our T&Cs and how we explain them and the exceptions we make. It feels much less reactive.”

Strategic Navigation Only Experience Can Provide

One of the less visible but critical benefits is Alana’s ability to navigate the political dynamics of a growing business, despite only being present three days a month. “When you understand how these different functions interact and the different pressures people are under and what’s important to them, then as someone who’s only there on a fractional basis, you can make their lives easier” Alana explains. She maintains close relationships with the CEO, CFO and sales leadership, knowing when to loop people in, when to provide advance warning of changes, and how to present legal advice in a way that enables commercial decisions rather than blocking them.

Positioning for Growth

For Raphaelle, TLD’s fractional model solved a problem she sees across mid-sized businesses.

“A General Counsel hire – a senior one – is probably one of the last hires that a middle-sized business wants to make, because, even without that investment you can often still grow. But without you noticing it, not having that senior legal support makes it more painful and makes the tidy-up job a lot bigger when you get to a more mature phase.”

“What we’ve seen with Alana is that actually without investing too much money, we can make things a lot easier for ourselves in the long run… It’s made accessing the value of a General Counsel type hire much more accessible to us.”

The clean contract management system, clear templates and documented processes mean Spektrix is now positioned to scale efficiently. They’re not accumulating legal and compliance issues that will require a massive clean-up project later.

“They keep their house clean, which is amazing,” says Alana. “This positions them for growth – and that’s not about having me there all the time, it’s about the foundational work we’ve done together.”

Would Spektrix Recommend TLD?

When asked if she’d recommend TLD’s fractional legal support to another CFO, Raphaelle doesn’t hesitate:

About Spektrix

Spektrix is an online ticketing SaaS platform that enables theatres, theatre companies, academic institutions and councils to sell tickets. With headquarters in the UK, a large office in New York, and expanding presence in Canada and Australia, Spektrix serves clients across multiple jurisdictions with complex regulatory requirements.

About The Legal Director

The Legal Director connects growing businesses with experienced General Counsel on a fractional basis, providing senior strategic legal support without the full-time hire. Our lawyers average 15-20 years of in-house experience and understand how to navigate the commercial and political realities of scaling businesses.

Interested in learning how fractional legal support could work for your business? Get in touch for a no-obligation conversation.