Fractional general counsel & business legal services
A practical legal partner for your growing business
Ontario-licensed lawyerDirect accessClear scope & fees
Legal advice that fits the way you work
Businesses do not always need a full-time in-house lawyer. They do need timely advice from someone who understands the commercial context.I work directly with founders, owner-operators, and leadership teams as fractional general counsel or on a defined matter. My work includes contracts, corporate governance, financings, compliance, business structuring, intellectual property strategy, and technology-related legal matters.Each engagement is shaped around the work. Flat rates may be available for clearly defined projects, while ongoing counsel can be structured around the level of support your team needs.
Fractional counsel when you need it. Focused advice when you don't.
Fractional General Counsel
Regular access to legal judgment without building a full-time legal department. I can support day-to-day questions, contract review, risk triage, governance, and coordination with your other advisors.
Contracts & Commercial Matters
Drafting, review, and negotiation of business agreements, with the practical implications explained in plain language.
Corporate & Financing
Incorporation and structuring, shareholder and governance matters, financings, transactions, and the legal work that accompanies growth.
Technology, IP & Compliance
Advice for technology-enabled businesses on intellectual property strategy, regulatory requirements, technology agreements, and legal processes.
Defined & Personalized Matters
Help with a specific agreement, transaction, structure, or risk question, scoped to the matter without requiring an ongoing-counsel arrangement.
Legal support shaped to the work in front of you
Some clients need a steady legal presence. Others need focused help with one important matter. I offer both, with the scope and working relationship established at the outset.
A working relationship built for clarity
You deal directly with me. I take the time to understand the business context, identify what needs attention now, and explain the available path without burying the decision in legal language.Direct communication — access to the lawyer responsible for your work.
Commercially useful advice — clear options, trade-offs, and next steps.
Proportionate support — attention directed to the risks that matter.
A clear engagement — scope, responsibilities, and fees discussed before work begins.
Clear scope. Sensible fee arrangements.
Before work begins, we agree on the scope, priorities, and fee structure. Flat rates may be available for clearly defined matters. Ongoing or more complex work can use the arrangement that best fits the engagement, with fees and anticipated third-party costs explained at the outset.Questions are part of the working relationship. I keep communication straightforward and proportionate so that you can make decisions with the right information.
Legal insight for technology-driven work
Technology companies and teams need counsel who can understand the product, the operational reality, and the legal issue at the same time. My background in law and technology informs advice on technology agreements, regulatory questions, intellectual property strategy, and business processes.I also work with law firms and legal departments on legal-technology implementation, workflow improvement, and process automation where legal and technical judgment need to meet.
I'm Alexander Steffen, an Ontario lawyer who works closely with founders and growing businesses. My practice brings together business law, technology, and finance, with direct advice from the lawyer doing the work.
Ways I can helpFractional General Counsel
Contracts & Commercial Matters
Corporate Structuring & Governance
Financings & Transactions
Technology & IP Strategy
Regulatory Compliance
Legal Operations & Technology
Let's talk about what your business needs
To discuss fractional general counsel, a defined project, or another business legal matter, email or call me. A brief note about your business, the issue, and any timing that matters is helpful.Sending a message does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Please do not send confidential or highly sensitive information until we have confirmed the engagement and completed a conflicts check.
alex@ajhs.li
Email is the best place to outline what you would like to discuss. Include a little about your business, the issue, and any timing that matters.
Phone
Toronto office
220–410 Adelaide Street WestToronto, ON M5V 1S8
Alexander Jonathan Hardy Steffen is a business lawyer licensed by the Law Society of Ontario and the founder of AJHS Legal Innovation. He works with founders, owner-operators, startups, and growing companies on ongoing and project-based legal needs.His practice brings together law, technology, and finance. Clients work directly with Alexander, whose approach is to understand the commercial objective, identify the legal risks that matter, and provide practical options for moving forward.Connect with Alexander on LinkedIn
Areas of Expertise
Fractional General Counsel
Ongoing, on-demand legal support for businesses that need continuity and context without a full-time in-house lawyer. The work can include day-to-day questions, contracts, governance, risk triage, and coordination with other professional advisors.Corporate & Commercial Work
Support with business formation and structuring, shareholder and governance matters, commercial agreements, financings, and transactions. Defined matters can be scoped separately when ongoing counsel is not required.Technology & Emerging Business Models
Alexander's background in website development and IT consulting helps him understand technology products and operational systems as well as the legal questions around them. That perspective informs his work with technology-enabled and regulated businesses.Legal Technology & Operations
Alexander also advises law firms and legal departments on workflow improvement, process automation, and legal-technology implementation where legal judgment and technical understanding need to work together.Professional Background
Before founding AJHS Legal Innovation, Alexander helped grow a startup-focused law firm with teams in Montreal and Toronto. That experience informs a practical approach to the pressures, priorities, and pace of an evolving business.Education & Licensing
Juris Doctor (J.D.), University of Ottawa
Lawyer licensed by the Law Society of OntarioWorking Philosophy
Legal advice is most useful when the client understands the decision, not only the rule. Alexander focuses on direct communication, clear trade-offs, and advice that fits the business context.