An outside eye, kept in the loop
Retained counsel plants Jordan beside your decision rhythm: a monthly working session on the live questions, pre-reads vetted before they reach the board, and a phone line for weeks when a verdict can’t wait for the diary.
Seats are intentionally scarce — a handful of relationships at once, each renewed quarterly. Several current retainers have lasted years and stay unnamed; discretion is the entire premise.
- Cadence: monthly sessions plus ad-hoc calls in hard weeks.
- Scope: judgement and governance — never duplicating your advisers.
- Suits: chairs and chief executives deciding continuously.
How a retainer runs
01 · Immersion
A first quarter sunk in context: documents, people, patterns — learning enough to be helpful rather than merely opinionated.
02 · Rhythm
Monthly sessions pinned to your decision diary, with pre-reads interrogated before they go round.
03 · Availability
The open line: frank, same-day thinking when a brutal week won’t wait for the next session.
Neighbouring engagements and reading
Board effectiveness review
Many retainers start here: a six-week diagnostic charting focus before committing to a rhythm.
Decision audit
The four-week evidence base: a year of your largest calls, rebuilt and priced.
Trust as Infrastructure
The essay on the servicing habits that keep senior relationships weight-bearing.
