Our approach

The best tribunal claim is the one that never gets filed.

Counsl was built on a simple conviction: most employment disputes are preventable. Get people fast, qualified advice at the moment a question arises, and the vast majority never become claims.

Aligned incentives

We win when you stay out of the tribunal.

Traditional employment solicitors are typically engaged after a dispute has escalated — and their commercial model benefits from litigation. Our incentives are the opposite.

Most disputes don't start as disputes. They start as small, everyday questions — a disciplinary handled slightly wrong, a grievance not followed up, a sickness process rushed — that escalate because a manager couldn't get proper advice at the moment it mattered. Counsl closes that gap: quick, confidential, qualified advice at the point of need, so problems are resolved early and cheaply rather than late and expensively.

The people behind Counsl

Built by people who've lived the problem.

One from senior in-house legal roles, one from building legal-tech inside law firms — two views of the same gap.

Bilal Ahmad

Co-founder · Solicitor

Former GC · Former Fieldfisher

A qualified solicitor with 8+ years PQE, including several years as General Counsel across organisations from private-equity-backed family offices to FTSE 100 businesses. Deep, hands-on employment experience — TUPE, tribunals, settlements and senior exits — and a track record of building retained legal functions that give businesses in-house-style support.

Thom Barr

Co-founder · Product

Legal-tech · Former BRYTER

10+ years in legal technology, building automation systems for major law firms. Thom brings the engineering and product expertise that makes the Counsl platform work — turning the slow, manual parts of getting legal advice into something fast and reliable.

The founding story. Both founders come from the front lines of how businesses actually experience employment law. They saw the same gap from two angles: businesses constantly face small employment questions that don't justify a law firm's hourly rates — but those small questions are exactly where disputes begin. Counsl was built to solve that, combining a real solicitor's judgement with a platform that makes advice fast and affordable.

Clear about what we are

A platform plus a real solicitor — nothing hidden.

A person, not just a bot

The AI handles information-gathering and admin. A qualified solicitor gives the advice and signs it off — and is on the end of a call when you need one.

Not a law firm

Counsl is not a law firm and is not SRA-regulated. We provide the platform and access to advice from a solicitor who is individually regulated.

Not a litigation shop

We don't set out to take on and monetise tribunal claims. Our model is prevention: heading problems off before they escalate.

What clients say

“Counsl felt like having our own in-house lawyer without the cost of hiring one. Being able to message a real solicitor through Teams and get clear, structured advice quickly has been invaluable. They guided us through a full TUPE transfer and a team restructuring — and since bringing them in, far fewer issues escalate.”

Uzair — Managing Director

Koi Footwear Ltd · fashion footwear, online & B2B

See how prevention works in practice.

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