The Challenge
Former CEO, Cello
Cello is a New Zealand-based telecommunications company that provides network solutions to business customers, including broadband internet, mobile services, and cloud services. It has experienced significant growth in recent years, expanding its customer base and service offerings across the country.
As Cello rapidly transitioned from a startup to a larger enterprise, it faced increasing legal complexities in customer contracts and supplier agreements. Mark Jurgeleit, Cello's former CEO, highlighted the growing challenges:
"We were dealing with bigger and bigger customers, and, on the other side, there would be a team of lawyers. I needed someone on our team, who knew our business inside and out."
Mark had always worked with in-house legal teams in previous roles at other organisations, but at Cello, he used a combination of internal non-legal expertise and external law firms, which he described as "a really expensive way of getting the work done."
The lack of in-house legal support meant Cello was facing ongoing higher costs or increasing risk. Mark explained:
"We were in danger of putting ourselves at risk by not having an accessible and affordable legal review process for customer contracts."
As the business grew, Cello was reaching the point where legal support could no longer sit solely with operational leaders and external law firms. The company needed access to in-house legal expertise, but was still determining what that function should look like for a business at its stage of growth. This had the potential to become a critical issue and needed attention.
The Solution
Recognising the need for specialised legal expertise, Cello turned to Juno to help establish its first legal capability.
"What I learned to appreciate was the model that you had a team of people with a range of expertise, and the idea was to understand our unique requirements first and then match the right person."
At first, Mark had reservations about engaging Juno as he was unsure if he would get the right lawyer for the team. After taking the time to understand Cello's requirements, Juno matched Sarah Dalziell-Clout to the engagement. With deep telecommunications experience and a practical in-house approach, Sarah quickly became a trusted part of the team.
Mark praised Juno's patience and precision in the matching process:
"Juno waited until they had the right person, and they didn't just throw anyone at it. They took the time to get it right. It didn’t feel too salesy.”
His advice for anyone else considering contacting Juno is to "really consider your problem and really articulate it to Juno as best you can so they can do that process of matching up the right person. It worked for us”.
This advice is invaluable for companies at a similar growth stage considering mitigating risk by bringing in-house legal to the table.
The Benefits
"I was able to go to the board and update the risk register and say, 'I'm removing this risk'. It has worked beautifully. We're super happy, " said Mark Jurgeleit, CEO, Cello.
The engagement gave Cello access to dedicated in-house legal support at a point when the business was outgrowing its existing approach to managing legal risk. It enabled the company to introduce legal capability without the immediate commitment of building a permanent legal function.
Mark emphasised the value Sarah brought, stating:
“She landed really competently and did an exceptionally good job. Her experience is on point. Her contributions have been pivotal in refining our risk management strategy, ensuring that Cello remains compliant but also competitive and innovative."
The flexibility of the Juno model and the ability to match specialist expertise to Cello's needs meant the legal support quickly became embedded within the business and added value from day one.
The engagement with Juno proved to be a cost-effective solution, as Mark noted:
"I feel like I paid good money for a great resource, and I'm not covering a bunch of other expenses associated with an FTE".
Juno's flexible model, with "the ability to test the water for a fixed period", was a significant advantage, allowing Cello to evaluate the need and fit without a permanent commitment.
Cello's experience demonstrates how organisations can introduce in-house legal support at the right stage of growth. By taking the time to understand the business and carefully matching the right lawyer to the challenge, Juno helped Cello establish its first legal capability in a way that suited the business.
The result was reduced risk, stronger support for commercial decision-making, and greater confidence that legal considerations were being addressed proactively rather than reactively.
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