Daniel Rose
Legal Strategy for High-Growth Founders
Daniel Rose is the legal and strategic backbone of Unusual Group, a corporate & commercial lawyer who blends technical expertise with entrepreneurial instinct.
He has served as General Counsel for global organisations, including Sir Lloyd Dorfman’s Family Office and the retail technology scale-up Doddle. Daniel built and led Doddle’s legal function through fast growth, international expansion, and ultimately its successful exit to Blue Yonder Inc. in 2023.
Today, he brings that same clarity, commercial judgement, and calm precision to founders and leadership teams at Unusual.
Daniel’s approach is simple:
When your legal foundations are strong, you scale faster and with fewer crises.
How Daniel Supports Founders
Founders don’t just need legal advice, they need legal strategy.
Daniel helps leaders move with confidence, reduce risk, and make better commercial decisions.
He works with founders to:
- Build solid legal foundations that support scale: Clear structures, clean contracts, and strong governance to avoid surprises later.
- Navigate complex commercial decisions: Providing clear, practical counsel when the stakes are high and the pressure is real.
- Structure deals that protect value: From M&A to strategic partnerships to global commercial contracts.
- Accelerate, not slow down, growth: Removing bottlenecks, smoothing negotiations, and preventing issues from becoming fires.
- Prepare for funding rounds, exits, and major milestones: Managing legal risk while supporting momentum, valuation, and founder peace of mind.
- Negotiate with clarity and leverage: High-value technology, licensing, and commercial contracts across multiple sectors.
- Act as a strategic partner to founders and boards: Not just solving legal problems, helping shape decisions, direction, and opportunity.
Daniel is the person founders turn to when decisions matter, complexity rises, and clarity is essential.
Why Daniel Does This Work
Daniel’s legal career spans corporate transactions, high-growth tech, private investment portfolios, and strategic advisory roles.
Across roles at:
- Sir Lloyd Dorfman’s Family Office
- Doddle (leading tech scale-up; now exited to Blue Yonder)
- Multiple early-stage and high-growth companies across marketing, media, film, and finance
…he kept seeing the same issue:
Founders spend too much time firefighting avoidable legal problems and not enough time building their business.
From funding rounds to exits, Daniel learned that legal clarity isn't about paperwork; it's about protecting momentum, ensuring founders stay in control of their vision, and giving businesses the structure they need to scale smoothly.
This belief is now at the heart of his work at Unusual.
Daniel’s Philosophy
Daniel’s legal philosophy is grounded in three principles:
1. Legal shouldn’t slow you down.
Smart legal frameworks accelerate growth; they don’t restrict it.
2. Clarity is a competitive advantage.
When leaders understand risk and opportunity clearly, they make better decisions.
3. Founders deserve practical, commercial advice.
Real-world solutions, not academic answers.
This is why founders value Daniel’s counsel: it’s strategic, calm, commercial, and grounded in deep experience.
What Daniel Leads at Unusual
Daniel is responsible for the legal and commercial infrastructure that supports every strand of Unusual’s work.
He leads on:
- Legal strategy for founders
- M&A, exits, and funding rounds
- Corporate structuring and governance
- Commercial contracts and negotiation
- Risk assessment and mitigation
- Intellectual property strategy
- Founder and board advisory
- Legal operations and processes for scale
- Fractional General Counsel oversight
His work protects founders, strengthens business foundations, and supports long-term growth.
In His Own Words
“Once your legal foundations are in place, you can focus on growth and creativity, not firefighting issues that slow you down.”
Behind The Bio
Daniel brings the same calm, grounded presence to life outside work.
He’s a dad to three boys, loves training, getting outdoors, and believes food should always be spicy.
He’s strategic, thoughtful, and quietly competitive, the kind of partner you want when the stakes are high.
If You’re a Founder Who…
- wants to scale without legal headaches
- needs strong commercial foundations
- is negotiating complex deals or partnerships
- has a funding round or exit on the horizon
- wants a legal partner who understands growth, not just risk
- or simply needs clear, practical advice from someone who’s been there
…Daniel is the person founders trust to guide them through complexity with clarity.
Work With Daniel
- Explore fractional General Counsel support
- Get strategic legal and commercial guidance
- Prepare for funding rounds and exits
- Strengthen the foundations for scale
Daniel ensures founders move boldly, with legal foundations strong enough to support the business they’re building.