11+ years building legal functions inside SaaS and AI companies — from GDPR frameworks to board-level governance — across the EU, UK, US and UAE.
For over a decade, I have been the lawyer tech founders call before a problem becomes a crisis.
As Fractional General Counsel and strategic advisor to founders and boards, I build the legal architecture that allows technology companies to scale with confidence — establishing in-house legal functions from scratch, guiding shareholders through fundraising and M&A, and translating data protection compliance into a demonstrable commercial advantage.
As a Certified AI Ethicist, I counsel AI vendors on governance frameworks that are practical in operation and defensible under scrutiny — preparing clients for enterprise procurement, security and compliance reviews and for the fast-evolving regulatory landscape across the EU and the United States.
Beyond client engagements, I remain committed to the next generation of legal and technology professionals. I serve as a mentor within Ignyte, the Dubai-based global startup ecosystem, supporting emerging founders in challenges of building at the earliest stages.
11+ years
of experience as General Counsel and Head of Legal Department at tech companies
6+ GDPR programs
end-to-end GDPR compliance programs delivered for global SaaS companies (each spanning 4 to 12 months of implementation)
100M+ user data records
governed and protected
200+ questionnaires
for SaaS vendors managed (data processing & cybersecurity)
Thousands of technology agreements
reviewed and negotiated, including MSAs, DPAs and other IT contracts
Each engagement is scoped to the stage and needs of your business — from a single compliance workstream to full fractional GC coverage.
Turning data protection from a compliance burden into a mechanism that wins enterprise deals — through practical frameworks, credible documentation and audit-ready processes.
Working alongside engineering and security teams to translate technical safeguards into contractual protections that hold up under enterprise scrutiny.
Operationally realistic governance for AI vendors — preparing you for enterprise procurement, security reviews and the fast-evolving EU and US regulatory landscape.
End-to-end legal function for early and growth-stage startups — from your first term sheet to cross-border expansion — without the cost of a full-time GC.
General Counsel for your startup
Ignyte · UAE
Dripify · Sales automation platform
Recruo · AI recruitment startup · United Kingdom
Hatch & Boost · Venture platform · UAE
Clearmove · SaaS global mobility · UAE, United Kingdom
Unicheck · SaaS plagiarism checker · EU, USA
Advising global startups
Yuliia joined Driрify a year ago as our Fractional Head of Legal with a clear mission: build the legal function from scratch. She did exactly that, part-time.
Before Yuliia, everyone in the company assumed a dedicated legal function was something we could postpone until a later stage. She showed how much value it can bring and turned legal into a system the company is now using and scaling.
GDPR and data management were a large part of this: DPA and sub-processor work, data access and retention rules, customer privacy requests, and the compliance documentation behind our Trust Center.
What stood out is her deep understanding of SaaS. She worked with engineering on cybersecurity, trained support to route legal inquiries, supported Finance on contracts, and kept close contact with founders and decision makers so legal input came early. Rare for legal counsel, especially a fractional one.
She was involved in hiring and building our legal team, mentored the people she brought in, and prepared a solid handover to our full-time Head of Legal. And she is super proactive: spots risks early, brings options, not just problems, and takes ownership.
I recommend Yuliia without hesitation to any company needing help with data governance or legal matters.
I had the pleasure of working with Yuliia at Unicheck, where I served as CEO and she led the Legal function.
Yuliia is an exceptional international lawyer, a highly organized leader, and a true master of time management. Her contribution to GDPR implementation was especially valuable at a time when most companies were still struggling to understand the new requirements, and thanks to her work, both our product and the entire company were fully prepared on time. Under her leadership, we ensured data protection compliance for nearly three million users across the EU and the United States, including students and minors. She managed the development of user privacy tools, parental consent flows, compliant marketing processes, international data migrations, and DPAs with universities.
Yuliia also played a crucial role in the due diligence process during our M&A transaction, where data governance was one of the key areas for a service as data focused as Unicheck.
I highly recommend Yuliia as an expert in data protection, GDPR, and AI Governance and Compliance who can turn complex regulatory requirements into clear and effective business processes.
For consulting engagements, speaking invitations and mentorship enquiries.