Sarah Bradley-McKay on Fractional In-House for SMEs, Entertainment Law & Women in Business

If you’re an SME founder or a self-employed lawyer wondering when to bring in legal help (and how to afford it), this conversation with Sarah Bradley-McKay of Bradley McKay Lawyers is a masterclass. We trace Sarah’s path from Monash Arts/Law to national firm life, into boutique advertising & marketing law (think trade promotions, ACL compliance, copy clearances), then into television production at NHNZ and Token Group—before circling back to build her own boutique with a fractional in-house model that actually fits how growing businesses operate.We get into:• The real difference between studying law vs practicing law• Why creative commercial drafting beats living in court lists• Trade promotion lotteries, consumer law, trademarks, and copy clearances (practical takeaways for marketers)• How fractional in-house counsel helps SMEs avoid “unknown unknowns” and survive beyond year ten• A candid mid-career pivot: taking your power back at 50, parenting teens, and building a practice on your termsChapters & timestamps00:00 Intro and welcome to Sarah Bradley-McKay02:15 Why law? Arts → Law at Monash; “fours open doors”04:05 Articles at Hunt & Hunt; commercial vs litigation (and court nerves)06:20 Choosing creativity in commercial drafting08:40 Boutique life at Anisimoff: advertising & marketing law12:00 Trade promotion lotteries 101 (chance vs skill, permits, ACL)14:00 Copy clearances: from automotive to FMCG to therapeutic goods15:40 Enter entertainment: NHNZ (natural history TV) → making global content18:30 Back to Melbourne: property/hospitality GC → Token Group & comedy/TV21:40 The pivot: turning 50, power, and choosing self-employment26:40 Building Bradley McKay Lawyers: commercial, entertainment, fractional in-house30:30 Why fractional works for SMEs (and how to structure retainers)35:00 Why I joined the Self-Employed Lawyers League (SELL)37:55 How to contact SarahShow notes & links• Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-bradly-mckay-105a85113/• Bradley McKay Lawyers: https://www.bmlawyers.com.au/• Self-Employed Lawyers League (SELL): https://thesell.lifeKeywords (SEO): Sarah Bradley-McKay, Bradley McKay Lawyers, fractional general counsel, fractional in-house, entertainment law Australia, advertising and marketing law, trade promotion lotteries, Australian Consumer Law, TV production legal, SME legal strategy, Monash Law, Token Group, NHNZ, copy clearance, trademarks for SMEs, self-employed lawyers, SELL League.