Remote Legal Support (Research & Structuring)

 

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Joan D. MULDER, lawyer

Role

Remote Legal Support — Research & Structuring

I support international teams and professionals by structuring, summarising and researching legal and regulatory information, enabling clear and informed decision-making.

I do not provide legal advice and do not act as a legal representative. My work is strictly supportive and informational.

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What I Do

• Structure and summarise legal documents and contracts
• Identify key issues and factual risk areas
• Conduct legal and regulatory desk research
• Translate complex legal information into clear, decision-ready documents

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What I Do Not Do (Scope)

• No legal advice
• No binding legal interpretation
• No representation or procedural actions
• No claims of local legal qualification

All deliverables are intended to support internal or external decision-making.

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Example Engagements

1. Short Assignment — Hourly

Contract or Document Review (Quick Scan)

Scope

• Review and structure provided document(s)
• Summarise key provisions
• Identify factual attention points and risk areas

Deliverable

• 2–3 page structured summary
• Clear bullet-point overview

Time & Terms

• 2–4 hours
• Hourly rate: €45–€65 (excl. VAT)
• Delivery within 1–2 business days

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2. Defined Project — Fixed Fee

Research Memo / Decision Support Document

Scope

• Define research question
• Conduct desk research (legislation, guidance, public sources)
• Structure findings into a clear memo

Deliverable

• 3–5 page research memo
• Findings overview
• Source references
• Key considerations for next steps

Time & Terms

• 8–15 hours
• Fixed fee: €500–€900 (excl. VAT)
• Turnaround: approximately one week

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Working Method

• Clear scope and time agreement upfront
• One delivery moment
• Additional questions or extensions are treated as a new assignment

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Practical

• Fully remote
• English or Dutch output
• Suitable for international contexts
• Rates excl. VAT

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A short assignment can be used to assess fit before engaging in a larger project.

AI is not the problem. Silent opt-ins are.

 Google, Gemini and Consent: Why This Matters

Over the past months, Google has quietly rolled out new AI functionality — including Gemini — across its ecosystem: Gmail, Docs, Drive and more.

What concerns me is not the existence of AI itself.

It’s how it was enabled.

Through product updates, AI features were activated by default, requiring users to manually opt out by changing multiple settings. No clear, explicit consent was requested beforehand.

In other words:

users had to revoke access — rather than grant it.

For many people, this meant discovering Google AI embedded throughout their accounts, analysing content unless they actively disabled it. I did so immediately, because I do not consent to:

automated AI processing of my private communications

broad data collection justified as “product improvement”

cookies and tracking mechanisms beyond what is strictly necessary

This issue is not hypothetical. It is currently at the centre of legal actions in the United States and Europe, where the core question is simple:

Can a company enable AI access to personal data by default — and call silence “consent”?

From a user perspective, this matters deeply.

Consent should be explicit, informed and contemporary — not inherited from decades-old terms of service, nor assumed through inactivity after an update.

I am not anti-technology.

I am pro-choice, pro-privacy and pro-transparency.

If AI is going to touch personal data, the burden should not be on users to hunt through settings to protect themselves. The burden should be on companies to ask — clearly, plainly, and in advance.

Anything else erodes trust.

UNESCO Rules: What Sustainable Ownership Really Means

 Sustainability is not only about intention.

It is about structure, context, and responsibility.

When you acquire property or develop initiatives in or near a UNESCO-protected area, you are not just buying a house or starting a project. You are stepping into a layered system of cultural, legal, and environmental obligations.

UNESCO regulations exist to protect heritage, not to complicate ownership. But they do require clarity — upfront.

No Surprises Later Starts With Clarity First

One of the most common mistakes I see in cross-border real estate and development is underestimating local frameworks. Especially in Italy, where history, landscape, and regulation are deeply intertwined.

UNESCO protection may affect:

Renovation permissions

Material use and architectural changes

Visibility, access, and land use

Long-term value and transferability

These are not obstacles — they are parameters.

And parameters are manageable, if understood early.

Sustainable Ownership Is Not Guesswork

Sustainable ownership means:

Knowing what you are allowed to do

Understanding what must remain untouched

Respecting cultural continuity while planning for the future

This requires more than generic advice. It requires contextual insight, legal awareness, and cultural sensitivity — especially when operating across borders.

A Structured Way Forward

At JAS Sustainable Advisory, I support individuals and organisations who want to operate responsibly within complex frameworks such as UNESCO-regulated areas.

Not as a gatekeeper.

Not as a deal-maker.

But as a clarity partner.

Support is provided on a retainer basis, ensuring continuity, discretion, and informed decision-making throughout the process — from orientation to execution.

Final Thought

True sustainability is not about restriction.

It is about alignment.

When you understand the structure you are entering, you can move freely — without friction, without regret, and without surprises later.

Joan D. Mulder 

Before You Say Yes: renovating an old house in Italy

⭐ Renovating an old house in Italy rarely starts with design choices. It starts with discovery.

Behind plaster you find brickwork.

Behind brickwork: old repairs, moisture, improvised solutions, and decisions made decades ago — sometimes longer.

What many people underestimate is that renovating here is not only a technical process, but also a contractual and relational one.

When help arrives too quickly

Once you arrive — especially as a foreign homeowner — people will come forward offering help.

Builders, contractors, intermediaries. Often well-intentioned, sometimes not.

The first question is almost always the same:

“What’s your budget?”

This is a crucial moment.

Without clarity on scope, roles, timelines and responsibilities, a renovation can easily drift.

Promises are made quickly. Assumptions remain unspoken.

And once work has started, it becomes much harder to pause or renegotiate.

Renovation requires agreements, not just trust

Trust matters — but it is not a substitute for clarity.

Before you say yes, it helps to understand:

what exactly is included in the work

who decides when changes arise

how additional costs are calculated

when and how payments are due

and what happens if progress slows or stops

These are not abstract legal issues.

They are practical questions that determine whether a project stays manageable — financially and emotionally.

An informed perspective

As a lawyer with over 5 years hands-on experience renovating an old property in Italy, I’ve learned where things tend to go wrong — and what is worth clarifying early.

Not everything needs to be formal or complicated.

But shared understanding matters.

On this blog, I’ll continue to write about:

real renovation situations

common pitfalls for foreign homeowners

and how to approach projects with more control and fewer surprises

⭐

For those who need guidance, I work on a retainer basis.

Questions or next steps can be discussed after initial contact.

Sometimes the most important decision in a renovation is not what you build -

but when you say yes.

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Sub Rosa – Executive Venue, Piemonte (AT)

 https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSAU0n-DP1w/?igsh=MW5mZ3V0bTY4bGxlcg==

JAS | Sustainable Legal & Ethical Consulting

⭐Advising with Awareness.

At JAS Sustainable Legal and Ethical Consulting, we believe that true progress begins with awareness.

Our work combines legal expertise with ethical insight — helping individuals, organizations, and projects align compliance with conscience.

We offer guidance rooted in integrity, vision, and respect for the human and ecological context behind every decision.

Advising with Awareness. Acting with Integrity. Seeing with Vision

⭐Executive Confidentiality

⭐High-Level Neutral Ground

⭐Closed-Door Negotiations

⭐Strategic Retreat Venue

⭐Discretion Assured

⭐Private Business Sanctuary

⭐Confidential Meetings

⭐Executive Offsite

⭐Secure Decision Space

⭐One-Company-Only

⭐No Audience, No Distractions

⭐Invitation-Only Access

⭐Free Parking

Why Neutral Ground Works

 ⭐Why Neutral Ground Works. 

When professionals step outside their usual environment, something shifts. Pressure dissolves, roles soften, and conversations become real. That is why a neutral venue is not a luxury — it is a strategic advantage.

Sub Rosa exists for that reason.

Not to impress, distract, or overstyle the moment, but to remove everything that clouds it. A quiet room, a private table, the sound of nothing that forces clarity to rise.

⭐Dutch integrity meets Italian soul — a combination that sharpens decisions instead of complicating them.

Here, people speak differently. They think differently. They decide differently.

⭐In the end, that is the entire purpose: Neutral ground creates honest decisions. That is why Sub Rosa works.

 Joan D. Mulder, International Lawyer