Start-ups, mid-sized businesses, and larger corporations have at least one set of issues in common: legal work associated with contracts, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets, labor and employment matters, corporate governance, and other day-to-day legal matters. Larger corporations can hire full-time in-house counsel, but even those attorneys are often burdened with more work than they can handle. Smaller companies need to hire lawyers to handle legal matters (or ignore it at their peril), but are faced with high attorney costs associated with law firms that have high overhead and associate salaries to pay.
Using a part-time or “on demand” general counsel who has low overhead and flexibility can benefit the company’s bottom line. Although attorneys are often seen as a cost center, an experienced attorney who is attuned to business needs – and not just the black-and-white letter of the law – can help reduce legal spend, innovate in the delivery of legal services, and provide support where needed. Businesses of all sizes should consider the services of an on demand general counsel as a cost-effective alternative to hiring a full-time GC or using an outside law firm.