Whether you need to wire funds to New Zealand or have a manic moment at 4 a.m. — no question is too strange, and no hour is inappropriate to call upon outside general counsel. While every company regularly faces legal, compliance, and regulatory issues, not every business is large enough to have an in-house legal team to handle these matters. With outside general counsel, the crucial legal support you need is just a phone call, text message, or e-mail away.

What is Outside General Counsel?

Outside general counsel is just as it sounds — they serve as a lawyer and legal advisor to your business without being employed by you. They work for your business on a retainer basis or on a monthly fee basis, rather than as an employee.  You have a committed attorney who is familiar with the needs of your company available to answer questions and provide assistance whenever legal issues arise.  You do not have an employee, who costs benefits, vacation time, or sick time on your dime.

Every business owner needs timely advice to avoid making poor decisions that can impact its ultimate success. Providing strategic advice is one of the most important roles of outside general counsel, and they will never hesitate to tell you, “don’t do that.” By assessing risk, evaluating mitigation measures, and identifying solutions, outside general counsel, can be essential to prevent your business from being internally damaged or externally harmed.  An outside general counsel will not make decisions – especially business decisions – for you.  The only time outside general counsel will make for you is that “you don’t look good in orange.”

Reasons to Have Outside General Counsel

Your focus should be on handling your day-to-day business affairs and increasing your bottom line, not worrying about handling the nuanced legal matters that often come with business ownership. From strategic entity formation to drafting contracts or policies, negotiating deals, offering critical legal advice, and protecting you from liability, outside general counsel isn’t just a valuable resource — it’s a necessity for many companies.

Outside general counsel provides flexible solutions for your business’s legal needs by offering the following advantages:

Efficiency 

Legal issues requiring an immediate response can arise at any time. You can work with outside general counsel on an as-needed — or ongoing — basis to secure the results you need when you need them the most.   

Cost-effectiveness 

When your company hires one lawyer or a team, you will have to think about providing them with a salary and benefits. By retaining outside general counsel, you won’t have to incur these additional expenses. Outside general counsel services can streamline attorney’s fees and cut costs for your company.

Preparedness 

The attorney who serves as your outside general counsel will know your business. Accordingly, they will be able to effectively handle any issues before they arise and work with you to mitigate risk when problems occur. At the same time, they can also offer an objective perspective on your company’s legal matters since they are not an employee.  

Even if your company has an in-house legal team, utilizing outside general counsel can be advantageous for a number of reasons. For instance, you may consider retaining outside counsel to work alongside the company’s lawyers on a specific issue. Outside general counsel may have knowledge in certain areas of the law and be able to provide additional capabilities.

Contact an Experienced New York Business Attorney

Whether your business is new or well-established, it’s imperative to have the legal support you need to ensure its success. Providing skillful representation and knowledgeable counsel to entrepreneurs, business owners, and corporations, Brinen & Associates is dedicated to providing outside general counsel services to businesses in a wide variety of industries. Call (212) 330-8151 or send us a message to learn more.