General Counsel Services FAQs

What is a general counsel?

A general counsel is a company’s chief legal officer and is considered its primary leader on all legal issues affecting an organization and its employees, contractors, and customers. They advise on and create important business decisions affecting a company’s daily and long-term operations.

What does a general counsel do?

An organization’s general counsel handles issues of legalities for many, if not all, aspects of a company and the positions it employs. In addition, a general counsel’s work can involve aspects of marketing, communications, crisis control, compliance, taxes, IP and labor relations. Realistically, there is no part of a company’s operations not affected by what general counsels do and recommend.

What is an outside general counsel?

Outside general counsels can provide temporary, long-term and/or on-demand services for companies who need legal assistance but want to avoid the high costs associated with hiring a full-time general counsel. 

What are outsourced general counsel services?

Honestly, there are few matters in a company not touched by what a general counsel might advise on. Controlling M&A activity is one of the most important aspects of what a general counsel does, but they also work with a range of other details, from non-compete matters for employees to company structuring to save on operating costs and taxes.

Why should I hire an outsourced or outside general counsel?

Some of the reasons why businesses of any size might opt to outsource general counsel services to help manage or supplement their legal needs include:

• Your start-up or small business is ready to scale up, but uninterested in committing to the overhead of a full-time, in-house legal hire.

• You have urgent legal concerns that require expert ad-hoc counsel.

• You are preparing for a complex transaction such as a merger, acquisition, round of fundraising or an IPO.

• You require legal expertise in a specific area to supplement your in-house general counsel.

• You have unpredictable legal needs.

• You often require an outside attorney to negotiate, draft, and review business documents, contracts and agreements.

• You could use help putting proper legal protocols in place to ensure your business is protected from unnecessary risks.

• At times, your in-house legal staff is busy or overwhelmed with existing work but not regularly enough to justify hiring a new, full-time employee.

Fortis can provide prompt management of any of the above issues, plus many more. Our team has extensive experience across a broad range of industries and practice areas and is well-prepared to offer informed, collaborative counsel when you need it, in a manner that supports and protects your business goals.