Table of Contents
AttorneyX is often retained by small businesses to act as their outside general counsel, as many of these companies either do not need a full-time attorney or do not have the resources to retain one. Outside general counsel provides a range of expertise to assist clients in their day-to-day business operations. We also routinely encourage fixed fee arrangements to allow our clients to have certainty with regard to legal costs.
The operational complexities of running a small business require both breadth and depth. Due to the wide range of our business experience of AttorneyX, we are uniquely positioned to provide well-rounded general counsel services to small businesses and sole proprietorships. We advise on business management, business strategy, employment matters, regulatory compliance, and contracts. We also offer a cost-effective monthly subscription Small Business Package to dedicate our time to one client as part-time general counsel.
What We Do At AttorneyX
The question most owners are really asking is whether they can keep handling legal matters themselves until something forces the issue. Usually they can, right up until they can’t, and by then the problem is more expensive than the prevention would have been. Outside general counsel exists for exactly that gap. You get a lawyer who knows your business and is reachable for the small questions, the ones that feel too minor to call about but turn out to matter. For many small businesses, that ongoing relationship is the difference between managing risk and discovering it.
Here’s everything we do in a gist:
- Legal Plan Modeling and Goals Assessments
- General Business Counseling & Support
- Day-to-Day Advising
- Plain English Reference Guides and Annotated Agreements
- On-Demand Accessibility
- Mediation & Dispute Resolution Support
- State and Regulatory Compliance
- Legal-Strategic Business Support
- Risk Mitigation
Common General Counsel Projects
Simplifying complexities, offering technical expertise, navigating around gridlock, and understanding what matters most to clients are signature characteristics of our business law practice at AttorneyX.
Human Resources
Assist in all aspects of employment law, including the drafting of employment agreements, independent contractor agreements, and severance agreements. We also assist with other HR and legal/compliance-related issues, such as employee handbooks, implementing non-discrimination policies, and addressing loyalty incentive programs.
Contracts
Drafting and negotiating vendor and services agreements, including the writing of form documents for use by the client and responding to form documents provided by counterparties. These agreements range from simple agreements with potential vendors, to master services agreements between sophisticated parties maintaining a complex business relationship.
Marketing
Ensure that sales and marketing-related activities are compliant with applicable laws and regulations, such as with broker-dealers and registered investment advisors, and provide guidance on limiting potential risks associated with marketing activities, such as drafting appropriate disclosures and disclaimers.
Governance
Corporate governance-related tasks, including forming new entities (such as subsidiaries/affiliates), drafting operating agreements/bylaws, and complying with the formalities of operating a legal entity, such as the use of board minutes and shareholder/board resolutions to enact corporation actions.
When Does a Business Need Outside General Counsel?
There is no single trigger, but a few patterns tend to signal that the do-it-yourself phase is over. You are signing contracts you do not fully understand. You are hiring employees and unsure which policies you are legally required to have. You are getting questions from regulators, landlords, or counterparties that you are answering by guessing. Each of these is manageable in isolation and dangerous in combination.
Hiring a full-time attorney solves the problem and creates a new one, namely a salary most small businesses do not need to carry. Outside general counsel is built for that middle ground. You get continuity and availability without a full-time cost, and with a fixed-fee or monthly arrangement you get certainty about what legal support will cost each month. That predictability is often what lets an owner finally stop avoiding the legal side of the business.
General Counsel FAQs
What is the difference between outside general counsel and hiring a lawyer for one matter?
A one-off engagement solves a single problem and ends. Outside general counsel is an ongoing relationship, so the lawyer already knows your business when the next question comes up and you are not paying to bring someone up to speed each time. For businesses with steady legal needs, the continuity is the value.
How does the monthly subscription model work?
You pay a set monthly fee and we dedicate time to your business as part-time general counsel, which covers the day-to-day questions and routine work. It gives you budget certainty and a lawyer on call. We scope what is included before you start, so there are no surprises about what the fee covers.
Can you work with my accountant or other advisors?
Yes, and we encourage it. Legal and tax questions overlap constantly, and the best outcomes usually come from advisors who talk to each other. We are careful, though, about where the line sits between legal and accounting advice, because each profession protects you in ways the other cannot.
Interested In Retaining AttorneyX? Contact Us Today
We assist our clients in a number of ways, from entity formation to day-to-day legal advice related to their business. We understand the difficulties many business owners in Philadelphia and surrounding areas experience, and are adept at framing legal risks and benefits in simple, straightforward language so you never have to guess what we mean. Contact us today for a free consultation and learn why our clients prefer AttorneyX to be their general counsel in business matters.
