The Wright Firm, PLLC understands that successful small business owners use general counsel services on a regular basis to minimize risk, educate personnel, and operate within the bounds of the laws that are always changing. Small business owners, like yourself, are ready to move past using attorneys reactively to solve problems and towards proactively creating a legal strategy to prevent problems.
The Wright Firm, PLLC strives to be a resource for small business owners as general counsel to assist with various legal needs through the use of the Firm’s exclusive “8 Quarter Review Process,” a comprehensive and tailored approach designed specifically to meet the needs of 7-figure businesses and nonprofit organizations.
By thoroughly evaluating and optimizing every aspect of your legal strategy, The Wright Firm, PLLC helps protect your organization from costly legal disputes and regulatory challenges.
That means ensuring that your business or nonprofit is fully compliant with all applicable laws and regulations. This compliance reduces the risk of penalties, reputational damage, and operational disruptions, providing you with peace of mind.
General Counsel services empower you to make strategic decisions based on a deep understanding of the legal implications. This enables you to pursue opportunities and navigate challenges with confidence. Through the “8 Quarter Review Process,” The Wright Firm, PLLC works with you to proactively identify and address legal issues, avoiding costly reactionary measures. By optimizing your legal operations, you can allocate resources more efficiently, enabling growth and sustainability.
How The Wright Firm, PLLC uses the “8 Quarter Review Process” to help your growing business or nonprofit organization:
Developing a Legal Strategy:
By working closely with you to understand your unique goals and challenges to craft a comprehensive legal strategy, The Wright Firm, PLLC ensures that your organization is well-positioned for success and protected from potential risks.
Legal Guidance for Human Resources:
By providing experienced and practical advice on matters related to human resources. From employment contracts to compliance with labor laws, The Wright Firm, PLLC helps you navigate the intricate HR landscape, minimizing legal risks and promoting a positive work environment.
Evaluation of Business Structure and Proper Corporate Documents:
By assessing your current business structure to ensure it aligns with your objectives. The Wright Firm helps you establish or modify legal entities, drafts bylaws, and creates other essential corporate documents, providing a solid foundation for growth and operational efficiency.
Financial Management:
The Wright Firm, PLLC understands the intricacies of financial compliance, including state registration requirements, multi-state registration for remote sales, charitable solicitations, and grant management. Shahara Wright and staff will work closely with your Bookkeeper, Accountant, or CPA to ensure that you are compliant with the laws and regulations of the states in which you do business.
Intellectual Property Assessments:
Your intellectual property is a valuable asset that must be safeguarded. The Wright Firm, PLLC conducts thorough assessments to identify and protect your trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets, preserving your competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Strategic Planning:
The extensive legal and business knowledge of Shahara Wright and Staff will assist you in developing effective strategies for long-term growth and success. The Wright Firm, PLLC analyzes market trends, identifies potential risks, and helps you make informed decisions that align with your organizational objectives.
Contract Management:
Contracts are the backbone of any business or nonprofit organization. Shahara Wright will ensure that your contracts are meticulously reviewed, negotiated, and drafted to protect your interests and minimize legal vulnerabilities.
Risk Management:
Identifying and mitigating risks is crucial to the stability and security of your organization. Shahara Wright evaluates potential risks across all aspects of your operations, providing proactive solutions to safeguard your business or nonprofit from legal challenges.
As a fast growing 7-figure business or nonprofit organization, your operations are more complex, and the stakes are higher. One of the key challenges in scaling a million-dollar business is managing the increased volume of operations. Now is the time for you to invest in processes, systems, and infrastructure to handle the higher demand efficiently.
General Counsel Services FAQ’s
Having general counsel for your business is like having a legal department for your business. You may have also used the term fractional general counsel, or business law attorney. The specific services that general counsel will provide will depend on the size and complexity of your business, as well as your specific legal needs.
If you are considering hiring a business law attorney as general counsel, it is important to discuss your needs to determine the specific services that you will need. General counsel services can be a valuable asset for businesses of all sizes. By providing legal advice, managing risk, and advising on business transactions, general counsel can help protect your business and achieve your goals.
General counsel services can benefit your business in a number of ways, including:
Providing legal advice and guidance. Having general counsel can help you understand the legal implications of your business decisions and can provide advice on how to comply with all applicable laws and regulations. This can help you avoid costly legal problems down the road.
Managing risk. Having general counsel can help you identify and manage the legal risks facing your business. This can include things like drafting contracts, reviewing leases, and managing intellectual property. By helping you manage risk, a general counsel can help you protect your business and its assets.
Advising on business transactions. As general counsel, your lawyer can advise you on all aspects of business transactions, such as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and financing. This can help you ensure that your transactions are completed smoothly and that your interests are protected.
Providing strategic counsel. The best thing about having general counsel for your business is that you have someone who is knowledgeable about the inner workings of your business. General counsel can provide strategic counsel on a wide range of issues, such as corporate governance, compliance, and risk management. This can help you make better decisions for your business and help you achieve your goals.
As general counsel, I can help you minimize your risks as an employer by providing you with legal advice and guidance on a variety of issues, including:
Employment law: This includes drafting and reviewing employment contracts, handling employee disputes, and advising on workplace policies and procedures.
Intellectual property: This includes registering and protecting trademarks, and copyrights, as well as negotiating licenses and other agreements related to intellectual property.
Corporate governance: This includes developing and implementing corporate governance policies and procedures, as well as advising on board matters and shareholder rights.
Compliance: This includes advising on compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, such as those related to environmental protection, data privacy, and securities law.
There are many factors to consider when deciding whether you need general counsel. Some of the most important factors include the size and complexity of your organization, the nature of your business, and the level of legal risk that you face.
Here are some of the signs that it might be time for you to invest in general counsel:
Your organization is growing or changing rapidly: As your organization grows or changes, you may need more support to navigate potential legal issues. Dedicated general counsel can help you navigate the legal challenges that come with growth and change.
Your business is involved in multiple legal transactions: If your business is involved in legal transactions, such as hiring new employees, vendor contracts, customer disputes, real estate leases and purchases, buying or selling a business. You need the expertise of an attorney who understands you and your business to help you navigate potential legal issues, lessen liability exposure, and comply with the law.
You want to have a trusted advisor on legal matters: With fractional or outside general counsel services you can have a dedicated business lawyer and advisor without the cost of a full time employed lawyer. Having general counsel means that you have someone who can help you with business and legal strategies, as well as work with other trusted advisors for your business on your behalf.
If you are not sure whether you need general counsel, it’s a good idea to book an appointment with me to get some advice.
General Counsel, In-House Counsel, and Outside Counsel are all terms used to describe legal professionals, but they serve distinct roles within the legal landscape.
General Counsel (GC) is an attorney who holds the highest legal position within a corporation or organization. They are typically employed as a full-time, in-house legal advisor and are responsible for overseeing all legal matters for the company. The GC provides legal guidance and strategic advice to the company’s executives and management, handles regulatory compliance, contract negotiations, and manages any legal disputes involving the organization.
In-House Counsel refers to an attorney who is an employee and works directly for a specific company or organization, providing legal services exclusively to their employer. They are part of the company’s internal legal team and focus on the legal needs and issues faced by that particular organization. In-house counsel operates as a member of the company, understanding its business intricacies and culture, which allows them to tailor legal advice to meet the company’s specific needs.
Outside Counsel, on the other hand, is an attorney who works for an external law firm and is hired by companies or individuals to provide legal services on a case-by-case basis or for specific legal matters. They are not permanent employees of the company but are retained as needed for specialized legal expertise or to handle legal matters that the in-house legal team may not have the capacity or expertise to handle. Outside counsel often represents multiple clients and has a broader perspective on various industries and legal issues.
Here is a table that summarizes the key differences between a general counsel and an in-house counsel:
Characteristic
General Counsel
In-House Counsel
Outside Counsel
Title
General Counsel
Senior Counsel, Associate General Counsel, Legal Director, etc.
Attorney at Law, Partner, Associate
Responsibilities
Provides legal advice to the organization’s management and employees, oversees the organization’s legal compliance, and may be involved in other legal matters as needed
Providing legal advice and strategic guidance to executivesManaging regulatory complianceContract negotiationsHandling legal disputes | – Providing legal counsel to the specific companyDrafting and reviewing contracts and legal documentsEnsuring compliance with laws and regulationsRepresenting the company in legal mattersCollaborating with external counsel when necessary
Same as In-house counsel, plus:Providing legal services to clients on a case-by-case basisExpertise in various areas of lawLegal research and analysisAdvising clients on legal strategies
Reporting Structure
Typically, reports directly to the CEO or another senior executive
Typically reports to a more senior in-house lawyer
Reports to the CEO or COO of the organization.
Salary
Typically, higher than the salary of an in-house lawyer. The average salary varies by the size and industry of the company, but it’s typically in the range of $150,000 to $300,000 per year.
The average salary varies based on experience and the size of the company, but it’s generally between $80,000 to $180,000 per year.
The hourly rate or fee varies depending on the attorney’s expertise, law firm reputation, and the complexity of the case, but it can range from $200 to $800 per hour or more.
Shahara Wright has 25 years of experience working with small businesses and nonprofit organizations. In addition, The Wright Firm’s staff is knowledgeable and experienced with various business matters that can help you navigate complex matters for your organization. Shahara Wright and The Wright Firm staff are highly qualified and experienced professionals who are committed to providing our clients with the best possible legal counsel.
Some of the areas of law in which The Wright Firm, PLLC has experience include:
Corporate law: This area of law covers the formation, operation, and governance of businesses and nonprofit organizations.
Commercial law: This area of law covers contracts, sales, and other commercial transactions.
Intellectual property law: This area of law covers trademarks, copyrights, and other forms of intellectual property.
Labor and employment law: This area of law covers the employment relationship, including hiring, firing, and discrimination.
Nonprofit law: This area of law covers understanding and dealing with Board Management, organizational development.
General counsel (GC) provides a variety of risk management services to their organizations, including:
Identifying and assessing risks. GCs help to identify and assess the risks that their organizations face, both legal and non-legal. This includes risks related to operations, compliance, financial, and strategic decisions.
Developing and implementing risk management plans. Once risks have been identified and assessed, GCs help to develop and implement risk management plans. These plans typically include steps to mitigate risks, such as implementing controls, conducting training, and developing contingency plans.
Overseeing risk management activities. GCs oversee the implementation and ongoing effectiveness of risk management activities. This includes monitoring risks, reviewing risk management plans, and reporting on risk management activities to senior management.
Advising on risk management matters. GCs advise senior management on risk management matters, such as the development of new policies and procedures, the negotiation of contracts, and the handling of regulatory compliance matters.
