On-site, on-call, on demand™
Why Are Business Legal Services So Expensive?
The answer is simple….because for most lawyers and clients, the clock is always ticking. Most business law firms are built on the billable hour and a pyramid of partners, associates and paralegals leveraging as much billable time as possible to make the firm profitable. This model often works against the client’s interest, making legal services often unaffordable and therefore unavailable. Clients are understandably confused with the premise that the longer it takes for their attorney to do the job, the more they have to pay for it.
I have changed all that with my Inside/Outside Counsel Program™. Under the Program, there are no billable hours, no retainers and no caps. It is “all you can eat.” From the client’s perspective, the business now has a full-time in-house counsel. Now, you won’t hesitate to call me for fear of receiving an outrageous bill based upon how long it took me to do the job. For an affordable fixed monthly fee, you can retain an attorney who has business and legal expertise who will take the time to develop a deep consultative relationship with your business and management team. My goal is to deliver a long-term relationship-driven experience which promotes ongoing business and legal health (think preventative care) rather than responding to legal emergencies.
I can't, and won't, do everything. If a situation requires calling in specialized legal expertise, I can still provide critical support. Like a good personal physician, I know many of our area’s top specialists, and when to call them. I will negotiate your fee agreements, often receiving professional courtesy discounts, and I will work together with the specialist as a team. It is not my intention to replace working relationships with outside law firms. But I can help manage those relationships for you. I can also pull together information these professionals need to get up to speed quickly and economically. In short, if you do need to retain specialized counsel, I will make sure that you hire the right attorneys, pay less for them and spend less time working with them. You have more important work to do, like running your business.
I can also refer you to and work with accountants, insurance brokers, bankers and other outside professionals. As a result, your professional relationships will all be better managed, and once again you will have more time to focus on your business.
I make it my business to know your business. Here is a partial list of what the Program covers:
Inside/Outside Counsel Program™ Services
- Contract formation and review, including drafting, advising and negotiating agreements such as:
- Operating Agreements
- Partnership Agreements
- Shareholder Agreements
- Construction Contracts (AIA and others)
- Technology License Agreements
- Sales Agreements
- Service agreements
- Distributor and Reseller Agreements
- Consulting Agreements
- Employment Agreements
- NDAs
- Teaming Agreements
- Lease Agreements
- Banking and other financing agreements
- Statements of Work and Work Orders
- Form/template contract development
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Commercial Lending Transactions
- Private Placements
- Securities Regulation
- Licensing Transactions
- Trademark Matters
- RFP’s and Statements of Work
- Real Estate Transactions (buy and sell)
- Tax issues (general advice)
- Collections
- Employee Stock Option Plans
- Employer-employee Disputes and other Human Resources-related issues (unemployment insurance, discrimination, sexual harassment, ADA, FMLA, Workers Comp., etc.)
- Employee vs. Independent Contractor issues
- Corporate Governance
- Board of Directors and Shareholder meetings
- Minutes and resolutions
- Outside Counsel Management
- Identification
- Negotiation and Retention
- Supervision and Coordination
- Litigation Management
- Dispute Resolution
- Regulatory Compliance
- Company Policy and Procedures Review
- Strategic and Contingency Planning
- Legal and business support to executive management and Board of Directors
- Attendance at all board meetings and the annual shareholders meeting by telephone and, if requested, attendance at the annual board and shareholders meeting in person; and preparation of minutes of all such meetings.
- More…..
There’s no better time than the present – contact me about my Inside/Outside Counsel Program.™