Common Questions Regarding Outsourced General Counsel Services

The Gierach Law Firm offers a monthly Outsourced General Counsel (OGC) program for our small to mid-size business clients. The YourOGC program allows us to provide legal services that are more preventative in nature and keep clients from having to put out “fires” which are an impediment to the growth of their company. It also allows management to better focus on core business while saving both time and money.

This is such a unique service that many prospective clients have asked great questions as they consider utilizing the program. Here is a look at some of these questions of which you may also be curious:

• How is this service normally priced? This program is structured with a monthly fixed budget that covers the services that are unique to the particular client. This pricing is less than it would cost for a company to hire an in-house general counsel, considering the base salary and the benefits for that person. It also tends to be less than hiring ad-hoc attorneys as needed throughout the year, as well as providing much bigger benefits.
• What is the value that I will get from the plan? A YourOGC attorney will work with your company to establish proper legal systems and processes, identify, and solve common and reoccurring legal issues that your company has, establish common legal documents for your company’s use, as well as being the legal voice on how best to grow your company. The YourOGC attorney will serve as part of your management team, although not as an employee of your company. They will have a fuller overview of your business needs and can act quickly as well as proactively to save you time and money.
• Can this plan save the company money? Besides the savings in using the program versus hiring an in-house general counsel, consider the fact that without having an in-house counsel, the CFO, or similar position, normally must manage the legal functions of the company. The CFO must manage any outside transactional attorneys, which keeps that person from having the time to focus on projects that will support the growth of the company. The CFO may not know the best way of containing the legal costs for outside counsel, but the YourOGC attorney does.
• Will the attorney be able to meet onsite? This program is designed for the attorney to meet with the team onsite based upon the plan that the company decides is best for that company. It is important that the YourOGC attorney is fully appraised of the direction and operations of the business. They also need to review all legal documents in place and used by the company. The attorney also needs to meet with team members to determine what issues or problems the company has currently or has had in the past to help solve those issues.
• How is this better than using a transactional attorney? As your business grows, there are more legal questions that occur as part of this growth. Normally, when a transactional attorney is hired, they are only there to do one job. The team only gives information to that attorney that will allow the attorney to do that job. That attorney does not know the big picture, the vision of the company, and where the company sees itself in five years. That attorney does not know, and therefore will not solve, other issues than what they are hired to do, so then another attorney will be hired to clean up another issue. There is no person who is managing the legal function on the whole.
• What if I am not ready to do this? How is your legal function working for you now? As you grow your business, you need to establish a legal platform to keep from having common legal issues that can take your eyes off the growth prize. The YourOGC program was developed by our firm based on a newer structure for servicing business legal needs. After decades of seeing companies struggle with preventable legal issues, as well as seeing clients hiring multiple attorneys for issues as they arose, we knew we could create a better way of doing business for our clients. When we sit down with business owners and leaders, we can quickly identify all the areas where they can save time and money, while shoring up their preventative measures so they are covered from future detrimental issues. Our monthly plans allow you to see how things are working for you, and if you don’t feel they are of value, then you can end the program. We have seen the many positive results from our work with our clients, many of whom didn’t think they were ready to try something like this. We encourage you to give it a try, as you will most likely wonder why you didn’t do it sooner. Afterall, if not now, then when?
• How often will I speak with the YourOGC lawyer? This program is designed to have you speak with the attorney as you need to. That may be on the phone or zoom calls, as needed.
• What will the turnaround time be for my needs when things come up? When you need legal documents, you will receive them when you need to have them. Ideally, the YourOGC attorney will be able to work with you in advance to determine what you will need, which will make for a smoother relationship.

If you have further questions, please reach out to us to schedule your consultation or visit our Your OGC page for more information at https://www.gierachlawfirm.com/ogc/.

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Denice Gierach

Gierach Law Firm

Denice Gierach is an attorney, CPA, Northwestern University business master's graduate, and has owned several businesses from real estate to manufacturing. She is the lead attorney at Gierach Law Firm in the Chicago area. With more than 30 years of experience, she has been a respected and sought-after resource for businesses looking to grow, sell, solve problems, and succeed long term. Her insights across business areas gives a fuller lens to business issues and solutions, and helps businesses grow and succeed with less time spent on legal issues and other time-consuming problems.

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