Your Business Has Outgrown "We'll Figure It Out" — Fractional General Counsel Fills the Gap

Most small businesses reach a point where legal questions come up regularly enough to slow things down, but not so often that hiring in-house counsel makes financial sense. That's exactly the gap fractional general counsel is built for — and it's how I work with the majority of my ongoing clients.

What Fractional General Counsel Actually Means for a Small Business

Fractional general counsel means you engage me as a recurring legal advisor for specific, real-world needs: reviewing contracts before you sign them, advising on how to handle a difficult employee situation, responding to a vendor dispute before it escalates. You get consistent legal access without a full-time salary, benefits package, or open-ended retainer you're paying whether you use it or not.

Two people in business attire talking at a table in a sunlit café

Who This Is Built For

This model works best for businesses that have grown past the startup stage but aren't yet large enough to justify in-house counsel — typically 5 to 50 employees. If any of these sound familiar, you're in the right place.

You're Signing Contracts Without a Legal Review

Vendor agreements, client service contracts, commercial leases — most small business owners sign these after a quick read-through and hope for the best. A fractional GC relationship means I review those documents before they're executed, not after a dispute surfaces.

You Never Know When to Call a Lawyer

One of the most common things I hear from business owners is that they weren't sure if a situation was "legal enough" to warrant a call. That uncertainty is exactly what a fractional general counsel relationship eliminates. When you're not sure, that's the right time to call — and because I already know your business, the conversation is short.

You've Worked With Law Firms and Felt Like a Stranger Every Time

Large firms route calls to whoever is available. That means you spend the first ten minutes of every call re-explaining your business, your contracts, and your situation. As a sole practitioner, I maintain the client relationship directly. There are no associates, no handoffs, and no starting over.

You're Making Employment and Vendor Decisions Without Legal Input

Hiring, terminating, restructuring a vendor relationship, responding to a demand letter — these decisions carry legal weight that most business owners don't fully account for until something goes wrong. Having a business attorney on call means you get that input at the decision point, not in hindsight.

Why Flat-Fee Pricing Changes the Relationship

One reason business owners avoid calling their attorney is the fear of running up a bill they didn't budget for. My fees are published openly on the site, and fractional general counsel work is scoped and priced before it begins — not tracked by the hour and invoiced after the fact. You know what you're paying before we start.

What I Handle as Your Fractional General Counsel

The scope of fractional GC support depends on your business, but the most common areas I work in with ongoing clients include:

 

  • Contract drafting, review, and negotiation before signature
  • Commercial lease review and landlord negotiations
  • Employment guidance — hiring practices, terminations, contractor classification
  • Vendor dispute response and demand letter review
  • Business compliance questions and entity governance
  • Trademark protection and intellectual property basics
  • Succession planning and buy-sell agreement maintenance

 

If a question comes up and you're not sure whether it falls within scope, you call and we figure it out together. That's the point of the relationship.

30 Years of Florida Small Business Experience Behind Every Call

I've been practicing Florida business law for 30 years. Before law, I studied business — which means I understand the decisions you're facing not just as legal questions but as operational and financial ones. I work exclusively with small businesses in the 1–50-employee range. I don't do personal injury, I don't do commodity law, and I don't take clients whose primary concern is finding the cheapest option. My clients want a business attorney who understands how companies actually operate.

 

Businesses across the Tampa Bay region — from Brandon and Riverview to Apollo Beach and Temple Terrace — rely on me as their ongoing legal resource. Florida's remote practice rules also mean I can serve clients anywhere in the state without requiring in-person meetings.

Fractional General Counsel — Common Questions

  • What does fractional general counsel include?

    It varies by client, but core services typically include contract review and drafting, employment guidance, vendor dispute support, business compliance questions, and general legal advisory on decisions before they're made. The goal is to be the attorney you call before you act, not after something goes wrong.

  • How is fractional general counsel priced?

    My fractional GC work is scoped and flat-fee priced before it begins. Fees are published on my site so you know what you're paying before we start. There is no hourly billing and no monthly retainer charged against time you didn't use.

  • Is fractional general counsel the same as having a lawyer on retainer?

    Not exactly. A traditional retainer typically means you prepay for a block of attorney time regardless of whether you use it. Fractional general counsel is structured around actual use — specific engagements, defined scope, predictable cost. You're not paying for access you may not need in a given month.

  • What size company needs fractional general counsel?

    This model is best suited for businesses with roughly 5 to 50 employees — companies that have grown past the point where the owner can handle every legal question personally, but aren't large enough to justify a full-time in-house attorney. If legal questions are coming up regularly enough to slow down your decision-making, it's time to consider this structure.

  • What is a fractional general counsel for a small business?

    A fractional general counsel is a business attorney who serves as your ongoing legal advisor on a part-time, as-needed basis rather than as a full-time employee. Instead of hiring in-house counsel, you engage a fractional GC to handle the legal side of your business — contracts, employment questions, compliance, disputes — at a cost that scales with your actual needs.

Ready to Stop Winging the Legal Side of Your Business?

If your company has grown to the point where legal questions are a regular part of operations, the fractional general counsel model is worth a conversation. Schedule a consultation and we'll talk through what ongoing legal support would look like for your specific business — and what it would cost.