Major businesses have a general counsel. All businesses need a general counsel because
businesses relate to other businesses. Laws, regulations and the courts control these
relationships. The real question is not whether a business needs a general counsel but when are
these relationships complicated enough to require regular legal input and when is it cost effective
for a business to hire a general counsel. When does the cost of outside attorney services exceed
the cost of hiring a full time lawyer to provide that service? But the question is not that simple.
This interim period can also have shortcomings because expense considerations can cause
management to underutilize legal input and eventually allow major and more expensive problems
to erupt.
A business needs many different specialties and therefore hiring one lawyer doesn't necessarily
solve the problem or fill the need. Thus this interim stage is often filled by an outside lawyer,
commonly one who is a member of a firm that provides a variety of services in various specialties.
Such an arrangement can serve a company reasonably well if this attorney's firm happens to have
top notch specialists in the areas required by the particular business and a billing partner who
isn't too anxious to have you utilize his firm's services. This situation rarely occurs which is why
many companies hire a full time lawyer to act as their general counsel who then finds lawyers to
fill in the niche needs of the company. This strategy can work well, but the company then has the
expense of a full-time employee and the resulting staff expenses. Also, the salary limitations of
such growing companies sometimes don't allow the company to get the person that might
otherwise be their first choice.
Business issues and the accompanying legal problems are becoming more complicated and
expensive to deal with. Getting better advice is ever more important. The Burger Law Group
provides a meaningful solution for the company that finds itself in transition to a larger company.
It provides a solution for the company that is big enough to need professional help in a broad
range of issues, but not big enough to need a sophisticated full-time lawyer employee and staff.
The Burger Law Group provides sophisticated legal counsel with contacts and connections with
the best specialists across the country regardless of firm affiliation or state. We bring these
talents to your problems in a cost effective manner to assist the growing company meet its goals
and potential, all at a cost that is less than the alternatives. Your choice need not be limited when
a problem has to be solved. We give you the confidence that your general counsel is on your side
and does not have to defend the strategy or billing of the outside firm. The Burger Law Group
puts a lawyer in your corner. We also provide assistance to corporate counsel in securing proper
local counsel.
