What does a general counsel do, and why should you have one?

As an entrepreneur, you are primed to make decisions concerning managing staff, expanding the company and ensuring client satisfaction. While these are all extremely useful traits, there is also a legal side that must be attended to in order to better guarantee the success of your company.

Business law is nuanced, and due to the nature of your job, you simply don’t have the time to take it all in. Thus, it can be beneficial to have a lawyer acting as general counsel on your side. What exactly does general counsel do?

Protecting the legal interests of your company

Many businesses are not large enough to have an attorney on staff, serving as inhouse counsel. Someone serving as your general counsel acts as your legal representative and manages the legal aspects of your business operations as you need. They provide legal advice on an as-needed basis and in the event a dispute arise. More importantly, they can help you prevent legal issues from occurring in the first place.

Ensuring compliance

Whatever size your company is, you need to ensure compliance with laws and regulations. Your general counsel can ensure that you are complying with guidelines for your employees, your industry and your entity.

Drafting legal agreements

In any business, there is always an element of risk. General counsel will help minimize such risks and help take steps to remedy legal situation as they arise. You can also turn to your general counsel to assist with drafting contracts and other business documents, explaining them, interpreting them and ensuring that they are adhered to.

Protecting your company legally is a worthwhile endeavor and hiring an individual attorney or a law firm as your general counsel is a key part of this process. We help businesses who are looking for further legal protection; contact us for a consultation.