Four Reasons to Participate in our Outside Corporate Counsel Program (OCCP™)
Written by contributing author Attorney Shawn Dontigney at Fournier Legal Services.
Outside corporate counsel provide similar guidance to a business as does in-house counsel in many respects. However, outside corporate counsel will receive various legal services depending on the nature of the business, beyond what in-house counsel can provide. Here are four reasons why Fournier Legal Services’ OCCP may be the right option for you:
- Expertise. With OCCP, you hire a team of experienced, dedicated attorneys to work specifically on your business matters. Outside corporate counsel offers many different areas of expertise in complex business dealings such as contracts, intellectual property, trademarks, litigation, and mergers and acquisitions. This level of expertise is often beyond what in-house counsel have, making outside counsel the preferred option.
- Multilayered Representation. With OCCP, we act as your legal advisor, representative and business partner. You obtain our expertise and insight about best practices in your industry and help your business avoid costly mistakes, providing insight on legal, regulatory, and compliance issues. Moreover, we can help your business navigate company culture issues and give you access to our network of industry experts.
- Perspective. In direct terms, in-house counsel focuses more on the business day-to-day (micro) operations, while outside counsel takes more of an impartial, wide-lens view (macro). Because we are not linked to the day-to-day of your business and operates offsite, we offer a fresh perspective, having the ability to multitask and focus on your business’ needs as you direct.
- Expenses. Lastly, if you run a small business, a full-time attorney is likely cost prohibitive. OCCP offers your organization a better price point. OCCP’s cost/benefit is that you only pay for services your company uses, whereas with in-house counsel you pay regardless of whether they are fully utilized. Moreover, there are overhead costs to consider for in-house counsel which are not present with outside counsel such as employment taxes, healthcare costs, vacation, sick-leave, office space, office equipment and other employee benefit expenses (e.g. 401(k) contributions).
If you have any questions about our OCCP program, or any other needs related to your business or estate planning, contact Fournier Legal Services at sdontigney@jeflegal.com or 860.670.3535.
Joseph E. Fournier is an Attorney and a CPA who has more than twenty years of experience in a variety of business legal matters, including start-ups and company formations, drafting shareholder and operating agreements, contracts, employment law, commercial litigation, tax planning and audit defense, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A). He also handles estate planning matters, such as business succession planning, wills, trusts, and probate.