External General Counsel for companies.
Ongoing legal support for companies that need a reliable legal function without building a full in-house legal team. We support day-to-day legal matters, commercial contracts, corporate issues and strategic projects with a dedicated point of contact and a defined monthly scope.
Your outsourced legal department for day-to-day business.
As external General Counsel, we handle the company's ongoing legal work and get involved early whenever contracts, corporate questions or strategic decisions carry legal consequences.
CLIQ acts as external legal counsel to the company. We do not recruit or place in-house General Counsel candidates.
The scope is agreed upfront, so you have a dedicated point of contact for ongoing legal matters without opening a new engagement for every question.
What we cover as your external General Counsel.
Day-to-Day Advice
A direct point of contact for legal questions arising in the ordinary course of business. We assess the issue, handle the work and bring in specialists where needed.
Corporate & Shareholder Matters
Corporate law, shareholder and management matters, resolutions and ongoing corporate housekeeping.
Commercial & Technology Contracts
Drafting, review and negotiation of customer, supplier, cooperation, software, SaaS and other commercial agreements.
Strategic Matters
Legal support around financings, restructurings, employee and management participation and preparation for larger corporate or transaction projects.
When outside General Counsel makes sense.
External General Counsel works well for companies where legal questions come up regularly in day-to-day business, but a dedicated in-house legal team is not yet needed or not commercially sensible.
Typical triggers are a growing contract volume, several managing directors or shareholders involved, new financings and investments, or a number of outside law firms that need coordinating.
After an acquisition, a dedicated legal contact also helps work through new contract, corporate and governance matters in a structured way.
One point of contact for ongoing legal matters.
Management should not have to decide for every legal question which firm is responsible and who knows the background.
In a General Counsel setup, ongoing legal matters sit with one dedicated contact. Recurring questions, contract standards and the company structure stay known across the engagement.
Specialist matters outside the agreed scope can be handled separately or coordinated with the right specialists.
Ongoing legal support on a monthly retainer.
Before we start, we agree which matters come up regularly, the expected volume and the response times you need, and turn that into a clear monthly scope. Larger transactions, disputes and other substantial projects are scoped separately.
Fees agreed upfront.
Scope and fee are agreed before the work starts, for the ongoing retainer and for additional defined projects alike.
External General Counsel FAQ
What does an external General Counsel do?
An external General Counsel supports a company on legal matters on an ongoing basis. Depending on the scope, this can include commercial contracts, corporate matters and strategic projects.
How is this different from an in-house legal department?
With an external General Counsel model, ongoing legal advice is provided by outside lawyers. The company does not need to build a full internal legal function.
Which companies is external General Counsel right for?
Companies with a regular need for legal advice where an in-house legal team is not yet needed, or where external support is meant to stay part of the legal setup.
What does CLIQ cover in a General Counsel retainer?
The scope is agreed individually. It can cover ongoing legal questions, commercial contracts, corporate and shareholder matters and selected strategic projects.
How does the monthly retainer work?
Expected scope, topics and response requirements are agreed upfront and translated into a predictable monthly fee. Larger one-off projects are agreed separately.
Need legal support beyond individual projects?
Let’s discuss a retainer that fits the way your business works.