General Counsel Services
Having worked in law firms with litigation departments, Bert van Gils has seen the toll taken by business litigation in terms of money and emotional stress (which often led to physical illness). Most business litigation can be prevented with proper planning and preparing a firm legal foundation for the business. Unfortunately, many business people are subject to the same “human nature” which keeps someone from seeing an attorney unless there is an emergency. “Business divorce” between family members and former friends is especially difficult to witness. Successful companies employ an attorney on staff to help them steer clear of legal entanglements or work with an outside business attorney on a regularly scheduled basis. By entering into a general counsel services agreement, new and smaller companies can reap the same advantage of having in-house counsel at a fraction of the cost.
Having an experienced business attorney on hand need not translate into skyrocketing legal costs. Customizing a general counsel services agreement allows you to budget the fees which are already a fraction of other law firms. On the other hand, claims against your business (whether or not they result in litigation) can lead to unexpected, uncontrollable and significant costs.
By entering into and maintaining a general counsel services agreement which is specifically tailored for your needs, you can obtain “In-House” Counsel services at a dramatically affordable rate. Bert van Gils has great in-depth experience with businesses as an entrepreneur, business owner and a founding member of the Business Assistance Team of the Greater Warrenton Chamber of Commerce. This understanding of the needs of varying businesses provides the empathy, creativeness and flexibility to work with businesses to customize general counsel agreements specifically tailored to meet the needs of each individual business client. Examples of the areas which could be addressed include Formation and Growth; Contracts; Structure and Governance; Intellectual Property Protection; Human Resources and Succession Planning.
Please call or email our office for additional information.