- Consumer's Choice Award 2019
- Consumer's Choice Award 2020
- Consumer's Choice Award 2021
- Consumer's Choice Award 2022
- Consumer's Choice Award 2023
- Consumer's Choice Award 2024
Most growing businesses in Norridge benefit from strategic legal guidance without the fixed cost of a full time in house team. Outside general counsel services provide ongoing counsel on governance, contracts, compliance, and risk management, customized to your industry. A trusted law partner helps leaders move decisions forward with confidence, aligns legal strategy with business goals, and maintains momentum during busy cycles. By collaborating closely with you, we create clarity, reduce surprises, and protect long term value.
Frankfort Law Group serves clients across Illinois with a practical and collaborative approach to business law. Our team blends broad corporate experience with deep familiarity of local markets, enabling us to provide clear guidance on governance, contracts, disclosures, and compliance. Our attorneys stay current with regulatory developments, provide thoughtful negotiation strategies, and work closely with clients to align legal steps with business aims. We value open communication, steady support, and results oriented problem solving.
Engaging an outside general counsel helps you access seasoned legal judgment without committing to a full time hire. Your business receives proactive risk assessment, timely legal updates, and strategic input on major deals, employment matters, and corporate governance. This service can shorten decision cycles, improve contract quality, and reduce unexpected costs by catching issues early. With ongoing access to counsel, your leadership team stays informed and prepared to respond to opportunities and challenges as they arise.
Frankfort Law Group serves clients across Illinois with a practical and collaborative approach to business law. Our team blends broad corporate experience with deep familiarity of local markets, enabling us to provide clear guidance on governance, contracts, disclosures, and compliance. Our attorneys stay current with regulatory developments, provide thoughtful negotiation strategies, and work closely with clients to align legal steps with business aims. We value open communication, steady support, and results oriented problem solving.
Outside general counsel is a flexible, ongoing partnership that allows your business to access legal know how as needed. Rather than handling each issue in isolation, you receive integrated guidance that covers risk assessment, policy development, contract reviews, and governance decisions. This approach helps you build scalable processes and maintain consistent standards across teams. We tailor the engagement to your company size, industry, and growth trajectory, ensuring you get the right level of support.
By working with an outside general counsel, you gain continuity in legal matters and faster resolution of complex issues. We monitor deadlines, manage compliance obligations, and coordinate with other advisers to prevent bottlenecks. The relationship emphasizes practical solutions and transparent communication, helping executives make informed choices without sacrificing strategic focus. Our goal is to be a dependable extension of your leadership team, offering steadiness as your business evolves.
Outside general counsel is a service model where a law firm provides ongoing legal guidance to a business, instead of hiring a full time internal counsel. The arrangement focuses on governance, risk management, and strategic support, with the capacity to scale up or down based on current needs. This definition emphasizes accessibility, reliability, and practical problem solving that helps the company navigate complex regulatory environments and commercial deals.
Effective outside general counsel programs center on governance alignment, contract management, risk assessment, policy development, and timely communications. The processes typically include upfront discovery, ongoing advisory meetings, document reviews, drafting and negotiating major agreements, and quarterly reviews of compliance and strategic priorities. The goal is to integrate legal work with daily operations while maintaining clarity, accountability, and predictable timelines for all critical tasks.
Description of these elements helps clients understand how the service works in practice. You will typically receive ongoing counsel through regular check ins, proactive risk alerts, and clear written guidance. Our team works with you to document responsibilities, assign ownership for compliance tasks, and ensure all matters are tracked with measurable milestones. This description highlights how legal insight becomes a built in capability rather than a one off intervention.
Governance and compliance refer to the framework of rules, policies, and practices that guide how a company operates. In practical terms, this means establishing board oversight, risk management procedures, disciplined decision making, and documentation that demonstrates accountability. A dependable outside counsel helps implement clear governance guidelines, track regulatory changes, and ensure company actions align with legal obligations and strategic objectives.
Risk management involves identifying potential legal and business risks, assessing their likelihood and impact, and implementing controls to reduce exposure. This includes contract risk reviews, workplace policy updates, and monitoring regulatory developments. An effective outside general counsel partner helps you map risk to business priorities, establish response protocols, and document how decisions protect the organization while supporting growth.
Contract administration covers the lifecycle of agreements, from drafting and negotiations to oversight and renewal. A strong approach ensures terms are clear, obligations are tracked, and performance is monitored. External counsel can help simplify complex clauses, minimize ambiguities, and align contract strategies with commercial goals while reducing disputes and delays.
Regulatory updates refer to changes in laws, rules, and compliance requirements that affect how a business operates. Staying informed helps avoid penalties, adapt policies, and maintain good standing. An outside general counsel keeps you current with timely briefings, practical recommendations, and clear implementation steps to maintain compliance across key areas such as employment, tax, and data privacy.
Businesses may opt for a traditional on site attorney, an outsourced general counsel arrangement, or ad hoc advisory support. Each model carries different levels of commitment, cost, and flexibility. An outsourced general counsel provides ongoing strategic guidance, scalable resources, and unified handling of governance and risk. The right choice depends on company size, growth plans, and regulatory complexity. Our goal is to help you evaluate options and select a structure that aligns with your objectives while preserving cash flow.
Reason one is cost efficiency. For smaller teams or specific initiatives, a targeted advisory arrangement can address urgent needs without the overhead of a full time general counsel. This enables the business to access essential guidance, maintain compliance, and proceed with critical transactions while keeping expenses predictable. The arrangement remains flexible and can expand as needs grow.
Reason two centers on speed. A lean advisory setup can respond quickly to urgent matters, ensure timely reviews, and reduce bottlenecks during critical deals or compliance deadlines. This approach preserves momentum while the organization assesses longer term governance needs. It also allows leadership to test the fit before committing to a full time arrangement.
Reason one for a comprehensive service is strategic continuity. When the business faces ongoing regulatory changes, complex governance matters, and large contracts, a full suite of legal resources ensures consistent guidance, alignment across departments, and a unified response to risk. This builds a resilient foundation for growth while reducing the chance of miscommunication.
Reason two focuses on efficiency and risk management. A comprehensive program implements scalable templates, streamlined processes, and proactive audits that prevent disruptions. It enables faster closing of deals, smoother regulatory filings, and clearer accountability when decisions influence multiple teams. Clients experience fewer last minute changes and greater predictability in quarterly results.
Access to a full cycle of legal services helps you manage governance, contracts, risk, and compliance within one integrated framework. The approach supports executive decision making, improves consistency across departments, and reduces the likelihood of costly disputes. By coordinating legal activities, we help your business move ahead with clarity and confidence.
Additionally, a comprehensive program provides foresight, cost control, and scalable resources as your company evolves. You gain predictable budgeting for legal spend, standardized procedures, and a partner who can adapt to evolving market conditions. This creates a dependable foundation for sustainable growth and smoother negotiations across customers, suppliers, and regulators.
One major benefit is streamlined operations. With a single point of contact for legal matters, teams experience fewer delays, clearer ownership, and faster execution of contracts and compliance tasks. This cohesion reduces duplication, clarifies responsibilities, and helps maintain momentum across projects while ensuring regulatory obligations are met. The arrangement remains flexible and can expand as needs grow.
Another advantage is proactive risk management. A comprehensive program identifies trends, flags potential issues early, and provides structured responses. This approach helps avoid penalties, improves access to capital, and supports smoother audits. Clients gain greater confidence knowing that risk controls are built into daily operations rather than added after problems emerge.
Define a clear scope at the start of the engagement, including the types of matters covered, expected response times, and the cadence of updates. Documenting responsibilities and success metrics helps avoid misaligned expectations. Regularly review the scope as the business evolves, so the outside general counsel can adapt without creating friction or budget surprises.
Provide timely data and access. Having current financials, contracts, and regulatory records ready for review accelerates decision making and reduces back and forth. A well organized repository helps all parties locate information quickly, leading to smoother negotiations and faster problem solving when issues arise. Ongoing support materials are provided to reinforce learning.
Businesses consider outside general counsel to manage ever changing regulatory requirements, protect intellectual property, and support strategic growth. This service helps align legal activities with business goals, delivers consistent guidance across departments, and enables faster reaction to market opportunities. It also provides cost predictability, access to broad expertise, and a scalable structure that can adapt as the organization expands or pivots.
Choosing this option offers a long term partner rather than a series of one off consults. The relationship fosters proactive planning, ongoing risk management, and a smoother path through audits, negotiations, and regulatory changes. With consistent guidance, leadership can focus on growth initiatives while legal considerations are handled in a cohesive, strategic way for years to come and beyond.
Common circumstances requiring this service include rapid growth that outpaces internal capacity, the need to update governance frameworks, and the demand for coordinated contract oversight across multiple departments. When the business faces audits, new regulatory requirements, or significant transactions, outside counsel provides a steady, integrated approach to align actions with strategic objectives.
Rapid growth often creates gaps in governance, contract management, and compliance oversight. The organization may need scalable processes, updated policies, and more frequent guidance to keep pace with expansion. An external general counsel can implement repeatable procedures and establish accountability across teams. This support helps prevent bottlenecks and miscommunications early.
Regulatory change and ongoing compliance demands require careful monitoring, timely updates, and practical implementation. Without steady counsel, teams may miss deadlines or misinterpret new rules. An outside general counsel provides alerts, policy revisions, and hands on guidance to keep operations compliant and aligned with reporting requirements across key departments consistently.
Major transactions, mergers or restructurings demand coordinated legal input, risk assessment, and documentation. Outside counsel can lead due diligence, negotiate terms, and ensure governance controls stay intact during transitions. A proactive partner helps minimize disruption and preserves value for your organization daily and beyond.
Whether you are navigating everyday legal tasks or complex strategic projects, our team is ready to assist. We provide practical advice, timely responses, and steady support to help you manage risk, protect assets, and achieve business goals. You can count on reliable communication and a collaborative approach that keeps you informed at every stage.
Frankfort Law Group brings local knowledge, a client centered approach, and strong collaboration across teams. We focus on practical legal solutions that support strategic decisions, reduce uncertainty, and improve outcomes. Our track record includes helping businesses navigate complex contracts, governance requirements, and regulatory matters while maintaining a clear line of communication with leadership and stakeholders.
We tailor our services to your industry, company size, and growth plans, ensuring you receive the right mix of guidance and support. When a challenge arises, you can expect timely collaboration, transparent pricing, and a practical plan that moves the project forward while protecting your legal interests.
Finally, our team demonstrates tangible value through measurable outcomes. We track key indicators, share progress updates, and adjust strategies to optimize results. This ongoing evaluation helps ensure that the service continues to meet evolving business needs and delivers practical improvements in efficiency, risk control, and commercial performance for years to come and beyond.
We begin with a discovery session to understand your business, risk landscape, and objectives. Next, we outline an engagement plan, set expectations, and establish communication channels. Ongoing steps include regular advisory meetings, document reviews, and milestone tracking. You receive ongoing updates and demonstrated progress as we address governance, contracts, and regulatory matters while remaining responsive to new priorities.
During the initial phase, we assess your current legal posture, identify gaps, and define the scope of the engagement. We gather essential documents, clarify goals, and establish metrics to measure success. This step creates a practical roadmap for governance, risk management, and policy development, ensuring the project starts with a clear direction and measurable outcomes.
Part one focuses on listening to leadership and key departments to understand priorities, concerns, and decision making. We document processes, gather existing policies, and identify regulatory touchpoints. The aim is to align legal work with business objectives while establishing trust and a practical framework for ongoing collaboration across departments and projects.
Part two moves from discovery to design. We draft or refine policies, controls, and governance structures, mapping ownership and accountability. This stage produces documented procedures, approval workflows, and clear monitoring mechanisms so tasks stay on track and executives understand responsibilities. We also establish escalation paths and performance indicators to guide future reviews.
During the second step, we translate plans into action. We implement approved governance frameworks, deploy contract templates, and set up dashboards to track progress. Our team collaborates with internal stakeholders to test processes in real time, make adjustments, and ensure that policy changes are integrated into daily operations with minimal disruption.
We establish key performance indicators and reporting routines so leadership can see progress at a glance. This description covers data sources, frequency of updates, and how issues are escalated. The aim is transparency, steady improvement, and alignment with strategic milestones. Clear communication makes decisions easier and speeds execution for all.
We perform ongoing compliance checks, monitor regulatory updates, and adjust controls as needed. This ensures the company remains aligned with laws and industry standards, while reducing the risk of penalties or operational interruptions arising from outdated policies. Regular audits and management reviews reinforce accountability and continuous improvement across departments everywhere.
Final step focuses on evaluation and refinement. We assess outcomes against objectives, update strategies, and adjust resources as needed. Ongoing feedback loops with leadership ensure the program remains relevant, efficient, and aligned with evolving market conditions and regulatory expectations. The goal is durable results and sustained value for years to come and beyond.
We review performance data, collect stakeholder feedback, and identify opportunities for improvement. This part of the process translates lessons learned into updated practices, templates, and training that help teams apply the governance framework consistently across initiatives. Continuous learning underpins long term success. We document findings and share insights with the organization.
This segment emphasizes ongoing improvement. We revise templates, update checklists, and refine procedures based on results and changing conditions. The aim is to maintain relevance, enhance efficiency, and ensure that governance and compliance remain integrated with daily operations while driving sustainable value for your organization over time and beyond consistently.
At the Frankfort Law Group, we take great pride in our commitment to personal service. Clients come to us because they have problems, and they depend upon us to help them find solutions. We take these obligations seriously. When you meet with us, we know that you are only doing so because you need help. Since we started our firm in northeast Illinois, we have focused on providing each of our clients with personal attention. You do not have to be afraid to tell us your story. We are not here to judge you or make you feel ashamed for seeking help. Our only goal is to help you get results and move past your current legal problems.
At the Frankfort Law Group, we take great pride in our commitment to personal service. Clients come to us because they have problems, and they depend upon us to help them find solutions. We take these obligations seriously. When you meet with us, we know that you are only doing so because you need help. Since we started our firm in northeast Illinois, we have focused on providing each of our clients with personal attention. You do not have to be afraid to tell us your story. We are not here to judge you or make you feel ashamed for seeking help. Our only goal is to help you get results and move past your current legal problems.
Outside general counsel is a service model where a law firm provides ongoing legal guidance to support your business needs. It delivers strategic advice, contract review, policy development, and risk management without the fixed cost of a full time attorney on staff. This arrangement can be scaled up or down as your company grows or shifts priorities. We tailor the program to your industry and size, offering flexible terms, predictable budgeting, and responsive support. This model is designed to complement internal resources rather than replace them.
Companies at various stages can benefit from outsourced counsel. Startups seeking scalable legal input, mid sized firms expanding operations, or mature businesses facing complex compliance landscapes all find value in flexible guidance. The service works well when governance needs evolve, contracts require regular oversight, or leadership wants a steady legal partner without growing the in house team. We collaborate with your leaders to define priorities, establish milestones, and deliver practical documents and processes. You receive ongoing access to counsel for routine questions, policy revisions, and strategic planning while keeping internal teams focused on core operations. This balance helps maintain momentum and reduce risk across the organization and teams.
Typical services cover governance advice, contract review and negotiation, policy development, regulatory monitoring, and risk assessment. The package may also include board support, employment matters, and assistance with major transactions. The emphasis is on practical guidance designed to help the leadership team act confidently and maintain compliance across critical areas. By tailoring the scope, we align the work with your priorities, ensuring timely updates and clear deliverables. You receive ongoing access to counsel for routine questions, policy revisions, and strategic planning while keeping internal teams focused on core operations. This balance helps maintain momentum and reduce risk across departments too.
Pricing is typically described as a predictable monthly or quarterly retainer, with additional charges for one off matters outside the agreed scope. The arrangement aims to provide budgeting clarity and avoid surprise invoices. We work with you to set a fair rate based on scope, hours, and level of involvement. Transparent pricing helps you plan and compare options, and we can tailor plans to fit your cash flow and project timelines. You will see defined deliverables, milestones, and a path for adjusting charges if priorities shift. This approach keeps expectations aligned and supports long term collaboration too.
Yes, outside general counsel can help with employment matters such as policy updates, wage and hour compliance, handbook revisions, and counseling on employee relations. The guidance is pragmatic and proactive, reducing risk and supporting fair, lawful practices across the organization and teams. We tailor advice to your industry and size. By handling policy creation and regulatory considerations, we help HR teams focus on people, culture, and performance. You receive clear documentation, minimal disruption, and timely updates as laws evolve. The collaboration aims to keep wage practices, safety programs, and employee relations compliant while supporting growth.
Support for board governance includes preparing meeting materials, documenting decisions, and ensuring compliance with reporting requirements. We assist with meeting cadence, risk disclosure, and policies that guide executive action. The aim is to provide reliable information for board members to make informed choices. We provide templates for minutes, disclosure schedules, and committee charters to streamline your process. An ongoing relationship with outside counsel supports continuity, accountability, and timely updates on governance developments. This approach minimizes surprises and helps the board stay aligned with management, investors, and regulatory expectations.
Markets across Illinois and neighboring states rely on our practical approach. We work with startups, family owned businesses, and growing enterprises in manufacturing, services, technology, and retail. The service is flexible enough to accommodate different scales and regulatory environments while maintaining consistent guidance. We tailor engagements to fit distinct needs and budgets. This ensures helpful support without unnecessary overhead while achieving meaningful outcomes and schedules for ongoing collaboration.
Yes, we often include training for teams on governance, contract basics, and compliance processes. Knowledge transfer helps internal staff manage routine tasks and maintain standards between reviews. Training materials, checklists, and short sessions are designed to be practical and easy to implement. We customize content for roles and departments specifically. Clients appreciate reusable templates and step by step guidance that can be used long after formal sessions. Ongoing knowledge transfer helps your team sustain improvements and reduces reliance on external resources.
Data privacy and security are essential in today’s environment. We follow best practices for handling confidential information, implement access controls, and use secure communication channels. Our processes emphasize lawful data handling, retention, and disposal, with clear roles and responsibilities. We also conduct risk assessments and require vendor safeguards where appropriate. When working with outside counsel, we prioritize data protection, secure storage, and compliant transmission. We train teams on phishing awareness, incident reporting, and safeguarding sensitive information to minimize exposure and protect clients. Ongoing monitoring and audits help ensure continued compliance across systems and processes. We tailor safeguards to your industry.
Engagement terms vary but commonly run in multi month blocks with options for quarterly or annual renewal. The initial period allows both sides to align expectations and determine scope, after which performance and needs guide renewal decisions. We aim to provide predictable budgeting and steady support while remaining flexible to adjust the arrangement. Clients appreciate a transparent process for extending or modifying service levels, ensuring continuity without abrupt changes. We discuss terms at regular intervals and adjust based on growth, new requirements, or shifts in priorities and budgets.