- 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
Frankfort Law Group offers a practical approach to leading a business’s legal function without maintaining a full in-house department. As a local Illinois firm serving Will County, we partner with leadership to align strategy, compliance, risk management, and day-to-day legal tasks. By acting as an extension of your team, we provide timely guidance on contracts, governance, and regulatory matters while remaining flexible to your company’s growth and budget.
An outside general counsel arrangement delivers leadership on essential matters such as contract management, governance, and risk oversight. Instead of reactive advisement, our guidance is proactive, integrated with your leadership cadence, and tailored to your industry and locality. In Lakewood Shores and broader Illinois, we help you establish scalable processes, implement robust contract review, manage vendor relationships, and respond swiftly to regulatory changes. This model keeps legal costs predictable while ensuring you have a trusted partner for growth, acquisitions, or day-to-day operations.
Choosing an outside general counsel helps align legal strategy with business goals while maintaining cost discipline. You gain leadership on essential matters such as contract management, risk assessment, and regulatory compliance without the overhead of a full in-house team. The arrangement provides continuity across leadership transitions and reduces the risk of scattered advice. Local knowledge of Illinois and Will County requirements supports timely decisions, stronger governance, and a steadier path through complex transactions and potential disputes.
Frankfort Law Group supports businesses across Illinois with a practical, client-focused approach. Our team combines years of operating in Will County markets with broad experience in corporate governance, contract negotiation, and dispute avoidance. We work closely with leaders to translate business objectives into clear, actionable legal plans. Our lawyers collaborate across disciplines to deliver timely counsel, robust documentation, and careful risk management that respects budget constraints while advancing growth. This approach makes legal leadership accessible and aligned with everyday business operations.
Outside general counsel is a flexible arrangement that replaces or augments an in-house legal team with strategic leadership. It covers contract drafting and review, litigation coordination, policy development, and regulatory monitoring. The goal is to provide proactive guidance, not just reactive advice, so decisions are informed, compliant, and aligned with your corporate plan. Our approach emphasizes collaboration with executives, finance, HR, and operations to ensure that legal considerations support efficiency and growth.
Onboarding begins with a clear discovery of your objectives, risk tolerance, and preferred workflows. We align with your budgeting approach and establish reporting cadence, performance metrics, and escalation paths. The relationship is designed to adapt as the business evolves, from early-stage companies to mature operations. Regular reviews keep expectations aligned, ensure access to counsel when needed, and make it easier to address governance, compliance, and transactional needs without delays.
Outside general counsel refers to a retained legal leadership model where a firm provides senior guidance to a company as an ongoing, integrated partner rather than through project-by-project advice. It includes governance oversight, contract strategy, risk assessment, and policy development. This approach helps streamline decision making, align legal work with business goals, and reduce the risk of inconsistent advice. It adapts to company size, sector, and regulatory environment while maintaining a steady stream of timely, practical legal support.
Key elements include governance frameworks, contract lifecycle management, risk identification, policy development, and compliance monitoring. Processes focus on proactive assessment, regular communication with leadership, and scalable workflows that handle daily obligations and strategic initiatives. By integrating a repeatable process for reviewing key agreements, tracking regulatory changes, and auditing internal controls, the outside general counsel helps maintain discipline and responsiveness across departments while preserving flexibility for growth.
Glossary terms provide quick definitions for common concepts used in an outside general counsel engagement. This resource explains governance, contract lifecycle, risk assessment, compliance, and related topics in plain language. Use these terms to better understand how legal leadership integrates with business operations and decision making. The glossary is designed to support ongoing collaboration between leadership and legal counsel as the relationship evolves with your company’s needs.
Governance and Compliance describe the structures, policies, and controls that guide how a company operates legally and ethically. Governance sets the framework for decision making, accountability, and oversight, while compliance ensures adherence to applicable laws, regulations, and internal standards. In practice, this term covers board processes, risk assessment, policy updates, and audit trails that help protect the organization and its stakeholders. A sound governance and compliance program supports sustainable growth and reduces the likelihood of regulatory penalties.
Contract Lifecycle Management refers to the end-to-end process of creating, negotiating, executing, monitoring, and renewing contracts. It includes standardized templates, approval workflows, version control, and post-execution governance. Effective management reduces risk, ensures compliance with obligations, and improves visibility into commitments across the organization. In an outside general counsel relationship, a clear contract lifecycle helps teams move faster, aligns negotiations with business goals, and provides a reliable record for audits and dispute resolution.
Risk Management encompasses identifying, evaluating, and mitigating threats to the organization’s objectives. This includes legal, regulatory, operational, and reputational risks. An effective process prioritizes issues by impact and likelihood, prescribes corrective actions, and tracks outcomes over time. In the context of outside general counsel, risk management is embedded in contract reviews, policy updates, and governance decisions, helping leadership make informed choices that protect value while supporting growth and resilience.
Regulatory Compliance refers to adhering to applicable laws, regulations, and industry standards that affect how a business operates. It includes monitoring changes, implementing policy updates, training personnel, and documenting controls to demonstrate due diligence. For a Lakewood Shores company, this means staying current with Illinois state laws, local ordinances, and relevant sector rules. The aim is to reduce penalties, preserve reputation, and support smooth operations through clear, actionable guidance and ongoing oversight.
Organizations weigh several routes for legal leadership, including building an in-house team, retaining a law firm for limited projects, or engaging an outside general counsel. Each option has different cost structures, response times, and levels of integration with business operations. An outside general counsel offers strategic guidance, consistent leadership, and scalable services without the fixed overhead of a full in-house department. This balance often suits growing companies seeking steady governance, clear budgets, and flexible support.
Certain situations benefit from a lean level of legal leadership, such as smaller organizations or specific project lifecycles. A limited approach focuses on essential risk and governance tasks while maintaining close collaboration with senior executives. This model keeps costs predictable and allows rapid access to senior guidance without committing to a full-time legal function. It is well suited for startups, seasonal operations, or transitional periods when the business prioritizes agility.
Another scenario calls for quick, decisive legal input on time-sensitive matters such as contract negotiations, regulatory inquiries, or incident response. A limited approach provides an escalation path to senior counsel while avoiding delays caused by assembling a full team. By maintaining a core level of leadership and clear communication channels, leadership receives timely guidance that supports decisions, reduces risk, and keeps initiatives moving forward.
Comprehensive legal service addresses a broad spectrum of needs across growth, governance, and risk. It ensures that policy updates, contract programs, and regulatory monitoring stay synchronized with business plans. A complete approach reduces gaps where critical issues might otherwise slip through the cracks, supporting consistent messaging and decisions across departments. It is particularly valuable during growth phases, governance changes, or reorganizations where a broad perspective prevents misalignment and preserves operational momentum.
Additionally, a broad engagement supports regulatory readiness, due diligence, and long-term planning. It helps you establish consistent standards, training, and internal controls that can scale with the organization. When your business contemplates acquisitions, new markets, or significant contracts, this approach provides a cohesive framework. The outcome is a stable baseline for decision making, more predictable outcomes, and a stronger foundation for sustaining competitive advantage in Illinois and beyond.
Adopting a comprehensive approach aligns legal work with the company’s goals, creating efficiency and consistency across departments. It improves risk visibility, supports better forecasting, and reduces last-minute firefighting. With centralized guidance, teams operate with a shared understanding of obligations, deadlines, and expected outcomes. This coordination enables faster decision making on strategic initiatives such as mergers, partnerships, and expansions while keeping the organization on a steady regulatory and operational course.
Another advantage is better risk distribution and resilience. A broad program distributes responsibility across specialists and teams, ensuring coverage across legal, compliance, and governance. When issues arise, there is a clear path for escalation and resolution, reducing delays and tension. This approach also enhances investor and partner confidence by demonstrating a mature, well-documented framework for handling sensitive matters and strategic initiatives.
Before engaging an outside general counsel, outline your top business objectives, critical risks, and preferred communication styles. Share relevant financial or operational data to help shape priorities and ensure alignment with budget. Establish a basic service level and escalation path so you can obtain timely input when decisions are needed. When leadership agrees on goals, the legal partner can deliver more targeted guidance and steady support across projects.
Ask for clear milestones and progress updates. Schedule regular check-ins with the legal partner to review open items, upcoming deadlines, and shifting priorities. Document decisions in a shared repository and confirm expectations after each milestone. Clear communication helps teams stay aligned, reduces surprises, and keeps legal and business leaders working from a common playbook.
Growing businesses often face decision points where strategic legal leadership adds value beyond routine advice. An outside general counsel can provide direction on governance, risk management, and major contracts while keeping internal resources focused on core operations. This model also offers flexible capacity, enabling you to scale legal activity with demand and align spending with revenue cycles. For Lakewood Shores companies navigating regulatory changes and competitive markets, having a reliable legal partner helps stabilize growth.
Consider this model when your leadership seeks faster decision making, more consistent policy enforcement, and clearer budgeting for legal needs. An OGC arrangement reduces the risk of missed deadlines, inconsistent contract terms, and fragmented counsel. It also supports succession planning by providing a steady source of knowledge and process, even when team members transition. In short, it helps your organization maintain momentum while preserving control over legal spend.
Typical scenarios include rapid growth, complex contract portfolios, or schedules that require tight governance. Companies facing regulatory updates, misalignment between departments, or risks that could impact operations may benefit from centralized leadership. A Lakewood Shores business also finds value when preparing for financing rounds, acquisitions, or significant vendor arrangements. In these contexts, outside general counsel provides a coordinated perspective, enabling timely decisions while keeping internal teams focused on core activities.
Rapid contract growth, where dozens of agreements require consistent terms and governance. In such cases, a centralized approach reduces duplication, accelerates reviews, and ensures standard provisions are used consistently. This helps management maintain alignment with risk tolerances and budget limits, while avoiding delays that could affect business momentum. Even when contract volume rises, the structure remains scalable and adaptable to changing needs.
Strategic negotiations and major vendor commitments where consistent terms, risk allocation, and clear accountability are essential. When negotiations involve multiple stakeholders or cross-border considerations, a centralized counsel helps maintain a coherent position, reduces miscommunications, and ensures that obligations are clearly defined. The outcome is faster closures, reduced renegotiation, and a stronger foundation for ongoing supplier relationships.
Regulatory inquiries or audits requiring coordinated responses across departments. When regulators show interest or investigations arise, a single point of contact with governance and compliance oversight helps ensure timely submissions, consistent messaging, and defensible records. This organized approach minimizes disruption to daily operations and supports a calm, methodical path through regulatory processes.
Frankfort Law Group is ready to provide practical legal leadership for Lakewood Shores businesses. We partner with owners and leadership teams to protect value, navigate risk, and facilitate growth. From contract reviews to governance planning, our approach emphasizes clear communication, accountability, and predictable costs. Whether you seek ongoing guidance or targeted support for a project, we stand ready to help you make informed decisions and keep operations compliant.
Choosing our firm provides practical leadership, reliable guidance, and a steady legal partner for Illinois businesses. We tailor our services to your needs, scale with your growth, and integrate with your teams to support day-to-day decisions and strategic initiatives. Our focus is on clear communication, practical outcomes, and transparent pricing. In Lakewood Shores and beyond, we work to minimize risk, protect assets, and help you achieve your business objectives.
We bring a local presence, cost-conscious management, and collaborative processes that respect your industry and market realities. Our approach emphasizes practical solutions, accessible counsel, and timely execution. You receive governance guidance, risk assessment, and contract support without a heavy internal footprint. This combination enables your leadership to focus on growth while maintaining confidence that legal matters are managed consistently and compliantly.
Additionally, a partner familiar with the Lakewood Shores area can streamline regulatory interactions, coordinate cross-functional teams, and address issues before they escalate. We strive to deliver measurable value through clarity, consistency, and predictable processes. Our clients appreciate practical guidance that respects budget and timelines while enabling them to pursue opportunities with confidence.
Our approach begins with listening to your objectives, followed by a tailored plan that aligns with your budget and schedule. We set clear milestones, provide regular updates, and maintain open channels for questions. From onboarding through ongoing governance, you will have access to senior counsel who guide decisions, coordinate with your teams, and review critical documents. This process focuses on practical, timely support that helps you meet goals while staying compliant.
Step one centers on discovery and design. We gather business objectives, examine existing contracts and policies, identify key risks, and map out the governance framework. The goal is to create a practical plan that integrates with your operations, assigns responsibilities, and sets measurable outcomes. By documenting current processes, you gain clarity on gaps and opportunities, which paves the way for efficient execution and smoother collaboration across teams.
Drafting and policy alignment form the core of this step. We refine contract templates, standardize language, and ensure provisions reflect your risk tolerance and business terms. The process includes a review cycle with stakeholders to validate commercial considerations while preserving compliance. Clear documentation ensures that decisions are transparent and repeatable, enabling teams to operate with confidence during negotiations and execution.
Additionally, risk flags are identified early, and corresponding mitigations are documented. We align with finance, HR, and operations to ensure that contracts and policies reflect practical realities while meeting regulatory expectations. This collaborative approach reduces ambiguity, speeds up approvals, and sets up a strong foundation for subsequent steps while maintaining flexibility for changing circumstances.
Step two focuses on implementation and execution. We translate the plan into practice, set up governance dashboards, implement contract management routines, and establish monitoring for compliance. The team coordinates with internal stakeholders to address open items, update policies, and track performance. This phase emphasizes steady progress, timely updates, and alignment with your strategic priorities while preserving the ability to respond to changing legal requirements.
Implementation of contract workflows and governance metrics is the focus here. We standardize approval paths, assign ownership, and implement dashboards to monitor milestones. The process includes periodic reviews of vendor performance and risk exposure, ensuring that obligations are met and corrective actions are taken promptly. Clear records and consistent practices enable efficient audits, smoother negotiations, and better alignment with business goals.
Regulatory watching and readiness are embedded within ongoing activities. We track changes in laws and regulations that affect your sector, assess potential impacts, and recommend timely policy updates. The interface with compliance teams helps prevent gaps and ensures that your organization remains in good standing. This step builds resilience by translating legal risk into practical actions and responsibilities across departments.
Step three emphasizes review, adjustment, and continuous improvement. We monitor outcomes, update templates, and refine processes based on results and changing business needs. The focus remains on practical implementation, ensuring that governance remains effective without becoming burdensome. Regular recaps with leadership help ensure momentum and maintain alignment with strategic priorities as the organization evolves.
Continuous improvement through feedback loops. We capture lessons from contracts, compliance reviews, and governance actions, then apply refinements across templates and workflows. The emphasis is on tangible enhancements that reduce friction, shorten cycles, and clarify responsibilities. Leaders receive concise summaries and action items to keep teams aligned as the business adapts to new opportunities and regulatory expectations.
Finally, governance and compliance remain visible through dashboards, reports, and executive briefings. We provide ongoing oversight and maintain a library of approved policies, templates, and decision records. This creates a transparent, repeatable framework that supports steady progress and reduces surprises during audits or inquiries. The result is a resilient organization with clear expectations and reliable systems.
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 leadership model where a law firm provides ongoing strategic legal guidance to a business as if it were an internal function. It covers governance, contract strategy, risk management, compliance, and policy development. Unlike project-based work, this relationship emphasizes continuity, availability, and alignment with business goals. It is designed to scale with your needs and budget while delivering practical, timely counsel. Typical engagements begin with discovery, then a tailored plan, and ongoing collaboration. You will have a designated partner and team to coordinate with executives, finance, and operations. The service adapts to growth, downturns, and regulatory changes, offering predictable costs and consistent guidance. Our relationship is practical, accessible, and focused on outcomes.
Onboarding begins with a discovery session to understand your business, current contracts, and risk priorities. We map existing processes, identify gaps, and set expectations for communication, reporting, and response times. A practical plan is then drafted, including a governance structure and schedule for reviews. The goal is to integrate with your leadership and operations so you can access senior-level guidance without the overhead of an internal department. Implementation proceeds with defined milestones, regular updates, and open access to the assigned counsel. You can expect ongoing alignment with budgets and schedules, plus periodic reviews to adjust to new business developments. Our goal is to deliver steady support and maintain momentum throughout the relationship.
Services included typically cover governance and compliance guidance, contract drafting and review, risk assessment, policy development, training, and vendor management. We tailor the scope to your needs, ensuring coverage across essential domains without duplicating internal resources. The engagement can scale with your growth, adding more complex matters as required, such as mergers, financing, or regulatory diligence. Pricing is typically structured as a predictable monthly retainer with allowances for substantial project work. We discuss options upfront and tailor a plan that aligns with your cash flow, anticipated needs, and growth plans. The goal is clarity and flexibility to support steady operations.
Pricing can be structured in several ways. Retainer models provide predictable monthly costs while allowing access to a team of lawyers for ongoing guidance. Hybrid models may blend a fixed monthly fee with approved project-based work. We discuss options upfront and tailor a plan that aligns with your cash flow, anticipated needs, and growth plans. The goal is clarity and flexibility to support steady operations. Financial terms are transparent, and invoices detail services rendered, hours avoided, and any unusual charges. We aim to prevent budget surprises by providing clear scopes and change-management procedures. If priorities shift, we adjust the plan with minimal friction and communicate expected impact. This approach helps leadership maintain control over legal spending while receiving high-quality, practical guidance.
Primary contact will be a named attorney partner supported by a selected team. This ensures continuity and accountability for your account. You will have direct access to the partner during scheduled intervals and on-demand support for urgent matters. The structure supports consistent communication, predictable response times, and collaboration with your internal stakeholders across legal, finance, and operations. We also offer team-based access that adapts to your evolving needs. If you anticipate rapid growth, you can tap additional resources without the friction of hiring. If you require focused support for a single project, we can align around milestones and deliverables while maintaining oversight.
Outside general counsel can support growth and acquisitions by providing due diligence coordination, contract synthesis, and post-transaction governance planning. We help you assess risk, structure consideration, and integrate acquired entities into your governance framework. The relationship remains ongoing after closing, ensuring policies, controls, and reporting stay aligned with your strategic objectives. Post-close coordination often reduces integration risk, speeds up synergy realization, and supports continued governance discipline. We help you establish post-merger policies, align budgeting, and set up governance dashboards to monitor combined operations. The aim is to preserve value, minimize disruption, and maintain a straight line from strategic plan to daily execution.
Compared to a traditional in-house team, outside general counsel provides strategic liquidity and governance oversight without the fixed salary, benefits, and overhead. You gain access to seasoned leadership across issues like contracts, compliance, and risk, with the ability to scale resources on demand. The relationship focuses on business outcomes, not just legal outputs, and is designed to integrate with existing leadership and operations. For some clients, this arrangement reduces time to decision, improves accountability, and enhances cross-functional collaboration. It also provides continuity during leadership transitions and ensures governance remains steady. Our team adapts to your schedule and communication preferences, offering on-site presence in Lakewood Shores when needed and remote support otherwise.
Some engagements set a minimum commitment to ensure continuity and return on investment. However, we typically offer flexible terms that can scale down or up with your needs. Our aim is to provide stable legal leadership while respecting your preferred duration and budget. The initial alignment phase will clarify the expected time horizon and project-based requirements. If a client later wants to extend or modify the arrangement, we discuss options openly, re-scope work, and adjust pricing accordingly. Our priority is to make the transition smooth and transparent so you can plan with confidence. You will retain ongoing access to advice and governance across core matters.
We serve a broad set of industries within Illinois, including manufacturing, professional services, real estate, construction, and retail. Our practical approach to governance, contracts, and compliance translates across sectors. Local knowledge of Will County and state regulations helps inform decisions and reduce risk. Whether you are starting, scaling, or preparing for an exit, our team offers steady leadership to support operations. Industries vary in their regulatory exposure and contract complexity, but the core need remains the same: reliable guidance that helps the business move forward. We tailor our services to your sector, delivering governance and contract support that aligns with your goals. Our relationship is designed to be practical, accessible, and responsive, providing a resilient legal backbone for day-to-day decisions and longer-term plans.
Starting is straightforward. Reach out to schedule a discovery session with our Illinois team. We’ll gather information about your business, risk priorities, and existing processes, then propose a tailored plan that fits your budget and timeline. The initial phase focuses on alignment and setting expectations for governance, reporting, and collaboration. You will receive a clear path forward with defined milestones and responsibilities. From there, we commence the engagement with regular updates and open channels for questions. The relationship evolves with your business, adding or refining services as needed. You’ll have access to experienced counsel who can guide negotiations, risk reviews, and governance improvements while keeping within the agreed budget.