What Growing Companies Don’t Realize They Need

The Real Role of a Fractional GC

Your company has legal counsel, but who’s watching the gaps?

It is intriguing how most growing companies and many established companies think “legal” starts and ends with contracts and compliance, or only something you deal with only for certain situations that arise. Someone drafts the NDA, reviews the customer agreement, and maybe checks the employee handbook once in a while. Box checked. Every company needs some sort of legal strategy. 

But here’s the truth: legal paperwork doesn’t equal legal strategy.

This is where a Fractional General Counsel (GC) comes in—and why it’s one of the most overlooked tools for scaling companies. Shockingly, most companies don't even realize a resource like this even exists, and even fewer know how to actually utilize a GC. A fractional GC isn’t just a lawyer on call, or someone that only drafts and reviews contracts; they operate as a strategic partner, helping your business see around corners you didn’t know were there. A good fractional GC will be regularly meeting with the management team and is fully aware of the overall strategic business plan, direction and operations of a company.

Here’s what that looks like in real life:

• Shaping Risk Strategy: Most businesses react to risk. A fractional GC advises around risk, and risk tolerance to aid management teams on their decision making ahead of any event. They also work with companies to build proactive systems to prevent issues from ever landing on your desk, or worse - in court. 

• Aligning Departments: Marketing launches a campaign, Sales negotiates a new pricing model, Ops rolls out a new vendor, who’s connecting the legal dots across these moves? Your fractional GC can ensure the left hand knows what the right hand is signing. We all know the propensity of different divisions to be cavalier, or overly conservative about one area within their own department. But, when one department is cavalier, or overly conservative when speaking for another department, mis-alignment and legal issues can follow. Working through a GC can hopefully avoid some of these pitfalls.

• Uncovering Blind Spots: Many risks hide in plain sight, misclassified contractors, auto-renewing vendor contracts, forgotten IP assignments, or that “handshake” deal from two years ago. Fractional GCs are trained to spot the cracks before they become lawsuits or lost revenue.

• Navigating Regulatory Environments: Every business operates within some level of regulation from consumer protection, licensing, HR compliance, and industry-specific rules. A fractional GC aligns your compliance strategy with your growth plan to keep you ahead of risk. 

Here’s the irony: The companies that think they don’t need this resource are the ones that need it most. They already have "legal counsel", but no one is watching the gaps between the contracts where the real risks usually live. Many management teams don't see or contemplate where legal interacts with their strategy until after it becomes a legal issue.

I see this constantly when stepping in as a fractional GC. Within weeks, we uncover exposures that could cost 5–6 figures or threaten deals. And often, these weren’t legal “mistakes.” They were structural blind spots or things the business didn’t even know to look for. When it comes to my personal practice, with a background in business, I often see items brought up by management teams that are thought of as legal that are more of a business question, and I also have seen leaders working on business plans while completely oblivious to the legal risks, or have other legal compliance issues they are needlessly exposing their businesses to. 

Great fractional GCs don’t just partner with legal and compliance; they act as business-savvy advisors, giving leadership a sounding board for strategic decisions that span both business and legal risk.

If your company is quickly growing, ask yourself:

• Who is making sure your strategy and your contracts, and policies actually match?

• Who is thinking about legal before the risk shows up, not after?

• Who is looking across the business, not just at a single document at a time?

That’s the hidden role, and the real value, of a fractional GC.

I’m curious: What’s the biggest blind spot you’ve ever seen in a growing company?