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Business Attorneys and Outside General Counsel for Gulf Coast Companies
Outside general counsel, fractional chief legal officers, and litigators helping Gulf Coast businesses prevent problems, make confident decisions, and resolve disputes.
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Recognition for Service, Trust, and Growth
Firmwide honors reflect OCL’s legal work and community reputation across the Gulf Coast and Southeast.
2026 Nappie Awards Finalist
2026 Best Law Firms® Rankings
2026 Inc. Regionals Southeast
Innovative Legal Support for Forward-Thinking Businesses
Outside Chief Legal removes what keeps business owners from calling a lawyer: intimidation, unpredictable cost, and language written for other lawyers.
We serve as Fractional Chief Legal Officers and Outside General Counsel, providing the legal department your company would build without adding anyone to payroll. Over 200 years of combined boardroom and courtroom experience, guiding organizations from startup through exit.
KEY TAKEAWAYS ABOUT WORKING WITH OCL
Legal Support That Fits the Way Your Organization Operates
Cost-Effective Legal Solutions
Fixed monthly plans from $799. No hourly meter, no surprise invoice.
Legal Guidance to Scale
Month-to-month plans that move up when your business does.
Tailored Legal Support
We learn your business from the inside, so nothing starts from zero.
Strategic Business Partner
Attorneys who have run businesses, and answer the business question too.
Business-Savvy Legal Expertise
Your best interest comes first. We reassess it as the matter changes.
Find your starting point
Which legal path fits?
Four quick questions can point you toward the right part of the firm and the right next conversation.
What brings you here today?
Where is the business right now?
How soon does the issue need attention?
Which topic is closest to the need?
This selector is educational and is not legal advice.
In The Boardroom
Boardroom counsel covers advisory, transactional, governance, and compliance work. OCL can handle a defined matter as a standalone engagement. When those needs recur across the business, a Partner Plan provides ongoing access without adding an attorney to payroll.
Outside General Counsel / Fractional CLO
Daily contracts, leadership advice, risk, and governance.
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Corporate Governance & Structure
Formation, bylaws, boards, equity splits, and ownership changes.
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Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management
Compliance audits, policies, licensing, and internal investigations.
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Strategic Transactions & M&A
Buy-side and sell-side, pre-LOI through closing.
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Contracts & Commercial Agreements
Drafting, review, negotiation, and reusable templates built for you.
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Employment & Workforce Management
Handbooks, HR policy, hiring, separations, and restrictive covenants.
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Executive Compensation & Incentives
Equity, options, phantom stock, claw-backs, and 409A.
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Intellectual Property
Trademarks, copyrights, licensing, and brand enforcement.
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Real Estate & Property
Leases, purchases, zoning, title, and landlord-tenant matters.
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Policy Development & Information Security
SOPs, codes of conduct, privacy, and cybersecurity programs.
Learn More ›In The Courtroom
With thousands of hours of courtroom experience, we represent businesses whether you need to pursue a claim or defend against one. Most disputes settle before trial. They settle on better terms when the other side can see you are prepared to try it.
Business & Commercial Litigation
Contract, ownership, partnership, and vendor disputes.
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Construction Litigation
Payment disputes, defects, delays, storm damage, and liens.
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Alternative Dispute Resolution
Mediation and arbitration, by certified mediators and arbitrators.
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Insurance (Coverage, Liability & Bad Faith)
Coverage disputes, bad faith, and duty-to-defend fights.
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Intellectual Property Litigation
Trademark and copyright disputes, enforcement, and cease-and-desist work.
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Professional Liability
Defense of licensed professionals, including board proceedings.
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Employment / Labor Litigation
Discrimination, EEOC, and restrictive-covenant claims.
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Product Liability
Defect and failure-to-warn defense for manufacturers and resellers.
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Workers’ Compensation
Defense of employers, carriers, and third-party administrators.
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Personal Injury & Premises Liability
Premises, slip-and-fall, and injury defense.
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Dram Shop / Liquor Liability
Representation for bars, restaurants, and hospitality businesses.
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Wrongful Death / Catastrophic Injury
Fatal and life-altering injury claims.
Learn More ›When a matter requires counsel in another jurisdiction or a specialized area outside OCL’s direct scope, we help the client evaluate and retain qualified local or specialty counsel. OCL can remain involved as a strategic point of contact, helping coordinate the legal team, maintain business context, and keep the representation aligned with the organization’s broader objectives.
HEAR FROM OUR CLIENTS
Trust, In Their Own Words
More than 75% of new matters come from existing clients or referrals. Their words offer the clearest picture of what it is like to work with OCL.
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Every matter is different. Testimonials describe individual experiences and do not guarantee a similar result.
Your Risk-Free Strategy Session
Book a Strategy Session
Thirty minutes or a full hour, by phone, video, or in person. Send your documents ahead. We read them first.
Get answers, not a pitch
Direct answers, your real options, and what to do next. Sometimes that is a single project. Sometimes it is a plan.
We come see the business
We like to start on site: your operation, your team, and how the company actually runs day to day.
A deposit reserves the attorney’s time and the prep that goes into it. Retain us and it credits toward your retainer.
Fixed-Fee Legal Partnership, Built to Scale
Month-to-month plans. Litigation and specialized matters are billed separately at discounted Partner rates.
Growth Counsel
Scaling teams managing contracts, HR, and compliance.
Cornerstone Counsel
Established companies that want counsel embedded in the business.
Business Counsel Across the Gulf Coast
Outside Chief Legal serves businesses across the Alabama Gulf Coast, Northwest Florida, and Southern Mississippi. Start with your region, then choose the local market that best fits your business.
Alabama Gulf Coast
Business counsel for companies across Mobile, Baldwin County, and the connected South Alabama coast.
Northwest Florida
Florida-licensed counsel for businesses in Pensacola and the surrounding Northwest Florida market.
Southern Mississippi
Mississippi-licensed counsel serving companies along the coast and across the Southern Mississippi business corridor.
Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula, Bay St. Louis, and nearby communities
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an outside general counsel?
An outside general counsel is a lawyer or firm that performs the role of an in-house legal department without being employed by the company. Instead of hiring an attorney onto payroll, a business retains outside general counsel for its ongoing legal work, including contracts, employment questions, compliance, and disputes, usually for a fixed monthly fee.
What is the difference between a general counsel and a fractional Chief Legal Officer?
A general counsel manages day-to-day legal risk: contracts, litigation, compliance. A Chief Legal Officer works a level above that, folding legal considerations into governance, growth, and executive decisions. Outside Chief Legal provides both functions from outside the company. That is where the name comes from.
How much does outside general counsel cost?
Our Partner Plans are $799 a month for Launch Access, $1,499 for Growth Counsel, and $2,499 for Cornerstone Counsel, with custom pricing for businesses running multiple entities. Plans are month-to-month. Litigation, court appearances, and highly specialized matters fall outside plan scope and are billed separately at discounted rates for Partner clients.
When should a business hire in-house counsel instead?
As a rule of thumb, once annual legal spend approaches $300,000 to $350,000, unless your industry or circumstances require someone full-time sooner. Below that, an in-house hire usually costs more than the work it replaces, and covers less of it. When you do reach that point, we will help you find and vet the hire.
Do you replace the lawyers we already use?
Not necessarily. We regularly work alongside existing outside counsel and in-house teams, adding capacity, a specialty, or local counsel. When a matter falls outside our practice areas or jurisdictions, we identify the right attorney, make the introduction, and stay involved to manage it.
What areas do you serve?
We are based in Mobile and Fairhope and serve businesses across the Gulf Coast. Our attorneys are licensed in Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi. When a matter falls elsewhere, we can advise on business strategy, identify appropriate local counsel, and remain involved as needed.
What happens in a Risk-Free Strategy Session?
A confidential conversation with an attorney can last thirty minutes or a full hour and can take place by phone, video, or in person. Send your contracts, demand letters, or suit papers in advance and the attorney reviews them beforehand, so the time goes to answers instead of background. A deposit reserves the time and credits toward your retainer if you engage us.
Do you handle litigation, or only business counsel?
Both. The firm is organized around two sides: the Boardroom, covering advisory, transactional, governance, and compliance work, and the Courtroom, covering litigation and dispute resolution. We handle most business litigation, with the exception of bankruptcy, criminal, and family law, which we refer to vetted counsel.
Can I hire OCL for one matter without joining a Partner Plan?
Yes. OCL evaluates appropriate standalone litigation, transactions, contract work, and advisory matters. If your business later develops recurring legal needs, we may recommend a Partner Plan, but a plan is not required to begin working with the firm.
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Let’s Talk Before You Need To
The best legal work happens before there is a problem to solve.