Legal Expertise at Your Fingertips

Outside Chief Legal (OCL) is redefining what it means to work with an attorney and have a legal partner. As a modern, approachable alternative to traditional law firms, we deliver preventive, solution-driven legal guidance seamlessly integrated with business strategy. Our mission is to protect and promote organizations by empowering them to thrive with confidence.

We specialize in supporting new and growing organizations seeking experienced legal leadership in a flexible, fractional or outside counsel format. By combining legal expertise with real business insight, we help you achieve your goals, protect what matters most, and navigate challenges as your trusted legal partner for the life of your business.

The name “Outside Chief Legal” reflects our firm’s role as an external or fractional, executive-level legal partner for your business – not a transactional hourly legal vendor or traditional law firm. 

Many start-up organizations and even large companies often require prompt advice on a wide range of legal issues but are not yet ready or do not want to hire a full-time in-house lawyer. Additionally, companies with existing in-house counsel or legal teams often cannot manage every legal request internally or want to avoid the expense of hiring more full-time attorneys. 

This is where Outside Chief Legal comes in. With OCL, clients gain the experience, judgment and partnership senior litigators, general counsels and chief legal officers, but only as much as involved desired and at a cost that fits your budget. We offer the depth and insight of in-house counsel, delivered by business-minded executives who understands your company’s goals.

We are not your traditional law firm. OCL combines the resources and expertise of a large firm with the personal touch and flexibility of a boutique practice. Our attorneys bring 100+ years of boardroom and courtroom experience and work on a fractional, on-demand basis —cutting general counsel costs to over 50%. With OCL, you gain approachable, accessible legal and business advisors who deliver C-suite strategy and practical business insight, all under one roof.

We are different in many other ways as well.  Clients choose OCL not just for our experience, but because we are accessible, approachable, and deeply committed to doing what is right for you. We communicate in straightforward, plain language so every client fully understands their options. Our style is refreshingly down-to-earth and direct, free from unnecessary formalities or layers of associates. We are only focused on our clients’ best interests, tailoring our advice and service to maximize your value, not ours. Billing is simple, flexible, and transparent. We offer alternative fee arrangements and subscription service plans that are rarely available elsewhere. Most importantly, we think differently – offering strategic solutions that go beyond the limits of traditional services.

OCL offers a wealth of advantages and many benefits to your organization some of which are as follows:

1. Cost-Effectiveness & Budget Control

When you engage OCL as outside general counsel or fractional chief legal officers, your company typically saves 30–50%+ compared to hiring full-time in-house counsel. There are no added costs such as benefits (which can average nearly 30% of base salary), recruitment, onboarding, or severance expenses. Our clients pay only for the legal guidance they need, whether on an hourly, project, subscription or retainer basis – eliminating overtime costs and unnecessary management overhead.

2. Immediate Impact & Reduced Downtime

OCL attorneys are prepared to deliver immediate value with no lengthy orientation. Unlike traditional hires, who may require months to integrate before making an impact, our lawyers rapidly fill essential legal gaps, minimizing the typical 90-day search for a permanent candidate and reducing risk during critical periods.

3. Flexibility, Scalability & Reduced Risk

Our services offer the versatility to adapt as your needs evolve. You can increase or decrease our involvement seamlessly, and if your circumstances change, the relationship can be adjusted or concluded without the complexity or risk associated with ending full-time employment. This flexibility helps protect your bottom line and ensures legal support always aligns with your business needs.

4. Focus on Core Objectives

By entrusting complex legal issues and operational tasks to OCL, your leadership and staff can stay focused on driving core business priorities, confident that legal risks are being proactively managed.

5. Diverse Experience & Innovation

OCL attorneys draw on deep and varied experience across multiple industries, bringing innovative perspectives and objective legal strategies to your business challenges. By serving a range of clients, our team maintains fresh insights and delivers solutions tailored to your specific goals.

6. Expanded Networks & Opportunities

Our attorneys bring extensive professional networks, often opening the door to new business partnerships, collaboration opportunities, and growth channels for your organization. We leverage these connections for your benefit, accelerating outcomes and expanding reach.

7. Access to a Global Talent Pool

Our firm structure and use of secure digital platforms enable your business to access elite legal expertise regardless of geography. With OCL, you are not limited to local talent and can engage the right attorney for your business, no matter where you’re located.

8. Try Before You Commit

Our flexible, fractional arrangements allow you to evaluate OCL’s capabilities, approach, and cultural fit before deciding on a longer-term commitment of a full-time in-house hire. This trial period helps you make well-informed decisions about your legal partnerships and needs.

Partnering with Outside Chief Legal LLC’s attorneys means your organization gains executive-level legal counsel with strategic flexibility, measurable cost efficiencies, and immediate business impact—empowering you to grow and adapt in today’s fast-changing marketplace.

With OCL, your business secures executive-level legal expertise at a fraction of the cost of hiring a full-time in-house General Counsel or Chief Legal Officer. The financial benefits are real and can be massive.

According to recent salary guides, the median total compensation nationally for an in-house General Counsel is approximately $350,000–$375,000 per year!  Similarly, national data for Chief Legal Officers shows a median total employer cost – including roughly 30% in additional benefits and taxes – often climbs to $393,000–$467,000 per year! (See Larson Maddox’s Regulatory & Legal Salary Guide (2025)). 

In contrast, retaining OCL attorneys costs most businesses a fraction of these costs. OCL offers flexible, as-needed legal support without any obligations for benefits, recruiting, payroll taxes, or severance. Savings can reach up to over 75% of the cost of a comparable in-house attorney!  

You pay only for the services and strategic insight you need, with no long-term contracts or excess workforce risk. This high-touch, budget-friendly approach empowers your company to access top-tier legal counsel, control costs, and reallocate resources toward growth—all while gaining the same level of risk management, strategic guidance, and trusted legal partnership that an in-house GC or CLO would provide, but without the high fixed expense.

A General Counsel (GC) is the chief in-house attorney and principal legal advisor for an organization, responsible for managing the company’s day-to-day legal matters, overseeing legal compliance, supervising contracts and litigation, and offering guidance across various departments. The Chief Legal Officer (CLO), on the other hand, is typically the most senior legal executive, carrying broader and more strategic responsibilities. While the GC focuses primarily on legal operations and risk management, the CLO is deeply involved in shaping legal strategy to align with overarching business goals, advising executive leadership and the board on legal, regulatory, and ethical issues, and often overseeing areas like compliance, corporate governance, and risk management at the highest level. Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably and the roles can overlap – especially in smaller organizations – the distinction is that a CLO’s role is generally broader, more strategic, and tightly integrated into the company’s executive functions and C-Suite, while a General Counsel’s role emphasizes operational legal leadership and day-to-day counsel. In some organizations, one individual may fulfill both roles, depending on the size and needs of the company.

Absolutely.

We currently have offices in downtown Mobile and Fairhope, Alabama to serve our clients in both Mobile and Baldwin Counties.  However, we serve clients across the Gulf Coast, regionally, nationally and internationally as well.

We serve clients located all over the globe.

Absolutely. Our team of litigators has successfully handled hundreds of cases in both state and federal courts. We combine assertive, results-oriented advocacy with a business-focused, cost–benefit approach to every stage of the litigation process. 

If your case extends beyond our geographical capabilities, we efficiently manage and coordinate local counsel nationwide, ensuring you are consistently updated and your legal matters are handled properly, are advancing to resolution as soon as possible, and your fees remain predictable.

OCL partners with organizations of all sizes, from early-stage startups to mature enterprises across a broad spectrum of industries, including manufacturing, insurance, construction, healthcare, professional services and family-owned businesses. For larger companies with established legal teams, OCL serves as a trusted extension – providing niche expertise or additional capacity as needed. Ultimately, whatever your industry or size, OCL offers business-focused legal guidance tailored to your unique challenges and growth objectives.

We offer a range of flexible fee options to fit your business’s unique needs and budget. Our pricing models include:

• Flat fees for defined services
• Multiple subscription-based plans for ongoing support
• Project-based arrangements for specific matters
• Hourly rates for situations where you only need occasional legal assistance

To determine which option is best for your organization, we recommend scheduling a Risk-Free Strategy Session where we can work with you to explore the most cost-effective and practical arrangement for your goals. Our transparent approach ensures you can confidently plan your legal spend, with no hidden or surprise fees.

Definitely. We regularly collaborate with in-house teams, department leaders, and existing outside counsel to ensure a unified, efficient approach to your legal and business objectives. Our attorneys can seamlessly integrate with your company’s finance, HR, operations, compliance, or leadership teams – sharing knowledge, coordinating on projects, and documenting processes so that improvements last after our engagement ends.

If you already have internal or external legal resources, OCL acts as an extension of your team – offering surge capacity, niche expertise, or executive-level support precisely where and when you need it. This collaborative model allows for unified strategy, more robust risk management, and smoother change management, all while ensuring your organization remains focused on its core goals. Our approachable, accessible team is committed to working as your trusted legal partner, not just a third-party advisor—delivering solutions that align with the way you already do business.

We offer something better than consultations. We call the Risk-Free Strategy Sessions!

These sessions are focused, organized meetings with an experienced attorney designed to provide meaningful, actionable guidance tailored to your specific legal issue or project. You can choose a 30-minute session (phone or video conference) or a 1-hour session (phone, video or in-person) with a deposit that secures our attorney’s time and their undivided attention to you. Before the session, we review any information you share to ensure a productive valuable discussion. During the meeting, we dive into the details of your matter and offer practical options and strategic recommendations. 

What makes it Risk Free?  We stand behind our Risk-Free Strategy Sessions with a satisfaction guarantee. If you genuinely believe you did not receive value from your session, let us know.  A refund is guaranteed. Depending on the details of your feedback and the circumstances, your refund may be for the full amount or a portion of your deposit – but your satisfaction is our priority.

Booking a Risk-Free Strategy Session with Outside Chief Legal is simple and flexible. You can schedule directly anytime through the links on our website (top or bottom of each page) or by visiting us here.

If you prefer, you can contact us through our website Contact Page, or you can just call us at 877-917-5656 and ask about our Risk-Free Strategy Sessions.

Prior to your strategy session, we will obtain from you any information or documents you wish to share – relevant contracts, demand letters, suit papers or anything else you want to discuss and think is important. Our attorneys will review what you provide beforehand, ensuring we are prepared for your session. Relax and arrive as you are. We will handle the rest so we can focus immediately on your needs and opportunities.

Yes, over 75% of our new matters come from repeat clients and their referrals. You can find testimonials on our website and Google Business Profiles. We are also happy to connect you with others who can speak about our services, approach and quantifiable outcomes.

At this time, we do not handle family, bankruptcy, or criminal law matters. However, if there is any matter or area of law for which our OCL attorneys cannot help you themselves, we will locate a vetted attorney who can.  We can also help manage the matter with the associated attorney, most times at no additional cost to you.

We work Primarily remotely from our offices in Mobile and Baldwin counties to budget our expenses and pass the savings on to you. However, we do like to begin our working relationship by spending time at your business or organization to get to know everything about your operation, meet your team and visualize what goes on from inside your company.