Growing companies don’t stay legally simple for long.
Whether you get your first enterprise client, start hiring across multiple states, or face tougher due diligence questions from investors, legal work quickly becomes part of your day-to-day operations.
Hiring a full-time General Counsel (GC) sounds like the logical next step. However, for many startups and SMBs, the math doesn’t work.
The average US General Counsel earns more than $133,000 per year, and compensation can exceed $200,000 for senior roles before factoring in bonuses, benefits, equity, and recruiting costs. That’s where fractional GC attorneys start sounding like a much smarter investment, as they provide ongoing legal leadership without the cost or commitment of a full-time executive.
To help you find the right fit for your growing business, this guide reviews the six best fractional GC attorneys at law.
Key takeaways
- Choose a GC that fits your business
The right provider depends on your company stage, industry, and legal priorities. - Fractional GCs do more than review contracts
They provide ongoing legal leadership across compliance, fundraising, governance, employment, and commercial matters. - Industry expertise can make a big difference
Companies in AI, fintech, healthcare, and other regulated sectors benefit from lawyers who understand their specific legal challenges. - Fractional GCs offer predictable legal costs
Most providers use monthly retainers or fixed-fee pricing instead of the expense of a full-time General Counsel. - General Legal is the best all-around choice
General Legal combines experienced startup attorneys, broad commercial expertise, and a scalable service model for growing businesses.
How we chose the 6 best fractional GC attorneys at law
According to LegalShield, 61% of small business owners worry about accidentally violating laws or regulations, while 83% say affordable legal services are important to their business.
At the same time, the market for legal providers has become increasingly difficult to navigate.
While the American Bar Association reports there were more than 1.37 million active licensed attorneys in the US, “fractional General Counsel” isn’t a recognized legal specialty or bar designation, making it difficult to identify providers that offer embedded legal leadership.
To help you navigate this challenging landscape, we reviewed more than 40 fractional General Counsel providers, including independent attorneys and law firms that offer dedicated fractional GC services.
While solo practitioners can be an excellent choice for some businesses, most growing companies hire fractional GCs through specialized firms that pair experienced attorneys with broader legal resources, allowing them to scale support as legal needs become more complex.
Rather than ranking providers by size or brand recognition, we evaluated every candidate using the following five criteria:
- Fractional GC as a Core Service (30%): We prioritized providers that actively market fractional, embedded, outside, or virtual General Counsel as a dedicated service, instead of those that just offer general corporate legal advice.
- Breadth of General Counsel Capabilities (25%): We assessed whether providers deliver the full scope of ongoing legal support, including commercial contracts, employment, corporate governance, compliance, fundraising, intellectual property coordination, and day-to-day strategic guidance.
- Industry and Company Stage Expertise (20%): Preference went to firms with demonstrated experience serving specific company sizes or industries, such as startups, SaaS, AI, fintech, healthcare, and other regulated sectors.
- Attorney Experience and Market Credibility (15%): We considered attorney backgrounds, former in-house or General Counsel experience, published thought leadership, client testimonials, and other publicly available credibility signals.
- Service Model and Pricing Transparency (10%): We favored providers with clear engagement models, predictable pricing, flexible retainers, and a transparent explanation of how they integrate into a client’s day-to-day operations.
An overview of the 6 best fractional GC attorneys at law
1. General Legal: Best for startups building an in-house legal function without hiring a full-time GC
General Legal is an AI-native law firm that provides ongoing fractional General Counsel services for startups and growing businesses, combining US-barred attorneys with proprietary AI workflows to deliver more efficient and predictable legal support.
Rather than replacing legal judgment, the firm’s AI handles much of the repetitive production work, allowing attorneys to focus on commercial strategy, risk assessment, negotiations, and the business decisions that require human expertise.
The attorneys in question are almost entirely former Big Law lawyers with extensive experience advising startups and venture-backed companies. Many of them joined General Legal because it gives them greater freedom to focus on meaningful client work instead of the traditional partnership track and billable-hour model.
These fractional GC attorneys are the strongest choice for startups building their legal function because they become the company’s first legal team, not just outside counsel.
They support founders through the day-to-day legal decisions that come with scaling, while helping establish the processes, playbooks, and commercial foundations that eventually make a full-time General Counsel successful.
General Legal’s core strengths as a fractional GC
Beyond its experienced attorneys, General Legal stands out through a modern operating model that includes:
- Startup-first approach: General Legal was built specifically for startups and growing businesses, so its legal processes, communication style, and commercial advice align with how founders actually build and scale companies.
- AI-native operations: Companies benefit from faster contract reviews and more efficient legal workflows without having to invest in legal technology, implementation, or internal process changes.
- Broad commercial expertise: The team supports the full range of legal matters growing businesses encounter, including commercial contracts, employment, fundraising, privacy, technology transactions, and corporate governance.
- Strong startup ecosystem credentials: Backing from Y Combinator, SV Angel, BoxGroup, and Susa Ventures, together with experience supporting more than 320 companies, demonstrates deep familiarity with the legal challenges high-growth startups face.
- Founder-friendly communication: Attorneys communicate through modern collaboration tools like Slack, while the Clerk AI assistant answers routine legal questions, reducing delays and keeping work moving.
Pricing
General Legal uses fixed-fee pricing for services like contract reviews, negotiations, and document drafting, while its fractional GC engagements are priced on a custom basis to reflect each company’s legal needs.
This approach gives growing businesses predictable costs for day-to-day legal work while allowing ongoing legal support to scale alongside the business.
2. Outside GC: Best for growing businesses that need a fully outsourced legal department
Outside GC (OGC) is a national law firm built entirely around the outsourced General Counsel model, providing part-time legal leadership to startups, SMEs, and larger organizations.
Its fractional GC attorneys are all partner-level lawyers with an average of more than 15 years of in-house experience, including former General Counsel, Chief Legal Officers, and senior legal executives across a wide range of industries.
Outside GC is particularly well-suited to growing businesses looking to outsource their legal department because it offers the depth and flexibility that individual fractional attorneys often can’t match.
Outside GC’s core strengths as a fractional GC
Outside GC has spent more than two decades refining a delivery model that offers:
- Business-first legal advice: Receive practical recommendations from attorneys with extensive in-house experience, helping leadership teams balance legal risk with commercial priorities.
- Nationwide specialist bench: Draw on more than 100 partner-level attorneys across multiple practice areas and industries, ensuring additional expertise is available as new legal challenges arise.
- Flexible engagement model: Adjust the level of legal support based on your company’s needs, allowing legal resources to grow alongside the business without committing to a permanent hire.
Pricing
Outside GC primarily employs fixed-fee and customized engagement models, with hourly rates available where appropriate.
The firm doesn’t publish standard pricing for its fractional GC services.
3. Bailey & Glasser: Best for companies scaling through fundraising, acquisitions, or complex transactions
Bailey & Glasser is a full-service US law firm that offers fractional General Counsel services alongside a broad corporate, regulatory, tax, and transactional practice.
Its fractional GC attorneys include experienced corporate partners who regularly advise businesses on investments, M&A, securities matters, governance, financing, government contracting, and other high-value transactions.
Bailey & Glasser is especially suitable for companies preparing for major growth milestones because its attorneys can continue supporting the business as legal complexity increases.
Bailey & Glasser’s core strengths as a fractional GC
Bailey & Glasser’s fractional GC offering combines long-term strategic counsel with access to a broad range of corporate legal capabilities, such as:
- Transaction support: Navigate investments, acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures with experienced corporate attorneys, giving your business greater confidence during high-value transactions.
- Regulatory depth: Address licensing, compliance, tax, government contracting, and other industry-specific requirements through a single legal partner, reducing the need to coordinate multiple outside firms.
- Corporate governance: Develop governance frameworks, board policies, and legal best practices that strengthen decision-making as your company grows.
Pricing
For the most part, Bailey & Glasser relies on customized hourly and retainer-based fee arrangements for fractional GC services, although fixed-fee engagements are available for selected corporate matters.
4. Krowne Law: Best for high-growth companies operating in regulated technology sectors
Krowne Law is a boutique law firm providing fractional General Counsel services to startups and scaling businesses, with a particular focus on technology-driven industries like fintech, SaaS, blockchain, and digital assets.
The practice is led by founder Aaron Krowne, whose background spans technology, finance, and corporate law, giving clients legal guidance informed by firsthand experience with startup operations.
Founders building businesses in highly regulated technology markets will get the most value from Krowne Law. Its combination of technical knowledge and legal expertise makes it easier to navigate evolving compliance requirements, structure innovative products, and complete complex transactions without relying on multiple specialist firms.
Krowne Law’s core strengths as a fractional GC
Krowne Law pairs ongoing strategic counsel with practical legal execution, offering capabilities like:
- Technology fluency: Work with attorneys who understand fintech, blockchain, SaaS, and emerging technologies, enabling faster decisions on complex legal issues.
- Hands-on transaction support: Manage financing rounds, commercial agreements, licensing arrangements, and M&A matters through a single legal partner, helping deals move forward more efficiently.
- Flexible legal coverage: Expand support across employment, securities, privacy, payments, and intellectual property as new issues arise, reducing the need to coordinate multiple outside advisors.
Pricing
Rather than locking clients into a fixed monthly retainer, Krowne Law offers fractional GC services on an as-needed basis with customized packages.
Published estimates start at approximately $4,000 per month for 10 hours of legal support.
5. Terms.Law: Best for founder-led companies that need hands-on commercial counsel
Terms.Law is the solo practice of California attorney Sergei Tokmakov, who provides fractional General Counsel services for SaaS, AI, fintech, and healthcare startups. Unlike larger firms, every engagement is handled personally by Tokmakov, with AI used only to streamline intake and administrative work.
Admitted to the California Bar in 2011, Tokmakov combines commercial contract, intellectual property, privacy, and startup law with practical experience advising early-stage founders. His work centers on building coordinated legal frameworks rather than isolated documents, ensuring contracts, policies, and compliance requirements work together as a single system.
Founder-led businesses that want direct access to the same attorney throughout the engagement will find Terms.Law an excellent fit.
Terms.Law’s core strengths as a fractional GC
The practice is built around direct attorney involvement, supported by capabilities like:
- Integrated contract systems: Build coordinated agreements that align with your product, business model, and compliance obligations, reducing inconsistencies across legal documents.
- Founder-focused guidance: Make commercial and legal decisions with practical advice tailored to startup operations, helping you move forward with greater confidence.
- End-to-end representation: Continue working with the same attorney if a contract dispute arises, creating continuity from drafting to enforcement.
Pricing
Terms.Law follows a transparent fixed-fee model for most services.
Publicly listed pricing ranges from $240 for written consultations to over $2,500 for comprehensive startup legal packages, while ongoing fractional GC engagements are scoped individually.
6. Jacobs Counsel: Best for venture-backed companies navigating rapid growth and AI-related legal issues
Jacobs Counsel is a boutique law firm that provides fractional General Counsel services to AI, SaaS, and venture-backed startups.
Clients work directly with founder Drew Jacobs throughout the engagement, benefiting from legal counsel that combines startup, fundraising, and commercial contracting experience with specialized knowledge of AI governance, training data, model licensing, privacy, and intellectual property.
Companies preparing for rapid expansion after raising venture capital can benefit from Jacobs Counsel’s specialized approach. The firm helps founders establish scalable legal processes while addressing the unique legal risks that emerge as AI products mature, enterprise customers increase their scrutiny, and regulatory expectations continue to evolve.
Jacobs Counsel’s core strengths as a fractional GC
Jacobs Counsel’s approach is designed to support fast-moving startups with practical legal guidance throughout every stage of growth, with:
- AI-focused legal strategy: Address training data, model licensing, AI contract clauses, and emerging regulations before they become obstacles, allowing products to scale more easily.
- Fundraising support: Navigate SAFE rounds, priced financings, investor diligence, and cap table matters with experienced legal oversight.
- Contract playbook development: Create standardized commercial agreements and negotiation frameworks that reduce repetitive legal work and accelerate future customer deals.
Pricing
At Jacobs Counsel, most engagements are quoted as fixed fees tied to a defined scope, while ongoing fractional GC relationships are billed through a customized monthly retainer.
When a matter isn’t suitable for fixed pricing, Jacobs Counsel provides an hourly rate with a written not-to-exceed fee estimate before work begins.
What is the best fractional GC attorney at law for your business?
The best fractional GC attorney at law for your business depends on your company’s stage, legal complexity, and the level of support you need on an ongoing basis.
For example, a seed-stage SaaS startup with a small leadership team may prefer working with a single attorney who learns the business inside and out, making providers like Terms.Law a natural fit.
On the other hand, a venture-backed company preparing for enterprise growth, fundraising, or expansion into regulated markets may benefit more from firms like Jacobs Counsel, Krowne Law, or Bailey & Glasser, each bringing deeper expertise in specific areas of business law.
If you're looking for the strongest all-around GC option, General Legal offers the most balanced solution.
Rather than specializing in a single niche or serving only a specific stage of growth, it combines experienced startup attorneys, predictable pricing, and ongoing strategic counsel in a model that works from early growth through scaling. That versatility makes it the best choice for most startups and growing businesses.
Getting started with General Legal
Getting started with General Legal is straightforward.
You can create an account in minutes with no upfront fees or long-term commitment, or book a 10-minute introductory call to discuss your legal needs and explore whether our fractional General Counsel service is the right fit for your business.
FAQ
What is a fractional GC attorney at law?
A fractional GC attorney is an experienced lawyer who serves as a company’s part-time General Counsel, providing ongoing legal guidance without the cost of a full-time in-house hire.
How much does a fractional GC attorney cost?
A fractional General Counsel (GC) attorney typically costs between $1,500 and $15,000 per month, depending on company size, complexity, and how many hours or services you need.
Can a fractional GC replace an in-house legal team?
Yes, for many startups and growing businesses. A fractional GC can provide ongoing legal leadership until the company has enough legal work to justify a full-time General Counsel.