outside general counsel

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Outside General Counsel

Senior-level legal support on a flexible retainer — an extension of your management team, without the cost or commitment of a full-time in-house lawyer.
what this is

Legal leadership, without the overhead of hiring it in-house.

Outside General Counsel is an ongoing engagement, not a one-off instruction. We work alongside your management team on a retainer basis, providing practical legal guidance aligned with your commercial objectives, risk profile and growth plans, the way an in-house General Counsel would, without adding a full-time role to your payroll.

Our approach is proactive rather than reactive. We help identify legal and regulatory risks early, strengthen internal processes, and support informed business decisions before issues become disputes, losses or regulatory concerns, so legal input becomes part of how decisions get made, not a step that happens after they’ve already been taken.

Where this fits between ad-hoc advice and a full in-house hire.

Ad-hoc legal advice

  • Engaged only when a specific issue arises
  • No ongoing familiarity with your business
  • Advice limited to the matter in front of you
  • Risk often spotted after the fact

Outside General Counsel

  • Ongoing relationship, built around your business
  • Legal input built into day-to-day decisions
  • Senior-level advice at a fraction of an in-house salary
  • Risks flagged early, before they become disputes

Full-time in-house counsel

  • Significant fixed salary and benefits commitment
  • Single point of view, single area of expertise
  • Recruitment, management and succession overhead
  • Often more capacity than an SME currently needs
what's included

A retainer built around how your business actually runs.

Ongoing legal guidance

Regular, direct access to senior legal counsel for day-to-day questions, not just scheduled reviews.

Contract review & drafting

Supplier, customer, employment and partnership agreements reviewed or drafted as your business needs them.

Risk & compliance monitoring

Regular review of regulatory, employment and governance exposure so issues are caught before they escalate.

Governance support

Support for board processes, resolutions, policies and the documentation that keeps decision-making defensible.

Employment & HR guidance

Advice on disciplinary processes, terminations and workplace policy questions as they come up.

Priority access

Retained clients are prioritised for urgent matters, rather than queued alongside new instructions.
who is this for

Built for businesses that have outgrown ad-hoc legal advice.

This service is designed for businesses that need experienced legal leadership but do not yet require or wish to maintain a full-time in-house General Counsel. Our approach is proactive: we help identify legal and regulatory risks early, strengthen internal processes, and support informed business decisions before issues become disputes, losses or regulatory concerns.
  • Growing businesses without a dedicated in-house legal function
  • SMEs requiring regular access to senior legal advice
  • Regional businesses operating across multiple African jurisdictions
  • Multinational organisations requiring additional local or regional support
  • Businesses undergoing expansion, restructuring or market entry
  • Organisations seeking to improve governance and compliance
  • Companies managing significant contracts, suppliers or employment risk
  • Businesses wanting to move on from reactive, matter-by-matter legal advice
get started

See whether a retainer fits your business.

A short, no-obligation conversation about your legal needs, risks and budget.

We’ll talk through how your business runs, where legal input would help most, and what an Outside General Counsel retainer would cover. Call +254 721 413 721 or email info@leloadvocates.co.ke.

Discuss a retainer
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