Why flex makes sense
In today's rapidly changing global economic climate, businesses are facing an exceptional level of disruption and uncertainty. When faced with such situations, a legal consultant can provide a measure of stability and support on a transactional basis or on a business or team level.
Value and expertise that’s highly cost-effective
There are many benefits for businesses when tapping into a consultant senior legal resource, perhaps the most obvious being the ability to work with an energised, fresh perspective at C-suite level who is able to focus on the job in hand while staying removed from any company politics. These arrangements also offer access to a wealth of experience and expertise in a format that is highly cost effective in relation to the amount of value delivered. Clients have the flexibility to seek the expertise and experience they need on a day rate, fixed fee or retainer basis.
Increasing demand from fast-growing businesses
In the legal industry, consultant or “fractional” general counsel (GC) is a growing phenomenon, as a term used to describe a highly-experienced and senior lawyer with a generalist skillset who is comfortable taking a hands-on leadership role. A fractional GC can go into an early-stage business and provide top-level commercial advice to the board, typically where there is no existing senior legal resource. They can spot risks, identify emerging challenges and flag areas where additional legal support might be needed.
Impartial advice
One of the key advantages of working with legal consultants is their ability to provide impartial advice. Unlike internal stakeholders who may have their own priorities, legal consultants are able to take an objective and independent view of a situation. This allows them to offer a balanced assessment of the risks and opportunities facing a business, and to provide clear and actionable recommendations on how to move forward.
Fresh perspectives
Another advantage of working with legal consultants is their ability to bring a fresh perspective to a situation. When businesses are facing challenges it can be easy to become stuck in a particular way of thinking. Legal consultants, however, are able to draw on their experience of working across a range of clients and matters to bring new insights and ideas to the table. This can be invaluable in helping businesses to overcome the challenges they are facing and to emerge stronger and more resilient in the long run.
Team support
During periods of restructuring, team changes and job losses, the ability for a team to work at their best as they manage the often complex matrix of potential business risk is compromised. Legal consultants are an effective short-term solution to providing some security, covering gaps and ensuring that permanent team members avoid burnout by easing some of the resourcing pressure.
A Legal consultant can be the answer to retaining team members and encouraging a productive culture as we can provide solutions that minimise permanent team members feeling overworked and under resourced. Burnout only intensifies resourcing challenges and a legal consultant can moderate that.
Creative talent strategies
By engaging a legal consultant, managers can build a business case for a permanent hire or road-test a new team structure before attaching fixed cost to it. . Without visibility of what long term resourcing may look like, the best solution is engaging experienced legal consultants who can ‘read a situation’ and make the right judgement calls with whilst managing stakeholders under pressure. If the right talent is not available in the permanent market, clients can also utilise a legal consultant to temporarily fill the gap or access remote talent which helps open up new untapped talent pools.
Clients who need to alter their team structure and fill gaps often find that initially using a legal consultant helps them scope out and define the role in their team ahead of hiring a permanent team member.
Working with David is all about utilising resource at the right time to get you, your team and your organisation the best results. In times of uncertainty and disruption there is nothing you need more than the confidence of knowing that there is someone working alongside you who has the knowledge and experience to provide you with the guidance and support you need.