What We Do
Your General Counsel helps small and mid-sized businesses access the quality and timely legal representation needed in today's business surroundings.
Businesses operate in a complex legal environment. Increasingly complex governmental regulations at the federal, state and local level, aggressive plaintiff's attorneys, and a rapidly changing business environment that generate new legal challenges on a regular basis. As a result, all businesses, large and small, need ready access to lawyers familiar with the business environment and with the skills necessary to help businesses navigate the complex maze of regulations, minefields and traps that can cost companies thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars if they don't have good legal advice and counsel. Large businesses can afford to hire in-house counsel. Small businesses have no less need for quality business legal services, but may not have the resources to hire full-time in-house counsel, or perhaps a company has an on-going need for business counsel, but not full-time.
Businesses operate in a complex legal environment. Increasingly complex governmental regulations at the federal, state and local level, aggressive plaintiff's attorneys, and a rapidly changing business environment that generate new legal challenges on a regular basis. As a result, all businesses, large and small, need ready access to lawyers familiar with the business environment and with the skills necessary to help businesses navigate the complex maze of regulations, minefields and traps that can cost companies thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars if they don't have good legal advice and counsel. Large businesses can afford to hire in-house counsel. Small businesses have no less need for quality business legal services, but may not have the resources to hire full-time in-house counsel, or perhaps a company has an on-going need for business counsel, but not full-time.
Services |
Who We Are |
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Your General Counsel is available to provide a full range of business law services to small and mid-sized businesses including:
Contract Drafting, Negotiation, and Contract Review, including: Real property and equipment leases, contracts for the sale and purchase of real property and goods, production/output contracts, SAS (software as a service) contracts, consumer-facing agreements related to the sale of goods and service, disclaimers, hold-harmless and indemnity agreements, and Documents for lending transactions, including: promissory notes, mortgages, deeds of trust, corporate and personal guaranties, construction loan agreements, cross-collateralization agreements, negative-pledge agreements and security agreements. Representation before the Internal Revenue Service and Alabama Department of Revenue, including: the prosecution of cases in Tax Court and other judicial settings for the resolution of tax disputes, including income, employment and sales and use taxes. Representation before regulatory and licensing boards including: he Alabama State Bar, the Alabama Board of Public Accountancy, the Alabama State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, the Alabama Real Estate Commission and others where professional licenses are an issue. Litigation management: Allow Your General Counsel to act as a liaison a between the company and trial counsel to ensure that litigation is prosecuted or defended in a timely, cost effective and efficient manner, and that counsel retained by business insurance carriers provide representation in a manner consistent with its obligations to the insured business. |
Your General Counsel is a service of the law firm of Smith Kessler Smith, Attorneys, Patrick Smith and Melissa Kessler Smith .
Patrick and Melissa each have over 30 years of legal experience, both in private practice and in-house corporate settings. In addition, Smith Kessler Smith maintains a network of skilled and experienced attorneys throughout the State of Alabama with whom the firm associates whenever a client needs to have representation in a specific location. How This WorksYour General Counsel gives business owners and managers the opportunity to have experienced corporate legal counsel on "speed dial" whenever the need for legal services.
We do this by offering blocks of time to our clients on a retainer basis, f rom 30 hours per year to 300 hours per year, or from an average of 2.5 hours per month to 25 hours per month. The fee for our services is billed at the beginning of a 12 month period, deposited into the firm's trust account and transferred to the firm's operating account ratably over the course of the 12 month contract. Fees are based on the size of the time block a company reserves. In addition, Your General Counsel will schedule a conference call with our client's owner(s) or manager(s) each month to review the company's business operations, contract needs and opportunities, and to identify any areas where the company has legal risks or opportunities and each client will receive periodic emails and newsletters throughout the year to highlight changes in the business legal environment, entrepreneurial and tax saving opportunities. The benefit to this arrangement is that clients have a concierge-level access to experienced attorneys, and the ability to contact the firm and its attorneys outside of normal business hours. Your General Counsel is always "on-call" to assist clients with legal questions and problems. |
WHAT'S NEXT?
Contact Your General Counsel for a 15 minute discussion about how the firm can provide your business
with the legal services its needs on an accessible, affordable and timely basis. 251.215.7090
with the legal services its needs on an accessible, affordable and timely basis. 251.215.7090
