What is a fractional general counsel?
Short answer: A fractional GC is an outside attorney who functions as a company's primary legal officer on a part-time, fixed-fee or retainer basis — handling contracts, IP, employment, board matters, and day-to-day advice without the cost of a full-time hire.
The fractional GC model exists because most companies between $1M and $20M in revenue need consistent, senior-level legal judgment but cannot justify a $300K+ in-house lawyer. A fractional GC steps into that gap. The engagement is typically a flat monthly retainer, scoped around predictable volume — contracts reviewed, vendor MSAs negotiated, employment letters drafted, board meetings attended, founder questions answered the same day they are asked.
Unlike traditional outside counsel, a fractional GC is embedded enough to know the cap table, the customer pipeline, and the product roadmap. Unlike a full-time GC, the cost is fixed and the model scales down (or up) without an FTE decision.
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Updated May 26, 2026. General information only—not legal advice for your specific situation. For advice on your facts, book a 15-minute case assessment.