How the Work Actually Gets Done
This page covers how we define scope and staffing, which attorney is responsible for the work, how the work is reviewed, how fees are structured, and what communication you can expect during the engagement.
A Different Kind of Law Firm
Video Coming Soon
How technology supports attorney-supervised legal work.
Unclear Scope Makes Decisions Harder
When scope, ownership, staffing, review responsibility, and communication expectations are left undefined, decisions and budgets become harder to manage and legal questions are harder to resolve in the context of the business. Jacobs Counsel defines those items in the engagement: what the matter covers, which attorney is responsible, who else may be assigned and why, how the work is reviewed, and how the fee is structured.
Technology Supports the Workflow. Lawyers Remain Responsible.
Where Approved Tools May Assist
- Legal research across jurisdictions
- First-pass contract drafting and analysis
- Regulatory and compliance surveys
- Flagging non-standard or high-risk provisions
- Due diligence document summaries
What Attorneys Are Responsible For
- Negotiation strategy and execution
- Risk assessment and judgment calls
- Client communication and counseling
- Creative deal structuring
- Final review and approval of all work product
Approved tools may assist with review, organization, research, or drafting. Attorneys verify the work and remain responsible for the judgment and the final output that reaches you.
Defined Scope. Clear Responsibility.
Decision-Focused Workflow
We identify the decisions in front of you, the priorities among them, the dependencies that affect sequencing, and the review steps required before work product is delivered.
Fee Structure Matched to the Work
Recurring outside-counsel work may be hourly, retainer-based, or hybrid. Fixed fees are used for defined projects where the assumptions and deliverables are clear.
Principal-Led, Accountable Team
Every engagement is principal-led. Qualified attorneys are assigned based on complexity and need, with shared context, centralized quality control, and firm accountability.
What This Looks Like in Practice
What the engagement defines
The issue to be addressed, the scope of the work, the attorney responsible for it, how the matter is staffed, the assumptions the work relies on, the fee structure, the priority of the work, and the deliverable.
How the work moves
An appropriate attorney handles the task. Technology may support the workflow. The attorney verifies the analysis or draft. Principal-led quality control applies before delivery. You receive the work with the reasoning behind it and the decisions that come next.
Built on the Same Ethical Foundation
Technology is a tool, not a decision-maker.
Attorneys verify the work and remain responsible for the judgment and the final deliverable.
Client confidentiality governs how we work.
We evaluate tools and data-handling practices against our confidentiality and security obligations, and address matter-specific restrictions as appropriate.
All ethical obligations apply exactly as they do at any firm.
Privilege, competence, diligence. The tools we use do not change our professional duties to you.
Ready to see the difference?
Book a 15-minute case assessment to discuss the work, priorities, staffing, and appropriate engagement structure.