A legal counsel is a professional legal adviser who is qualified and licensed to practise law. They play an essential role across different sectors, including business, government, and non-profit organisations, by providing legal guidance and conducting legal research to support decision-making.
Legal counsels are qualified lawyers, but are different from regular private practice lawyers. From contract negotiations to compliance with regulations, businesses often require legal advice to navigate these challenges.
This is where the engagement of an experienced Legal Counsel comes into play. This article explains how legal counsels can bring value and deliver tailored legal services to their clients.
Key takeaways
- Legal counsel work for their client or organisation, offering tailored advice to align with business goals
- They handle diverse legal areas, from contracts to compliance, intellectual property, and litigation
- Beyond legal advice, they contribute to business strategy by mitigating risks and ensuring regulatory compliance
- Companies can reduce overhead costs and financial burden by outsourcing legal counsel
- Legal counsel can bridge the gap between complex legal concepts and actionable business decisions through clear communication

What can Legal Counsel do?
The responsibilities of a legal counsel will vary depending on the company’s size, industry, and legal needs.
Legal counsel typically assist in:
- contract negotiation and drafting, ensuring contracts are clear, enforceable, and beneficial to the business
- regulatory compliance, helping the business stay compliant with laws and regulations, reducing the risk of legal penalties
- risk management, identifying potential legal risks and mitigating them proactively is a key responsibility
- managing legal disputes and liaise with external litigation law firms if required
- providing guidance on compliance with corporate policies and ensure directors and officers adhere to fiduciary duties
Beyond their legal expertise, a legal counsel must possess certain soft skills. Arguably the most important soft skill is interpersonal skills. They need to be able to build relationships and communicate effectively because they work closely with various people in a business.
The Client of a Legal Counsel
The primary client of a legal counsel is the organisation employing them, including any subsidiaries, parent companies, or sister companies. By working closely with stakeholders across the business, legal counsel can gain an intimate understanding of operations, challenges, and objectives. This insight allows them to deliver legal advice tailored to the company’s unique needs.
Experienced legal counsel understand how important it is to get to know their client’s business. This is a learned skill.
In-house lawyers must ask plenty of questions, taking interest in all aspects of the business and taking note of issues that might not immediately appear to present a legal issue or something that requires legal input.
Legal counsel are unlike private practice lawyers who juggle multiple clients and only advise on one thing at a time (generally when things go amiss). Instead, legal counsel focus on the entire business of their employer or client, ensuring consistent and integrated legal guidance across the organisation.

Duties of a Legal Counsel
Legal counsel manage a broad spectrum of legal and business tasks.
Their duties generally include:
Providing Legal Advice and Managing Risks
Legal counsel can advise on issues such as:
- corporate law
- employment and industrial relations
- privacy, data protection, and intellectual property
- competition and consumer issues
- compliance with national and international regulations
They also assess legal risks and identify potential challenges before they escalate into major issues.
Drafting and Reviewing Legal Documents
Drafting and reviewing contracts is a significant part of their role, which can include:
- non-disclosure agreements
- employment and consulting contracts
- sale and purchase agreements
- deeds of release
- corporate policies and self-help guides
Managing Disputes and Litigation
Legal Counsel typically act as a liaison between external litigation firms and the business during disputes. Their role includes:
- explaining legal jargon to non-legal stakeholders
- reporting case progress to senior management or the Board
- seeking resolution before litigation escalates
- ensuring external legal costs remain within budget
Training and Educating Staff
Legal Counsel can even train employees on legal matters such as compliance, contract basics, and intellectual property.
Clear communication and education to all staff levels can help mitigate legal risks across the business.
The value of Legal Counsel
Employing or hiring an expert legal counsel can bring several benefits to businesses, including:
- a deep integration into the business, allowing them to proactively address problems and legal issues before they escalate
- controlling of legal expenses, by reducing reliance on various external legal services (that don’t know the ins and outs of your business and need more time to get up to speed)
- an even distribution of workload, by seamlessly integrating with the business during peak periods or when an existing team member needs coverage
- advice that aligns with the company’s overall objectives, ensuring a consistent and compliant approach to decision-making
Learn more about our on demand subscription based in-house legal counsel services.

Frequently asked questions
Does every company need Legal Counsel?
Not all businesses require full-time legal counsel. Small companies may decide that outsourcing legal work is more suitable for their needs, but larger organisations with complex legal needs often benefit from having in-house counsel on demand.
Outsourced legal counsel can also help with parental leave coverage or high volume workloads.
How does Legal Counsel contribute to risk management?
Legal counsel identify potential legal risks in contracts, operations, and policies, providing strategies to mitigate them and ensure compliance with laws and regulations.
Legal counsel often plays a strategic role in business decisions, advising on legal implications, minimising risks, and ensuring alignment with corporate objectives.
What’s the difference between a General Counsel and Legal Counsel?
A General Counsel is typically the head of the legal department in an organisation, overseeing a team that may include multiple legal counsels. Legal counsel usually refers to lawyers working under the General Counsel’s direction.
While legal counsel can handle day-to-day legal needs, they may collaborate or outsource to external lawyers for specialised matters such as mergers, acquisitions, larger matters or complex litigation, acting as a liaison to ensure consistency with the company’s goals.