Ongoing legal counsel: your company's legal team, with a set routine
An outside legal department with a written monthly scope, a service channel, regular meetings and a report of what was done.
Many companies do not have the volume to keep an in-house legal department, yet they have legal work every month: contracts to review, notices to answer, employment questions, requirements from clients and public authorities. Treating each matter as a one-off engagement leads to waiting, rework and decisions taken without advice.
With ongoing legal counsel, the firm acts as the company's outside legal team. The monthly scope is set in writing, the service and meeting routine is agreed at the start, and the scope is reviewed periodically to keep up with changes in the business. For foreign groups with a Brazilian subsidiary, it means a local legal team that reports in English or Spanish.
When this service is the answer
Every matter starts from scratch
The company hires a different lawyer for each situation and has to explain the operation all over again. Nobody keeps the history, and the advice does not always add up.
Legal is called in only once the problem exists
Because every question requires a quote and an approval, the team avoids asking. The lawyer steps in once the notice has arrived or the lawsuit has been filed, not while it could still be prevented.
Unpredictable legal spend
One-off fees arrive at different times and in amounts that are hard to plan for. Management does not know how much it will spend on legal work over the year or what is being delivered.
What you receive
Assessment and scope design
We map the volume and type of the company's legal work, the contracts in force and the known risks. On that basis we propose the monthly scope: areas covered, types of matters included and what falls outside.
A named lawyer and a set channel
A lawyer from the firm runs the account and is the company's point of contact through the agreed channel, with response times set in the engagement and priority for matters with a statutory deadline running.
Meeting routine
Regular meetings with management and, where useful, with HR, sales and finance, to anticipate decisions and address what is coming before it becomes urgent.
Day-to-day matters
Contract review, replies to notices, employment guidance, support in negotiations and follow-up of requirements from public authorities, within the agreed scope.
Periodic report
A record of what was handled in the period, what is pending and what needs a decision from the company. Management can follow the work and the use of the contracted scope.
Scope review
At agreed intervals, we assess with you whether the scope still fits the company's situation and adjust what is needed, always in writing.
Why work with us
Written scope, no surprises
What is included and what is billed separately is defined before we start. Matters outside the scope receive their own proposal and move forward only with your approval.
A multidisciplinary firm behind the lawyer
The lawyer in charge draws on colleagues in the firm's other practices, such as employment, real estate, regulatory and litigation, so the company does not need to hire several firms.
A history that stays with the company
Advice, contracts and opinions are kept organized and documented. Continuity does not depend on one person's memory, and the history is available whenever the company needs it.
Frequently asked questions
What is ongoing legal counsel?
It is an engagement in which the firm acts as the company's outside legal team on a permanent basis, with a monthly scope defined in the contract. Instead of hiring for each matter separately, the company has a named lawyer, a service channel and a follow-up routine. It is a common model for companies whose volume does not justify an in-house legal department.
How is a monthly legal retainer billed in Brazil?
Usually as a fixed monthly fee based on the agreed scope: areas covered, types of matters and estimated volume. Lawsuits, specific transactions and work outside the scope are quoted separately and approved in advance. The fee is set out in the proposal, after the first conversation.
What is the difference between ongoing legal counsel and corporate legal advisory?
Corporate legal advisory is the substance of the advice: contracts, corporate, employment and regulatory matters. Ongoing legal counsel is the format of the relationship, monthly, with a defined scope, routine and channel, and it can bring together advisory work and the firm's other practices. In the first conversation, we indicate which format best fits your needs.
Can ongoing counsel replace an in-house legal department?
For many companies, yes, particularly when the volume of work does not justify an internal team. Where the company already has in-house counsel, we act as specialist support in the areas the team does not cover and as extra capacity at busier times.
Can the engagement be changed or ended?
Yes. The contract provides for periodic review of the scope and sets the termination terms, including notice and an organized handover of documents and the history of matters. Scope adjustments are made in writing whenever the company's situation changes.
See also
Have a legal team that already knows your company
Tell us how your company handles legal questions today and what kind of matters come up most often. In the first conversation we present an outline of the monthly scope and the follow-up routine suited to your size.