Outsourced general counsel means an outside law firm handles your company's everyday legal needs on an ongoing basis, under a scope you agree to in advance. You are not hiring an employee. Parisi Law Firm gives Northeast Georgia small businesses and trade contractors direct access to attorney Jerry Parisi for contracts, deadlines, employment questions, and disputes.
Most small businesses and trade contractors in Northeast Georgia will never have a lawyer on the payroll, and most don't need one. What they do need is someone to call when a general contractor sends over a subcontract with a pay-if-paid clause, when an employee asks a question you're not sure how to answer, or when a customer's past-due balance keeps growing. Without a regular attorney, those questions tend to get put off until they become expensive.
Parisi Law Firm acts as outside counsel on an ongoing basis for businesses that want that kind of steady support. To be clear about the term: "outsourced general counsel" does not mean Jerry Parisi becomes your employee or joins your company. It means you have an outside attorney who learns your business, keeps track of the legal side with you, and is reachable when something comes up. You talk to Jerry directly, not a case manager.
What ongoing outside counsel covers
Every business is different, so the work is set by what your company actually runs into. For the small businesses and trades we work with across Jefferson, Jackson County, Athens, Gainesville, Commerce, Winder, and the surrounding counties, the recurring needs usually look like this:
- Contract and subcontract review, so you know what you're signing before the job starts, with review timing agreed as part of your scope
- Tracking lien and notice deadlines on your construction jobs, including Notices to Contractor, lien filings, and lien waivers
- Employment questions as they come up: hiring, discipline, terminations, and 1099 vs. W-2 classification
- Employee handbook reviews and updates when your practices or the law change
- Reminders for your Georgia annual registration and other filings that keep your entity in good standing
- Collections on unpaid invoices, from demand letters to next steps
- Vendor and customer disputes, handled early, before they escalate into litigation
- Help with business insurance claims, including reviewing a denial and responding to the carrier
Direct access to Jerry
The point of having ongoing counsel is being able to reach your lawyer. When you work with Parisi Law Firm, you deal with Jerry Parisi directly. He is the one who reviews your contracts, answers your questions, and learns how your business operates.
That familiarity pays off. An attorney who already knows your entity structure, your standard contracts, your key customers, and your history with a difficult general contractor can give practical advice quickly, without starting from scratch every time you call.
How an ongoing relationship works
It starts with a consultation. We talk about your business, the legal issues you run into most often, and the kind of support that would actually help. From there, we agree on a defined scope: what the relationship covers, what falls outside it, and how fees will be handled.
Georgia's Rules of Professional Conduct require a lawyer to communicate the scope of the representation and the basis or rate of the fee and expenses to the client, preferably in writing (Rule 1.5(b)). We put that understanding in writing so you know what to expect. Fee arrangements depend on the scope and are discussed at your consultation.
- Initial consultation to understand your business and priorities
- A written engagement that spells out scope and the basis of fees
- A review of your core documents: entity records, standard contracts, and handbook
- Ongoing access for questions, reviews, and deadline tracking as issues arise
- Periodic check-ins so the scope keeps pace with your business
Keeping your company in good standing
Some of the most avoidable legal problems are administrative. Georgia LLCs and corporations must file an annual registration with the Secretary of State between January 1 and April 1 each year (O.C.G.A. § 14-11-1103(c); O.C.G.A. § 14-2-1622(c)). A newly formed corporation must file its initial registration within 90 days of incorporating, unless it was formed after October 1 (O.C.G.A. § 14-2-1622(d)).
Falling behind has real consequences. If an LLC's annual registration is more than 60 days late, the Secretary of State may begin administrative dissolution (O.C.G.A. § 14-11-603(b)(1)(A)). Keeping these dates on the calendar is a simple part of ongoing counsel, and it protects the liability shield you formed the company to get. For setting up a new entity, see our business formation page.
Catching problems early for trade contractors
For roofers, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical contractors, flooring installers, landscapers, and other trades, a lot of legal risk hides in paperwork. Georgia's construction payment laws run on strict notice and filing deadlines, and a missed step can cost you your lien rights even when the money is plainly owed.
With ongoing counsel, those deadlines get tracked job by job instead of remembered after the fact. We review subcontracts for pay-if-paid language, indemnity, and waiver traps before you sign, check lien waivers before they go out, and flag when a slow-paying job needs action.
What ongoing counsel does not replace
Ongoing counsel handles the steady, everyday legal work. Some matters need their own engagement, and we tell you up front when something falls outside your agreed scope.
- Large disputes or lawsuits: significant litigation is scoped separately, with its own engagement terms, through our business litigation and commercial litigation practice
- Tax preparation and tax planning: that belongs with your CPA, and we coordinate with your accountant where legal and tax issues overlap
- Matters that call for another kind of professional, such as patent prosecution or securities offerings, where we help you find and work with the right professional
Common monthly legal needs and how we help
| What comes up | How ongoing counsel helps |
|---|---|
| A GC or customer sends a contract or subcontract to sign | Jerry reviews it, flags risky terms like pay-if-paid and broad indemnity, and suggests changes before you commit |
| A construction job with lien and notice deadlines | We track the notice, lien, and waiver dates for the job so a deadline doesn't slip by |
| An employee question or a planned termination | You get a direct answer on the legal risks before you act |
| Your handbook is out of date | We review and update it to match how you actually operate |
| Georgia annual registration season | A reminder that the filing is due between January 1 and April 1 |
| A customer's invoice is past due | Demand letters and a plan for collection, including lien options where they apply |
| A vendor or customer dispute is heating up | Early advice and negotiation aimed at resolving it before it becomes a lawsuit |
| Your insurance carrier denies or stalls a claim | Review of the policy and denial, and a response to the carrier |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is outsourced general counsel?
Outsourced general counsel is an outside law firm that handles a company's routine legal needs on an ongoing basis, under a scope agreed in advance. The attorney is not your employee. For businesses without in-house lawyers, it provides a regular point of contact for contracts, employment questions, deadlines, and disputes.
Does Jerry Parisi become my company's employee?
No. Jerry Parisi works as outside counsel to your business through Parisi Law Firm. He is not an employee or officer of your company. The relationship is defined by a written engagement that sets the scope of the work and the basis of fees, so both sides know what is covered.
How much does ongoing outside counsel cost?
It depends on the scope of work your business needs. Georgia's ethics rules require the scope and the basis or rate of fees to be communicated to the client, preferably in writing, and we do that in writing before the work begins. Fee arrangements are discussed at your consultation.
Will I talk to Jerry or a case manager?
You talk to Jerry. Direct access to your attorney is the core of how Parisi Law Firm works with businesses. Jerry reviews your contracts, answers your questions, and gets to know your company, so the advice you get reflects how your business actually operates.
When is my Georgia annual registration due?
Georgia LLCs and corporations file their annual registration with the Secretary of State between January 1 and April 1 each year. A new corporation must file its initial registration within 90 days of incorporating, unless it was formed after October 1. An LLC more than 60 days late can face administrative dissolution.
Does ongoing counsel include lawsuits?
Everyday dispute work, like demand letters and early negotiation, can be part of your scope. A large dispute or lawsuit is scoped separately with its own engagement terms. We tell you up front when a matter falls outside your agreed scope, so there are no surprises.
Can you handle my taxes too?
No. Tax preparation and tax planning belong with your CPA. We handle the legal side, such as contracts, entity matters, employment questions, and disputes, and we coordinate with your accountant where legal and tax issues overlap, for example when you buy a business or restructure ownership.
Is ongoing counsel only for construction companies?
No. Many of the businesses we work with are trade contractors, but ongoing counsel fits any small or mid-size Northeast Georgia business that lacks in-house lawyers, including service companies, retailers, and family businesses that want a regular attorney to call.