Most smaller companies and many mid-sized companies cannot afford to hire a full-time, in-house counsel. The annual cost of just one reasonably experienced lawyer (including benefits and overhead) will typically be in excess of $150,000. To create a law department covering many specialties, the price becomes much higher. This does not make economic sense for most companies.

To address the needs of companies that cannot afford or do not choose to have in-house counsel, Taft has designed its General Counsel Access Program to provide the key benefits of an in-house general counsel to small and medium-sized companies at an affordable price. Companies electing to participate in the program pay a reasonable monthly retainer that provides access to the firm's General Counsel attorneys on a cost-effective basis.

Participating companies are entitled to unlimited free phone consultations (not billed against the retainer) with any of the firm's General Counsel attorneys. Therefore, any member of the company's management team can pick up the phone and get prompt and effective legal advice without worrying about the meter running.

Initial client meetings and information gathering are not billed and the retainer is expected to cover subsequent time required for the participating General Counsel attorneys to become knowledgeable about the client and its business. The General Counsel Access Program is premised on the fact that a company's counsel cannot be truly effective without spending time with senior management to learn and understand the business.

All companies participating in the General Counsel Access Program receive a legal compliance analysis and recommended compliance program, including the development of policies, presentations, and other materials, tailored to address the company's particular industry, regulatory environment, and identified problem areas.

Since most of these compliance materials have been pre-packaged, aside from actual presentation time, only the time required to modify these materials for the company's specific needs are billed against the retainer. Periodic free legal updates on areas of general interest ranging from employment law, tax, and Sarbanes-Oxley also are provided.

Any time not billed against the retainer (as described above) during the course of a year will entitle participating companies to additional legal services at the specified hourly rate until the annual retainer amount is exhausted.