The GC of this Fortune 500 SaaS company struggled to find the right outside bench strength to support their in-house department. Gouchev Law became a seamless extension of his in-house legal team and jumped in without needing management, which helped the in-house team feel less overworked and free up their time to focus on providing value to their business teams. Here is a quick interview with him to show how Gouchev Law was of assistance.
Q: WHAT MADE YOU SEEK OUTSIDE LEGAL COUNSEL?
Our legal team needed more support. We use outside counsel regularly, but it has been hard to find the ideal team that would not need management. We have a lot of overflow on the commercial contracts side and with M&A support. I tried hiring permanent resources but we had issues with training, cultural fits, and the turnover which meant losing so much of our time that we spent training those folks. The loss of knowledge was the biggest problem, so I was hoping to hire outside counsel that would stay with us for the long-term and be the same people dedicated to our account.
Q: WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN OUTSIDE COUNSEL?
The last two outside counsel we used were a large firm and the other was a contractor from a platform that provides attorneys at lower rates, neither of those were the right fit for us. I reached out to my network of GCs at other companies. Gouchev Law was recommended by someone I trust at a tech company, hired them and couldn’t be happier. I could tell Gouchev Law was extremely selective about their attorneys, highly trained, personable, fast, and affordable.
“Gouchev Law is the right hand to our in-house team… Culturally they are exactly what we needed, there is a high level of diplomacy, support, and speed. They get the business side of things, and explain it in plain language to help make quick decisions.”
Q: HOW HAS IT BEEN WORKING WITH GOUCHEV LAW?
Gouchev Law is literally an extension of our in-house team. We trust them to work directly with our internal clients, including various business units, department heads, and end-clients. The hands-on business approach she has and the knowledge management as the legal decisions evolve has saved me a ridiculous amount of time. It’s not just our legal team that’s thrilled with them, all the departments Gouchev supports come to me with positive feedback regularly. They are the perfect cultural fit. Culturally they are exactly what we needed, there is a high level of diplomacy, support, and speed. They get the business side of things, and explain it to the folks they support in plain language to help them make quick decision.
Q: PRICING IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR FOR COMPANIES BIG AND SMALL. HOW WAS THE PRICING OF GOUCHEV LAW COMPARED TO OTHER FIRMS AND RESOURCES?
It was exactly what we were looking for. Their rates are lower than the big firms and just a bit higher than a platform that provides attorneys. I went in looking for a specific skill-set and cultural fit. I didn’t want the cheapest option from a platform that provides temp counsel, we tried that for a bit but the experience level just wasn’t there. I don’t want to manage outside counsel. Gouchev Law has a very reasonable hourly rate for the level of service they provide.
Q: WHAT DO YOU USE GOUCHEV LAW FOR?
We’ve grown fast over the past few years. We needed an attorney who can work on-demand handling our additional day-to-day commercial legal work. We try hard to ensure our in-house team isn’t overwhelmed. Gouchev Law handles various commercial agreements, software licensing contracts, master service agreements, NDAs, subcontractor agreements, data privacy reviews, and helps with M&A support a few times a year.
Q: BASED ON PAST EXPERIENCES, WHAT DO YOU NOT WANT IN OUTSIDE COUNSEL?
Well, for example, I used an online platform for cost savings purposes. For me, I experienced a lack of skills needed, speed and industry knowledge. For example, in a contract review I need someone who knows how to balance a redline, see high-level issues and help our teams negotiate and decide what to push and what to let go. I also want the same dedicated team of outside counsel for years to come.
Q: WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT GOUCHEV LAW?
I feel very lucky to have found my attorneys at Gouchev. Our internal clients are consistently impressed with the speed of turnarounds and the hands-on approach to problem-solving. It’s better than any large firms we worked with. I really appreciate that we have a dedicated team of people that are an extension of our internal team. They are extremely talented, from big law and in-house at F50s, and lovely to work with. What I find unique is that all the attorneys I have worked with at Gouchev are uniform in their style and communication skills, and culture. It’s a huge relief.