Welcome to Part 2 of our Smart Legal Resourcing series. In Part 1, we unpacked a familiar question GCs often face:
"Wouldn't it be cheaper to just hire someone full
time?"
While hiring can make sense, we showed why it's not always the
smartest move—especially when alternatives offer more
flexibility, speed, and experience.
Now. we're zooming out to look at the full legal resourcing landscape, from ALSPs to traditional firms, in-house teams and our model featuring "the OGC."
Traditional Legal Service Options
Most legal service models are designed to solve just one problem: cost, capacity, or control. But solving for one often comes at the expense of the others. For years, legal departments have had to make tradeoffs:
- ALSPs help manage cost, but often lack continuity and strategic integration.
- Traditional law firms deliver legal expertise, but not always business fluency or alignment.
- In-house hires offer consistency and control, but with fixed costs and limited flexibility.
Enter OGC
OGC was built to solve these limitations. Our model supports GCs who need experienced counsel⏤ a blend of legal judgement, operational fluency, and scalable execution—without the fixed costs of a full-time hire, the churn of staffing solutions, or the high overhead of traditional law firms.
Comparing Models: What Really Matters to GCs
Let's take a closer look at how legal service models stack up when evaluated for what GCs actually care about: alignment, continuity, scalability and long-term value.
| In-House Legal | OGC | ALSP | Traditional Law Firm | Consideration |
| Varies, often mid-to-senior associate level. | Partner-level attorneys with 15+ years of experience | Varies, often junior or transitional | Partners supervise associates who do most of the work | Who Does the Work |
| Some | All have held in-house roles | Rare | Rare | In-House Experience |
| Learning curve varies | Deep operational understanding | Legal-focused | Legal-focused | Business Acumen |
| Long-term, embedded relationships | Integrated | High turnover | Relationship gap between partner and team | Continuity and Relationship Depth |
| Fixed salary + benefits + other investments (see part 1) | Fixed fee options available, collaborative, embedded | Hourly or daily rates | Hourly billing, risk of scope creep | Engagement Type |
| Moderate. | High, with long-term committed partners | High, but inconsistent | Low and expensive over time | Exit Risk |
Alignment
Traditional firms can bring legal horsepower, but rely on delegation. While a senior partner may know your business, the associates doing the work often don't, leading to inefficiencies, misalignment, and missed opportunities.
Continuity
ALSPs are designed for capacity, not continuity. Their lawyers are often between roles, and just as they become effective, they're gone, leaving you to restart with someone new. While the upfront cost may look attractive, but the hidden costs of turnover, lost context, and constant ramp-up add up quickly.
Scalability
In-house counsel can add value, but only within certain parameters. As business needs evolve or surge unexpectedly, in-house teams often struggle to scale without overextending resources or sacrificing responsiveness.
Long-term Value
Legal value today isn't just about the hourly rate—it's about results. Strategic alignment, continuity, and execution speed are critical in a world where legal departments must deliver more, faster, and with fewer resources.
OGC isn't an ALSP or a traditional firm.
Our model is built around what matters most to GCs: continuity, judgment, and the ability to scale legal support without compromise.
With OGC, you don't have to choose between flexibility, experience, or alignment. We deliver all three—seamlessly, strategically, and without the tradeoffs that come with other legal models. We are the legal solution when business needs come first.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
