The Choice
Hire, or
retain?
Employing a general counsel is the traditional answer to a growing legal need. But for many businesses it is expensive, slow, inflexible, and difficult to justify. A fractional general counsel delivers the same senior leadership — on better terms.
The comparison below sets out the practical differences. For most mid-market businesses, the fractional model is not a compromise — it is simply the better fit.
In-House GC
Burns & Co. GC
Annual cost
In-House: Circa £92,000 (average, all-in)
Burns & Co. GC: From £48,000
Time to start
In-House: Months of recruitment
Burns & Co. GC: Days
Commitment
In-House: Permanent employment
Burns & Co. GC: Flexible retained package
Cost in quiet periods
In-House: Full salary regardless
Burns & Co. GC: Scales to your demand
Risk of vacancy
In-House: Gap if your lawyer leaves
Burns & Co. GC: Backed by a team
Breadth of expertise
In-House: One lawyer's experience
Burns & Co. GC: A network of specialists
Management burden
In-House: Recruit, manage, retain
Burns & Co. GC: None
Scalability
In-House: Fixed capacity
Burns & Co. GC: Ramps up and down
Book an Appointment
See the numbers
for yourself.
Book an appointment and we'll run through what a fractional general counsel would cost your business — and what it would save you.