$Chief Legal Office logo — fractional Chief Legal Office$

The Mission

Three missions

One model

Three missions

One model

We built a fractional Chief Legal Office to give growing

companies flexible legal leadership and experienced

lawyers meaningful, balanced work.

We built a fractional Chief Legal Office

to give growing companies flexible

legal leadership and experienced

lawyers meaningful, balanced work.

how we got there — three problems, one answer.

PROBLEM 01

Growing companies

need legal leadership

early

Growing companies need experienced legal

leadership long before they are ready to build

a full legal department. Without it, risk accumulates quietly

in contracts, compliance gaps, and decisions made

without counsel.

PROBLEM 02

Experienced lawyers

want more than an

inbox

Experienced in-house and government lawyers want

meaningful work and real collaboration — and a life

outside their inbox. Traditional structures rarely offer

all three at once.

PROBLEM 03

Mission-driven organizations
are priced out of legal support

Their legal needs are no less complex, but traditional law firm

rates and the cost of building an in-house team put

experienced counsel out of reach.

PROBLEM 03

Mission-driven organizations
are priced out of legal support

Nonprofits and social enterprises face many of the same legal

issues as growing companies, but often without the budget for

experienced counsel. Too often, they receive legal help only after

a problem becomes urgent, or not at all.

THE ANSWER

So we built something

different

We created a fractional Chief Legal Office — built to

move and grow with the business. It solves both

problems at once: companies get the senior legal

leadership they need, and lawyers get the work and

balance they deserve.

For a long time, companies had to choose

among building too early, hiring solo, or

relying on outside counsel.

We never thought that made much sense.

Mission ONE

Real legal leadership

Accessible cost

Most growing companies hit a point where they need real legal leadership — someone in the room, not just on call. But a full-time General Counsel is a big hire, and a traditional law firm keeps legal too far from the business.

We built a third option. A fractional Chief Legal Office. Not a solo lawyer, but a real structure. Legal leadership at the top, supported by a team that handles work at the right level. The GC focuses on judgment and direction.

The team makes sure things move.

Because we operate virtually, our overhead stays low. That efficiency goes directly to our clients — so experienced in-house legal leadership is affordable long before a company is ready to build a full department.

What this means for you

“You have someone in the room who understands the business and can make the call when it matters.”

MISSION TWO

A third option for great
lawyers

For experienced in-house and government lawyers, the choices used to be simple: find another full-time in-house or government role, or go to a traditional law firm. Then came fractional GC work — which sounds right, but most of those models leave you on an island by yourself.

We believe a forest is better than a tree. At CLO, you are part of a real team — other senior lawyers who have been inside organizations, who think the same way you do, and who are doing the same kind of work.

You stay in the high-level work you actually love. Close to the decisions. Focused on the problems that require your experience. From wherever you are and without structuring your entire life around it.

The school play stays on the calendar. The weekend stays yours. The work stays meaningful.

For experienced in-house and government lawyers, the choices used to be simple: find another full-time in-house or government role, or go to a traditional law firm. Then came fractional GC work — which sounds right, but most of those models leave you on an island by yourself.

We believe a forest is better than a tree. At Chief Legal Office, you are part of a real team — other senior lawyers who have been inside organizations, who think the same way you do, and who are doing the same kind of work.

You stay in the high-level work you actually love. Close to the decisions. Focused on the problems that require your experience. From wherever you are — and without structuring your entire life around it.
The school play stays on the calendar. The weekend stays yours. The work stays meaningful.

What this means for you

“Do the work you went to law school for — without giving up everything else.”

MISSION THREE

The side quest that
matters

of every dollar of revenue accrued for nonprofits and social enterprises.

of every dollar of revenue is set aside for nonprofits and social enterprises.

Nonprofits and social enterprises do some of the most important work in the world. They also tend to have the least access to experienced legal support — not because the need is not there, but because the cost gets in the way.

We set aside 5% of our revenue to change that.

Organizations doing meaningful work get real legal support at a subsidized cost. Our attorneys still get paid for their work. It is not pro bono. It is not charity. Think of it as low-bono — built into the business model so it actually runs.

Not an afterthought. Not a line in a press release. It is part of how the business works from day one.

What this means for you

“The organizations doing the most important work do not have to choose between legal support and keeping the lights on.”

THE MISSION

When the model
works, it works for
everyone

Companies

You get the legal leadership your company actually needs, at rates that don't require you to choose between growth and counsel.

Lawyers

You get a place to practice at the highest level, without the politics, the billing pressure, or the clock.

Nonprofits

You get access to the same quality of work, funded by the model rather than your budget.

Get Started

FAQS

Frequently Asked
Questions

For teams scaling fast or managing complex deals, we build a fully dedicated legal function around you.

Are you a law firm?

What kinds of companies are the best fit for Unified?

Why do experienced General Counsel choose Unified?

What do you mean when you say you're "builders of builders"?

Does your social impact mission increase the cost of your services?

How is Unified different from hiring a traditional law firm?

How involved will my Chief Legal Officer actually be?

Will you tell me "no" all the time?

Does your Public Benefit Company mission affect the legal advice you provide?

What does success look like for Unified?

Are you a law firm?

How is Unified different from hiring a traditional law firm?

What kinds of companies are the best fit for Unified?

How involved will my Chief Legal Officer actually be?

Why do experienced General Counsel choose Unified?

Will you tell me "no" all the time?

What do you mean when you say you're "builders of builders"?

Does your Public Benefit Company mission affect the legal advice you provide?

Does your social impact mission increase the cost of your services?

What does success look like for Unified?

Are you a law firm?

What kinds of companies are the best fit for CLO?

Why do experienced General Counsel choose CLO?

What do you mean when you say you're "builders of builders"?

Does your social impact mission increase the cost of your services?

How is CLO different from hiring a traditional law firm?

How involved will my Chief Legal Officer actually be?

Will you tell me "no" all the time?

Does your Public Benefit Company mission affect the legal advice you provide?

What does success look like for CLO?

The Mission

Three missions.

One model

PROBLEM 01

Growing companies

need legal leadership

early

Growing companies need experienced legal leadership long before they are ready to build a full legal department. Without it, risk accumulates quietly in contracts, compliance gaps, and decisions made without counsel.

PROBLEM 02

Experienced lawyers want more than an inbox

Experienced in-house and government lawyers want meaningful work and real collaboration — and a life outside their inbox. Traditional structures rarely offer

all three at once.

THE ANSWER

So we built something different

We created a fractional Chief Legal Office — built to move and grow with the business. It solves both problem at once: companies get the senior legal leadership they need, and lawyers get the work and balance they deserve

how we got there — three problems, one answer.

For a long time, companies had to choose between building too early, hiring solo, or relying on outside counsel.

We never thought that made much sense.

MISSION ONE

Real legal leadership.

Accessible cost.

We built a third option. A fractional Chief Legal Office — not a solo lawyer, but a real structure. Legal leadership at the top, supported by a team that handles work at the right level. The GC focuses on judgment and direction. The team makes sure things move.

Because we operate virtually, our overhead stays low. That efficiency goes directly to our clients — so experienced in-house legal leadership is affordable long before a company is ready to build a full department.

What this means for you

“You have someone in the room who understands the business and can make the call when it matters.”

MISSION TWO

A third option for great lawyers.

We believe a forest is better than a tree. At CLO, you are part of a real team — other senior lawyers who have been inside organizations, who think the same way you do, and who are doing the same kind of work.

You stay in the high-level work you actually love. Close to the decisions. Focused on the problems that require your experience. From wherever you are — and without structuring your entire life around it.

The school play stays on the calendar. The weekend stays yours. The work stays meaningful.

What this means for you

“Do the work you went to law school for — without giving up everything else.”

MISSION THREE

The side quest that matters.

of every dollar of revenue accrued for nonprofits and social enterprises.

We set aside 5% of our revenue to change that. Organizations doing

meaningful work get real legal support at a subsidized cost. Our attorneys still get paid for their work. It is not pro bono. It is not charity. Think of it as low-bono — built into the business model so it actually runs.

Not an afterthought. Not a line in a press release. It is part of how the business works from day one.

What this means for you

“The organizations doing the most important work do not have to

choose between legal support and keeping the lights on.”

THE MISSION

When the model works, it works for everyone.

Companies

You get the legal leadership your company actually needs, at rates that don't require you to choose between growth and counsel.

Lawyers

You get a place to practice at the highest level, without the politics, the billing pressure, or the clock.

Nonprofits

You get access to the same quality of work, funded by the model rather than your budget.