Your legal department, on a fractional basis

Fractional General Counsel for your business

A senior lawyer who takes the time to learn your business and becomes part of your team, backed by the people to get the work done. We own the recurring corporate, commercial, and governance work, and scale the day you need more.

Flat-fee packages from $2,500 per year to $11,000 per month. You'll know your price before we start.

Book a 20-minute call See the tiers and pricing

One accountable attorneyBacked by a full teamPredictable flat pricingNever the billable hourMeets your business wherever it is today

What a fractional GC does

Most companies don't need a full-time GC. They need the function.

You get a senior lawyer who takes the time to understand your business and becomes part of your team, backed by the people to handle the day-to-day work. That is real legal ownership: strategy, governance, contracts, compliance, and risk, without the salary, equity, and overhead of an in-house hire.

Our tiers are built for predictable pricing that meets your business wherever it is, so you can leave the billable hour and its surprises behind. When specialized work comes up, we point you to the right people and stay your single point of accountability.

Predictable pricing

A flat package fee, so you can call anytime without watching a meter. No billable hour, no surprises.

A lawyer and a team

One senior attorney owns your relationship and learns your business, backed by the people to get the work done.

Meets you where you are

Built to fit your business today and flex as it grows, so you never pay for what you don't need.

Who does the work

Counsel who has actually held the seat.

One BlackHill Law attorney owns your relationship, learns your business, and stays your single point of accountability, backed by the team behind them. It is not a rotating cast of associates, and on the intro call you meet the person you would actually work with. Our fractional GC practice is led by an attorney who has held the general counsel seat himself — four times over.

Adam Wardel

Attorney

Fractional General Counsel · M&A and global expansion · AI and data privacy

Adam served as general counsel or chief legal officer to four companies, and ran his own fractional general counsel firm, before joining BlackHill. He has led global legal operations for companies ranging from 100 employees and $4 million in revenue to 800 employees and $350 million in revenue, and has managed expansion into 10 foreign jurisdictions. He was named 2020 Corporate Counsel of the Year for the State of Utah, serves as Vice-President of the Utah General Counsel Association, and sits on the Utah State Bar's Cyber Law and A.I. Law Committees. He currently serves on two for-profit and two non-profit boards.

Michael Blackham

Founder and Attorney

Corporate and business · Securities · Tax

Michael spent a decade working with private equity firms and helping startups raise capital through crowdfunding before founding BlackHill to be the lawyer he wished he had when he was starting his own businesses. He advises on corporate formation and governance, securities compliance, and strategic tax planning. J.D., University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law; Master of Taxation, Weber State University; M.B.A., Western Governors University. Admitted in Utah, and a member of the Securities Section of the Utah Bar.

Representative recurring matters we handle, by type — not client name: multi-entity governance upkeep · employment and contractor agreements · vendor and customer contract negotiation · compliance reviews.

The tiers

Four tiers. Start at any one.

Start where your business is today, from foundational corporate housekeeping to a fractional GC who owns your entire legal function. Same team the whole way — no re-onboarding and no new firm when you move up.

Partner

Foundations, handled

$2,500 per year

Best for founders who want the essentials done right.

Your corporate house in order: state registration and registered agent (1 state), annual meeting package, minute book upkeep, and an annual strategy consult with an attorney.

Monthly retainers

Basecamp

The backstop

$3,000 per month

Best for early-stage teams that need a lawyer on call, at 1–2 active matters at a time.

Everything in Partner, plus routine contract drafting and negotiation, company and employment policies, a curated template library, debt collection management, and a scheduled monthly call.

Builder

The embedded operator

$5,750 per month

Best for growing companies with recurring, everyday legal needs.

Everything in Basecamp, plus employment and HR management, governance and board secretary, compliance and regulatory risk analysis, audit and corporate insurance management, coordination of outside counsel on specific matters, and 5% off hourly rates for out-of-scope projects.

Boardroom

The executive

$11,000 per month

Best for complex businesses that want a legal department without the overhead.

Everything in Builder, plus a fractional GC who owns your legal function end to end, outside counsel owned and directed, an executive and strategy seat including sales-motion meetings, multi-entity and multi-state coverage, and 7% off hourly rates.

Specialized, high-stakes work such as M&A, securities offerings, tax planning, and litigation sits outside your package. We scope it separately or refer you to the right expert or team.

Additional entities or states beyond your package are $145 per year per service. State filing fees at cost. Pricing is finalized once we know your entity scope.

Cancel Anytime. Month-to-month commitment.

What's included

Everything the recurring function needs.

Corporate housekeeping

State registration & registered agent
Annual meetings & minute book
Charter & governance upkeep

Everyday legal

Contract drafting & negotiation
Company & employment policies
Employment & HR management
Curated template library

Legal leadership

Governance & board secretary
Compliance & risk analysis
Audit & insurance management
Outside-counsel management

What scales across tiers

	Partner	Basecamp	Builder	Boardroom
Registration & registered agent	1 state	1 state	1 state	1 state
Annual meeting, minute book, charter	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Board meetings & board secretary	—	—	Up to 4 / yr	Unlimited cadence
Corporate insurance management	—	—	Renewal	Renewal & strategy
Fractional GC owns the function	—	—	—	Yes
Outside-counsel management	—	—	As needed	Owned & directed

How it works

Three steps, no surprises.

Book a 20-minute call

We learn your business, what's on your plate, and where the risk is.

We tell you which tier fits

We'll discuss your needs and recommend the tier that fits best.

Start, and shift tiers as you grow

Same team, no re-onboarding, no surprise bills.

How we work

Serious work, clearly done.

Clarity over complexity

If you don't understand what we did and why, we failed. Every matter comes with a plain-English read-out.

Confidence, not dependence

The goal is to make your business feel handled, so your team focuses on building, not managing lawyers.

Find the yes

Bad lawyers list every reason something won't work. We find the solution and the creative alternative.

We hate bullies

We use our seat to protect you from players betting you'll back down, and we never become one.

Make it enjoyable

Working with lawyers is usually stressful. We're here to change that. We are all about relationships, not a transaction, and a process that's actually pleasant.

Questions

The things execs ask us first.

How is this different from hiring a GC in-house?

You get a senior lawyer, and the team behind them, with true ownership of the function, without a full-time salary, benefits, and equity. Your tier flexes as your needs change, so pricing stays predictable and you never pay for capacity you don't use.

Do you replace our existing outside counsel?

Not necessarily. For specialist work we help you find and coordinate the right firms, so you keep one accountable point of contact instead of managing a roster of lawyers yourself.

What about M&A, fundraising, tax, or litigation?

Litigation, M&A, securities transactions, and similar high-stakes matters sit outside your package. They're episodic and hard to predict, so we scope them separately or refer you to a specialist, never bundled into your recurring engagement.

Who will we actually be working with?

One senior BlackHill Law attorney owns your relationship and knows your business, backed by a team that handles the work behind them. It is not a rotating cast of associates, and on the intro call you'll meet the person you'd work with.

How does pricing work?

Every tier is a flat fee, so you can pick up the phone without watching a meter. Partner is $2,500 per year; Basecamp, Builder, and Boardroom run $3,000, $5,750, and $11,000 per month. We confirm your price before we start and adjust only when you move tiers.

Can I move between tiers?

Yes. Start at any tier and move up or down as your needs change, with the same team and no re-onboarding.

How do we get started?

Book a 20-minute Zoom below. We'll talk through where your business is, what's on your plate, and which tier fits, with no pressure and no obligation to continue.

Not ready to talk?

Grade your business in five minutes.

Our free Business Health Check finds the legal and compliance gaps most growing companies miss — and points you to the tier that fits.

Take the Health Check

Let's talk

Find your fit in a 20-minute call.

Meet a BlackHill Law attorney over Zoom. We'll learn your business, answer the hard questions, and tell you honestly which tier fits.