How Can a Fractional GC Keep Your M&A or Financing Deal on Track?

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Executive Summary: M&A and financing deals often stall due to legal gaps that could’ve been addressed earlier. A fractional general counsel helps companies stay prepared, respond faster, and make a stronger impression during diligence without the burden of full-time overhead.

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Mergers, acquisitions, and financing events don’t derail overnight. The issues usually start much earlier, like missing board minutes, inconsistent contracts, outdated corporate records, or unclear ownership stakes. And when those problems catch up to you during diligence, the deal slows down or falls apart altogether. That’s where a fractional general counsel (GC) can make the difference between closing with confidence or scrambling to clean up.

What Is a Fractional General Counsel?

A fractional GC is an embedded legal partner who works with your company on a part-time or project-based basis. Instead of the costly expense of in-house counsel or relying on one-off legal help, you get continuous legal support tailored to your business and budget.

With M&A and financing work, a fractional GC provides ongoing oversight before the deal even starts. They help build the foundation that buyers and investors want to see. That includes keeping your records clean, contracts consistent, and internal processes documented so there are no surprises when diligence begins.

How a Fractional GC Keeps the Deal Moving

Here are a few key ways a fractional GC supports smooth M&A and financing transactions:

• Prepares your company for scrutiny. A good GC ensures your cap table is current, your IP is assigned, your contracts are enforceable, and your corporate governance is in place. No backdating. No guesswork.

• Catches red flags early. From misclassified contractors to unapproved equity grants, issues that slow down deals are usually avoidable if someone is watching out for them early.

• Translates legal into actionable steps. During diligence, a fractional GC helps you respond quickly and clearly. They know where everything lives and what matters most to the other side.

• Stays aligned with your strategy. A transactional attorney may only care about closing the deal. A fractional GC also cares about the long-term health of your business.

  
  

Predictable Pricing Builds Trust

Temple Law uses a flat-fee and subscription-based model to provide fractional GC services with cost certainty. That means no ticking clock, no surprises, and no waiting until the deal is at risk to get help.

We use tools like AltFee to scope and price projects accurately, and Clio to manage workflow and payments. This allows us to tailor plans for:

• Pre-transaction preparation

• Ongoing GC work for growing teams

• Deal-specific support during a financing or M&A event

  
  

With subscription and flat fees, clients know what they’re paying, when they’re paying it, and what they’ll get. This makes legal planning a real part of your growth strategy instead of a reactive expense.

Flat-Fee Legal Support in Practice

Here’s how we’ve seen this play out:

• A company getting ready for acquisition realized too late that their IP had never been assigned properly from contractors. Cleaning that up delayed the deal and raised concerns among the buyers.

• Another client was applying for funding and couldn’t produce clean board minutes or confirm which version of their operating agreement was valid. We stepped in to backfill the missing governance history and clean up their recordkeeping, but it added cost and stress that could have been avoided.

  
  

Working with a fractional GC from the start avoids these problems. It gives your business legal maturity without the need for a full-time legal headcount. And it creates the kind of confidence buyers and investors are looking for.

Deals don’t fall apart because of one big issue. They fall apart because of a hundred small ones. A fractional GC helps you spot those early, fix them proactively, and show up ready. If you’re planning a transaction, the right legal partner should already be in place. Contact us today to see how we can help.