FAQs

How do I get started? Contact us to schedule a conversation where we will learn more about your business, legal team, and current needs. Based on this information, we will recommend lawyers from our Bench who best match your requirements and work culture. You’ll then interview the lawyers and make a selection.

How are Venture Bench Fractional GC engagements structured? You commit upfront to a specified amount of time to ensure the availability of your Fractional GC. For predictable workflows, we’ll recommend either part-time or full-time engagements with a set number of hours per week. For more flexibility, you can purchase hours to use over a 13-week quarter, allowing you to call upon your Fractional GC as needed without a set weekly schedule. This approach helps you avoid the surprises of hourly billing.

Do I have to use hours evenly throughout the quarterly engagement? No, we understand that your workflow may vary from week to week. We encourage regular communication between you and your Fractional GC about upcoming projects and their timing. Your Fractional GC will update you on their hours' "pace" to manage expectations efficiently.

How does Venture Bench GC differ from staffing agencies? Unlike traditional staffing agencies, we provide access to experienced GCs who will work on an in-house basis at cost-effective rates. With backgrounds in ex-FAANG and top-tier experience, we understand the legal expertise and business acumen our clients require, making us uniquely positioned to meet your needs.

Benefits for Our Clients: Our team, comprised of lawyers, is better equipped to understand your legal needs compared to typical staffing agency salespeople or recruiters. We carefully vet potential Venture Bench GCs, evaluating both soft skills and substantive legal knowledge. We test each GC’s practical knowledge and negotiation style, ensuring a high-quality match for your company.

Is Venture Bench GC right for me? Our clients range from high-growth startups to major public companies. To determine if Venture Bench GC suits your needs, contact us with your current requirements and growth plans. If you're unsure whether you need someone full-time, part-time, or an alternative arrangement, we'll help you brainstorm use cases, explain what we’ve done for other clients, and provide you with a recommendation.

What’s the typical background or “why” Venture Bench GCs work with us? Venture Bench team members have chosen an alternative career path for various reasons. Some value flexibility to care for young children or elderly parents, others pursue a portfolio career to accommodate side projects or passions, and many enjoy working with a variety of clients and industries. All our GCs value the opportunity to work on an interim basis and are committed to the success of every engagement.

What if my Venture Bench GC doesn’t work out? At Venture Bench, we leverage our expertise to ensure you have the right GC for your needs. We conduct regular check-ins with both you and your Fractional GC to ensure everything runs smoothly. In the rare event things don’t work out, we will quickly find an alternate Venture Bench GC for you.

What if I want to hire my Venture Bench GC? While losing our lawyers is bittersweet, we celebrate successful engagements. If you and your Venture Bench GC want a direct employment relationship, we’re here to help. All we request is a conversion fee, which is often lower than what you’d pay a recruiter.

Do I get the same Venture Bench GC throughout the engagement? Yes, you will work with the same Venture Bench GC throughout the engagement term, assuming mutual satisfaction. If your GC finds other opportunities, our team will closely collaborate with you to find a new GC that meets your needs.

What practice areas can my Venture Bench GC handle? At what level of expertise? Our GCs are highly experienced and can provide legal support across various practice areas, including technology transactions, commercial contracts, privacy, product launches, M&A, fundraising, trademarks, employment, and corporate governance. Our most experienced lawyers bring general counsel-level experience, capable of handling the entire legal function for small-to-midsize companies.

Will my Venture Bench GC work onsite? This depends on your preference and the GC’s location. We always strive to offer remote work options for our GCs to match you with the best talent available. Remote work is typical for Quarterly or part-time engagements, but may come onsite for pre-arranged meetings if necessary. Full-time Venture Bench GCs may be open to working onsite depending on the circumstances. Let us know your requirements, and we’ll recommend your perfect match GCs from our Bench.

What is your vetting process for Venture Bench lawyers?

We conduct thorough screening processes including phone and in-person interviews, background checks, reference checks, and good standing checks. Venture Bench GCs are extremely experienced interviewers and apply a mixture of Behavioural, Hypothetical and Scenario-Based Questions, and Written Skills Testing (as appropriate) to showcase their legal knowledge. Our internal team managers, all experienced GCs and senior lawyers, custom fit this interview process to identify the high potential candidates and better understand their advising style, ways of work and approach to negotiation. We use these evaluations to match GCs with our clients.