Orange County's InnovaCounsel Provides Affordable In-House General Counsel for Small- and Mid-Sized Companies

NEWPORT BEACH, CA--(Marketwire - May 21, 2012) - InnovaCounsel LLP, a new-model law firm whose network of in-house attorneys serve as trusted business advisors to companies wishing to accelerate their growth and protect the businesses they're building, is well on its way to reshaping the way businesses utilize legal services with its innovative structure that allows small- and mid-sized companies to enjoy all the advantages of a talented and experienced in-house general counsel as part of their management teams for an affordable flat monthly fee.

The firm -- initially structured as a legal staffing company -- launched as The General Counsel in 2005, intent on becoming a sought-after leader in providing world-class outsourced solutions to internal legal challenges in emerging-growth and mid-sized companies. The company recently changed its structure to a law firm and its name to InnovaCounsel to better communicate the successful service's entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to going beyond the traditional hourly-rate law firms with value-based billing and client-centered services.

"Clients were quick to respond to our affordable business model, and many have expressed their enthusiasm for the personalized service they're able to afford on a small-business budget," says Stuart B. Blake, founder and partner of InnovaCounsel and an attorney with more than 30 years of in-house corporate legal experience. "We've removed the overhead and inefficiency of what we believe is an essentially outdated economic model in the legal industry, which relies more on billable hours than productive client service. We want to help companies by providing them with specialized legal advice to identify and manage risks, protect what they've built and seize opportunities for unlimited growth."

Blake leads InnovaCounsel alongside Michael Oswald, founder and partner, and David M. Blackwood, partner. Oswald is an attorney with more than 20 years of corporate legal and management experience spanning the aerospace, construction consulting and technology industries. Blackwood spent nearly 20 years of his 25-year career as general counsel, working closely with CEOs, CFOs and other members of senior management as a trusted business and legal advisor.

InnovaCounsel's executive-level general counsel attorneys work part time on-site at clients' offices, serving as integral members of the management team. The firm's experienced attorneys immerse themselves in every aspect of the company, from sales and marketing to finance, HR and IT, so they're prepared to best benefit the business. This unique relationship provides a wealth of benefits that clients frequently receive from a traditional hourly-rate law firm but at a substantially lower cost.

ABOUT INNOVACOUNSEL: Headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif., InnovaCounsel is turning the traditional law firm on its head with an innovative new way of practicing law that brings talented general counsel in reach for fast-growth and mid-sized companies. InnovaCounsel's unique business model makes it financially possible for companies to enjoy all the advantages of talented and experienced in-house counsel as part of the management team for an affordable flat monthly fee. The firm's in-house general counsel services offer industry-proven, executive-level general-counsel attorneys on a full- or part-time basis for a fixed monthly retainer that's well below the cost of a traditional hourly-rate law firm -- and with none of the overhead of adding a new department. Initially launched as The General Counsel, the firm changed its name to InnovaCounsel in 2012 to better reflect its spirit of innovation. For more information, visit www.innovacounsel.com.