How Much Does Outside General Counsel Cost for a Small Business in 2026?
How much should a small business pay for outside general counsel? This 2026 pricing guide explains hourly, project-based, monthly and annual counsel models, what drives cost, and how to decide which level of ongoing legal support makes sense for a growing company.
When Does a Small Business Need Outside General Counsel?
Growing businesses eventually reach an awkward stage: too many contracts, ownership questions, transactions, and legal risks for a purely reactive approach, but not enough to justify a full-time general counsel. Here is how to tell when your business may be ready for outside general counsel.
Your Business Dispute Is a Business Problem First and a Lawsuit Second
A business dispute is more than a legal problem. It can affect cash flow, customers, employees, management time, and future opportunities. Learn why effective business litigation starts with the company's objectives and how a practical litigation strategy can help small and middle-market businesses protect what they have built.
A Business Dispute Is Getting Serious. What Should You Do Next?
A business dispute can become serious long before anyone files a lawsuit. Learn the practical steps business owners should take first, including reviewing the governing contract, building a timeline, preserving evidence, controlling communications, checking insurance, and defining what a successful outcome actually looks like.
The Warning Signs Most Businesses Ignore Before a Lawsuit
Most business lawsuits don't appear overnight. They usually begin with recurring operational problems, poor documentation, communication breakdowns, and issues leadership hopes will resolve themselves. Learn the warning signs that every business owner should recognize before a disagreement becomes expensive litigation.
It’s Time to Stop Treating Business Litigation Like a Surprise
Most business lawsuits do not begin with one catastrophic event. They develop through unclear contracts, undocumented decisions, recurring complaints, and problems that leadership agrees to address later. Learn how stronger systems, clearer communication, and earlier action can help businesses reduce legal risk before a dispute becomes a lawsuit.
Bought a Business? The 10 Most Common Post-Acquisition Litigation Issues
Buying a small business should create opportunity, not unexpected legal disputes. Learn the ten most common litigation issues buyers face after closing, including seller fraud, contract disputes, earn-out litigation, non-compete violations, and hidden liabilities. Discover practical strategies to protect your investment before and after an acquisition.
When Business Fraud Becomes a Civil RICO Claim
Not every business fraud case qualifies as civil RICO. This article explains when repeated misconduct, coordinated schemes, and direct financial harm may turn a commercial dispute into a federal racketeering claim.
The Viral JPMorgan Employment Lawsuit: What Employers in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio Can Learn
The viral JPMorgan employment lawsuit highlights critical risks involving workplace investigations, retaliation claims, and HR compliance. Learn what employers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia should know.
Breach of Contract Disputes: Protecting Small Businesses in PA, WV & OH
Facing a contract dispute in PA, WV, or OH? Learn when litigation makes sense and how The Skeen Firm structures business contract cases.
Breach of Contract Disputes: Protecting Small Businesses in PA, WV and OH
Facing a contract dispute in PA, WV, or OH? Learn when litigation makes sense and how The Skeen Firm structures business contract cases.
Success-Based Legal Fees in Pennsylvania: What Business Owners Should Know
Worried about unpredictable legal bills? In certain Pennsylvania cases, success-based legal fees can align costs with outcomes instead of hours. Learn how the model works and when it may be an option.
Success-Based Legal Fees in Pennsylvania: What Business Owners Should Know
Success-based legal fees may offer an alternative to hourly billing by aligning some fees with results. Learn when this approach may be available for Pennsylvania matters.
Success-Based Legal Fees: A Smarter, Outcome-Focused Option for Business Owners and Litigants
Concerned about unpredictable legal fees? Success-based legal fees focus on outcomes, not hours. Learn how this billing approach works.
Looking Back & Moving Forward: The Skeen Firm’s 2025 Year in Review (and What’s Next in 2026)
This year reaffirmed what we’ve believed from the start: people want straightforward legal help that respects their time, their goals, and their bottom line. Here’s a look at what we accomplished together — and what you can expect from us in 2026.
Business Divorce in Pennsylvania & West Virginia: What Owners Need to Know Before the Split
When a business partnership stops working, the fallout can be just as emotional, disruptive, and financially stressful as a marital divorce. In Pennsylvania and West Virginia, small and midsize business owners face unique challenges when it’s time to separate from a partner—especially when the company is successful, family-owned, or poorly documented.
No B.S. Legal Solutions for Small Business Owners in Pennsylvania & West Virginia
Running a business requires wearing a lot of hats—CEO, HR, accounting, sales, strategy, operations, and crisis management.
The one hat most business owners avoid?
Legal.
Not because it isn’t important—but because traditional legal advice is often overcomplicated, overly cautious, or out of touch with real-world business.
Governance, Gosh Darn It! Why Small Business Owners Can’t Afford to Ignore Corporate Formalities
Corporate governance isn’t just for big companies. Learn how Pennsylvania and West Virginia small businesses can protect themselves through better compliance.
How Success-Based Legal Fees Help Business Owners Win Without Hourly Billing
Learn how The Skeen Firm’s hybrid flat-fee and success-fee model helps business owners pursue litigation confidently. Discover a cost-effective alternative to hourly billing for commercial disputes in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
How to Choose a Business Litigation Attorney for Your Pennsylvania Small Business
Top Litigation Mistakes for Small Pennsylvania Businesses — And Practical Avoidance Tips
As a small business owner in Pennsylvania with revenues under $5 million, you may think “we’re too small to be sued”—but the reality is the opposite: smaller operations often make critical errors that lead to disputes, and the cost to defend them can threaten your business.