Q: Can our company hire an attorney on staff and use her to go after other companies in civil court?
We have worked with a few companies that have clearly broken contracts with us. The damages are not worth an expensive attorney or law firm. We want to hire an attorney to work with us on salary to go after these companies. Is it legal for us to do this?
A:
As a general matter, companies do what you describe all the time. The position is sometimes designated as an in-house counsel. They advise officers on key decisions, they litigate cases (or depending on the size of the company, oversee cases farmed out to outside counsel), they check company operations for legal compliance, they stay updated on new legislation, etc. That's as a general matter. I don't know if there are legal conditions or considerations that you need to look into that are applicable in Illinois, but as a general matter, the position you describe is used throughout the nation and the rest of the world. Good luck
Tim Akpinar
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