Stop Googling Your Legal: How Fractional General Counsel Protects Your Growing Business

Stop Googling Your Legal: How Fractional General Counsel Protects Your Growing Business

As the new year begins, it’s the perfect time to make a resolution that can save your business time, money, and stress: stop relying on Google or AI for legal advice.

Search engines and AI can be helpful for learning terminology. But for a growing business in North Carolina, legal decisions are rarely one size fits all. Contracts, employment issues, compliance obligations, and intellectual property questions depend on the details of your situation. A quick answer can feel productive, but it can also create risk that shows up later through disputes, delays, or expensive clean-up work.

The Risks of Relying on AI or Google for Legal Questions

AI and search results often sound confident, even when they are wrong. Recent research shows just how risky AI-generated legal guidance can be. A 2025 study of leading AI legal research tools found that even advanced systems hallucinate, meaning they produce false or misleading legal information, between 17% and 33% of the time. That’s like playing Russian Roulette with your business’s future.

For business owners, the bigger problem is not just accuracy. It is context.

A template or AI-drafted contract will not know your business model, your leverage in the deal, your operational realities, or what you are trying to protect. It also will not identify the clauses that matter most for your specific risk exposure.

The Financial Problem with “Quick Answers”

A fast draft is not a free draft.

Legal and industry commentators are increasingly warning that we are likely to see more disputes tied to unclear or incomplete AI-drafted contracts. That should not be surprising. If a contract is missing key terms, uses vague language, or does not match the deal the parties thought they made, the business does not just lose time. It can end up paying to renegotiate under pressure, respond to a claim, or defend litigation.

Even if you never end up in court, unclear agreements create practical consequences. Deals stall. Vendors push back. Customers interpret terms differently. Leadership spends time untangling issues that should have been addressed before signing.

If you are using AI or online templates for contracts, it is worth asking this question:

What would it cost your business if this document is misunderstood, challenged, or unenforceable?

If your company is growing and contracts are becoming more frequent or more complex, Kliebert Law can help you build a contract process that matches your business and reduces preventable risk.

Why Fractional General Counsel is a Smarter Alternative

Fractional general counsel (GC) is designed for growing companies that need expert legal guidance without hiring a full-time in-house attorney. Instead of paying for one-off fixes, you get a legal partner who understands your company, your goals, and your risk tolerance.

For founder-led companies, scaling teams, and even private equity-backed businesses, fractional general counsel can help you move faster while staying grounded in sound legal decisions.

A Concrete Example: A Separation Agreement Mistake

Here is a scenario that shows why legal judgment matters more than a template.

Step 1: A business needs a separation agreement. A growing company terminates an employee and wants a clean, professional separation agreement with a release.

Step 2: Someone grabs a template from search results or asks AI to generate one. The business uses an online template or AI-drafted agreement that includes a 21-day review period and a 7-day revocation period after signing.

Step 3: The business assumes that language is required for everyone. Because the template includes it, the company uses the same language for every employee, regardless of circumstances.

Step 4: The business misses the real legal issue. That timing language is required in certain situations, including when an employee is over 40. It is not required for employees under 40. AI will not automatically ask the questions that determine whether those rules apply. The user would have to know to prompt for them. Most business owners do not know which facts matter legally and which facts are background.

Step 5: The result is inconsistency and avoidable exposure. At best, the company creates unnecessary delay and confusion in routine separations. At worst, the business ends up relying on a process that does not match the situation, which can create problems if the agreement is later challenged or scrutinized.

A lawyer’s value in this scenario is not simply drafting. It is identifying what matters, tailoring the agreement to the situation, and helping the company use a consistent process that can hold up over time.

That is exactly what fractional general counsel provides: ongoing, business-aligned legal guidance before issues become expensive.

When AI Can Be Helpful, and When It Should Not Be the Final Step

AI and search engines are not useless. They can still help you learn legal terminology, explore general concepts, and even conduct preliminary research.

The problem is treating that output as an answer. Once legal decisions could affect contracts, compliance, IP, or employees, a human attorney who understands your business and industry context is essential.

Make 2026 the Year of Legal Clarity

By stopping reliance on Google and AI for legal decisions, your business gains more predictable legal outcomes and peace of mind knowing a professional understands your risks and growth strategy. Your growing business deserves more than guesswork.

Contact Kliebert Law to schedule a consultation and explore how fractional general counsel can provide ongoing, predictable legal guidance for 2026 and beyond.

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