Our Story

We believe in quality, autonomy, and humanity

Quality

When you hire CGL, you’ll be receiving first-rate legal support. Each of our attorneys has exceptional track-records and years of experience working in big law, in-house, and government offices. Additionally, they enjoy unmatched freedom in their job, which means they’re not only experts in law, but also motivated and engaged.

Autonomy

At CGL, we’ve revolutionized the way we practice law. All of our attorneys have the liberty to choose their schedules and work from anywhere in the world. Because of this autonomy, we can offer you world-class, customizable service any time you need it.

Humanity

CGL believes our attorneys are our most valuable asset. After years of witnessing substandard service due to overworked and undervalued employees, we decided it was time to reimagine the legal workspace. Our firm cares about the well-being of our attorneys, giving them the support they need so that they can deliver the type of results that make both you, and them, happy.

Before founding CGL, Hannah and Noam witnessed first-hand the negative effects of practicing law at the highest level.

For Hannah, it was after the birth of her son. Working for a prestigious law firm, she realized that regardless of how much she accomplished, it was never quite enough. Additionally, the extra workload she was required to take on left her sacrificing family time. This fueled the belief that there must be a better way to honor both her professional and personal life.

For Noam, she enjoyed her work with a Global 50 law firm, but she questioned whether Big Law was truly for her. She wanted to explore other options and use her abilities in a different environment. After deep consideration, she left the firm and began working for a startup in San Francisco.

Yet, despite questioning the traditional model by which law is practiced, they were both still deeply passionate about the legal vocation. But for many, that passion is not enough. Because of extreme pressure put on high-level attorneys, many men and women, unwilling to make endless compromises in the immeasurable pursuit upwards, either burn-out or leave.

As a result, law firms suffer alarmingly high attrition rates, wasting millions of dollars scrambling to replace top talent each year. Clients also struggle with this turnover, having spent time and energy building relationships with their attorneys only to have them leave. Law firms, clients, and attorneys incur heavy losses, and yet, the status quo persists.

That’s precisely why Hannah and Noam decided to create something different. CGL was born with the idea of giving its attorneys an unprecedented level of freedom and autonomy. This meant allowing them to choose where they worked and commit to a set number of hours each week. It was a success, and now, CGL offers on-demand legal services for companies and law firms alike.

At CGL, our clients work with attorneys trained at premier law firms across the country, including Fortune 100 companies and top government organizations. Additionally, clients enjoy highly competitive pricing as our firm lacks the costly overhead associated with traditional law offices.

Whether you’re a law firm looking for additional support, or a company seeking a trusted partner to handle your legal needs, we’d love to work with you.

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Jennifer Gumer pondered leaving law for good after six-plus stressful years at a large firm. But her thinking changed after learning about CGL, a growing virtual firm run by Hannah Genton ’13 and Noam Cohen ’13.

“Now I can use my hard-earned legal skills in a way that actually works for me,” says Gumer, an NYU Law graduate. “I work the hours I want from wherever I want, interact directly with clients, and use more of my own judgment and creativity to address their needs. Those are freedoms I could have only dreamt of in Big Law.”

Virtual law firms have been around for more than a decade. The advantages for practitioners are obvious.

“The ability to practice law on your own terms is an anomaly in the legal world,” Cohen says. “We believe working remotely and having control over one’s time is a recruiting advantage.”

No set working hours, no physical office, ample rewards. Hired on a per-hour or per-project rate, CGL attorneys enjoy greater work-life balance while saving time and money not having to commute.

With no costs for office maintenance and lawyers who have Big Law experience, CGL offers affordable, sophisticated services for clients such as early-stage startups with price-sensitive needs. CGL lawyers enjoy more flexibility than peers at big or small firms and can serve a wider base of clients while untethered to a single location.

Genton and Cohen worked at large national firms and recommend that first step for training, mentorship, and connections.

Over time, however, “we didn’t connect to the predetermined hierarchical structure, advancement based on seniority rather than merit, set compensation structures, or expected face time,” Genton says.

The final straw: parenthood. “That’s really when CGL was born, with the birth of our little ones,” she says.

In fall 2017, Cohen and Genton took a leap of faith to create their new reality—a practice where they control whom they represent, what services they provide, and where and when they do so. CGL focuses on corporate and commercial law, and recently expanded into cannabis compliance and regulatory counseling.

Genton (who lives in San Francisco) and Cohen (Los Angeles) signed 18 clients in just seven months.

“Clients are recognizing the value, and our growth is attributable, almost entirely, to word of mouth and the support of our former clients, colleagues, employers, and classmates,” Cohen says. “And there are many attorneys like us out there: people who studied at top universities and worked for top firms, but who felt compelled to leave their big law or in-house gigs in search of a more balanced, sustainable life and career path.”

— Andrew Cohen
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