A General Counsel
without the salary.
Most growing companies have real legal exposure every day. Leases, vendor contracts, regulatory questions, employment matters. They just can't justify a full-time GC. Virtual In-House Counsel is built for exactly that situation: a dedicated attorney who knows your business, available when you need answers, at a flat monthly rate.
01.
Rent Stabilization & HSTPA
The Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act reshaped landlord obligations overnight. One wrong lease clause or missed procedure can cost you the apartment. The law has not gotten simpler since it passed.
02.
HPD & DOB Violations
Open violations compound. Knowing when to fight, when to cure, and how to document the cure properly is the difference between a manageable situation and a serious legal problem.
03.
Vendor & Contractor Agreements
Unreviewed contracts with supers, management companies, and vendors create liability. Usually nobody finds out until something goes wrong, and by then it's expensive to fix.
04.
NYC Regulatory Compliance
Landlord obligations under city and state law are dense and change regularly. Notice requirements, rent rules, building regulations. Staying current requires someone who lives in this space.
05.
Employment Questions
New York City has some of the most employee-protective local laws in the country. Leave requirements, wage rules, anti-harassment obligations. Basic questions come up constantly
06.
No One Watching the Store
Without someone keeping an eye on things, legal issues get caught late. After a bad contract is signed, after a deadline passes, after a dispute has already escalated. Retainer counsel changes that.
-
Contract review, drafting, and negotiation — leases, vendor agreements, NDAs, licensing
-
Day-to-day legal advisory for executives and senior staff
-
NYC regulatory compliance — rent stabilization, HPD/DOB violations, landlord obligations under city and state law
-
Basic employment-related legal questions and HR support
-
Oversight and management of outside litigation counsel
-
General counsel availability — call, email, or message when questions come up
-
Active litigation (handled separately at an hourly rate)
-
Securities, M&A, and tax matters (referred to appropriate counsel)
-
Complex employment law matters (referred to appropriate counsel)
-
Matters outside real estate and general corporate law
-
Oversight and management of outside litigation counsel
Service Tiers
Essential
$2,250
per month
5 hours / month
Light but real legal needs. Good for smaller portfolios or owners who want counsel available without high monthly volume.
Overage at $425/hr
Standard
$3,750
per month
10 hours / month
Ongoing leasing, vendor agreements, and executive advisory. The right fit for active management companies and growing portfolios.
Overage at $425/hr
General Counsel
$5,500
per month
20 hours / month
A lawyer in the room regularly. Priority access and deep knowledge of your business. For companies that need consistent, senior counsel.
Overage at $425/hr
All tiers: 30-day rolling cancellation. Unused hours do not roll over. Overage billed monthly.
Why
Martin?
Most attorneys advise from the outside. Martin has spent his career on the inside — as in-house counsel and general counsel at some of New York's largest property management companies and prop-tech firms. He has handled the full range of legal work that a real estate business generates: the lease that needs to go out tonight, the vendor contract no one has reviewed, the regulatory notice that landed without warning, the employment question that came up at 4pm on a Friday.
He is a utility knife for real estate companies. He can handle the lease, the vendor dispute, the compliance question, and the basic employment issue, and knows exactly when something requires a specialist. The breadth does not come at the expense of depth — the practice is New York real estate, exclusively, and has been for his entire career.
The Virtual In-House Counsel program is built around that background. Not billing hours on discrete matters, but being the legal resource that keeps your business out of trouble and moving forward.