The In-House Edit
An outside perspective. From inside the room.
Sometimes you don't need more Legal.
You need someone to come inside the business, ask better questions, and see what the people living in the system no longer see.
That's The In-House Edit.
A bespoke, in-person engagement with PPSC founder Caitlin A. Donovan, designed to examine how legal work actually moves through your organization—and how it could work better.
Two days. A full week. Or somewhere in between.
The time is tailored to the questions worth asking.
Invite me in.
There is a difference between understanding a business from its contracts and understanding it from inside the room.
The In-House Edit is an opportunity to bring experienced outside counsel into the day-to-day reality of your legal function.
I sit with the people doing the work.
I talk to the teams who rely on Legal.
I look at how agreements move, where decisions stall, which risks receive the most attention, and which problems have quietly become part of the furniture.
And I ask the question that has a remarkable way of changing things:
Does this still make sense?
Not whether it once made sense.
Whether it makes sense for the business you are running today.
Fresh eyes. Experienced judgment.
This is not a checklist-driven compliance audit or a ceremonial review of policies.
It's a strategic examination of how legal judgment, commercial priorities, people, processes, and technology work together.
Depending on the engagement, we may examine:
- —Contract intake, negotiation, and approval workflows
- —Templates, playbooks, and contracting standards
- —Legal escalation and decision-making
- —The division of responsibility between Legal and the business
- —Recurring risks and questions that consume disproportionate time
- —Privacy, AI, data, and technology-related legal workflows
- —Outside counsel usage and spending
- —Legal technology, automation, and opportunities to simplify
- —Organizational friction that nobody has had the time or distance to challenge
Some of these issues are legal.
Some are operational.
Most don't respect the distinction.
Neither should the conversation.
A perspective earned on both sides of the table.
I've worked in law firms and alongside in-house teams. I've negotiated the agreements, managed the complicated questions, worked through the disputes, and watched well-intentioned processes become obstacles to the business they were supposed to protect.
I understand why legal departments build safeguards.
I also understand how quickly those safeguards can outlive their usefulness.
The In-House Edit brings that combination of perspectives into one room.
Not a consultant learning the legal function from the outside.
An experienced business lawyer invited inside to see what is working, what is getting in the way, and what is worth changing.
The engagement fits the business.
No two legal functions operate the same way.
A lean team may need two intensive days to untangle the issues that matter most.
A larger department, growing company, or more complex business may benefit from a full week with leadership, legal, and key business partners.
The scope is agreed in advance, including the people involved, the questions to explore, the on-site duration, and the fee.
Preparation and follow-up can be conducted remotely where appropriate, but the defining feature of The In-House Edit is the value of being there in person.
No fixed two-day box. No generic consulting package.
The experience is designed around the business.
The Edit List.
At the end of our time together, you get something useful.
A candid working debrief and a concise, prioritized Edit List that identifies:
- KEEPWhat is working and deserves to stay.
- CHANGEWhat could be clearer, faster, or more effective.
- STOPWhat is creating unnecessary work, friction, or cost.
- EXAMINEWhat deserves a deeper look before anyone makes a significant change.
The discussion focuses on practical judgment, priorities, and ownership.
Not a 70-page slide deck.
Not a manufactured transformation initiative.
And not a proposal designed to make you dependent on another consultant.
Just experienced perspective, honestly delivered.
Who gets the most out of it.
The In-House Edit is designed for general counsel, legal leaders, founders, and executive teams who want a more useful view of how their legal function operates.
It can be particularly valuable during periods of growth, organizational change, increased contracting demands, technology adoption, or shifting legal and regulatory priorities.
It is equally appropriate for a good legal team that wants to become exceptional.
You don't need a broken legal function.
You need the curiosity to ask whether the way things have always been done is still the way they should be done.
A different perspective changes the conversation.
Sometimes the most valuable thing outside counsel can do is come inside, understand the business, challenge the defaults, and leave the team with a clearer way forward.
THE IN-HOUSE EDIT
Founder-led. In person. Tailored to the business.
Invite Caitlin In