Outside General Counsel of Chicago Expands, Adds Four Experienced Attorneys

Outside General Counsel

OGC leadership team - L to R - Founder and Principal Attorney Lloyd Chatfield, Jennifer Fardy, Joe Brennan, Jedi Knight, Joe McQuade, Ryan Newburn, Ann Straw, and Andy White

Outside GC model combines the benefits of full-time, in-house counsel with the flexibility and scalability of a traditional law firm

CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, September 25, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Outside General Counsel of Chicago, LLC (OGC), has added four new attorneys to its roster, expanding the firm’s model of providing an outsourced legal function to small and mid-sized businesses that prioritizes business outcomes over billable hours.

OGC Managing Attorney Jennifer Fardy said, “At Outside General Counsel, we pride ourselves on operating as an integrated partner for our clients, much like an in-house legal department. The attorneys joining OGC have all worked in a General Counsel capacity and bring decades of in-house experience to our leadership team.”

OGC’s new attorneys include Joe Brennan and Joe McQuade, who will support Illinois clients, and Jedi Knight and Ryan Newburn, who will lead the firm’s expansion outside the Chicago region, supporting clients in Colorado and California.

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan is a skilled corporate and technology attorney with 25+ years of legal and executive leadership experience – with significant experience in both in-house positions (GC, CLO) and outside counsel roles. Joe advises U.S. and international clients on corporate, commercial, regulatory (privacy and data security), and workplace governance matters, helping companies build, scale, and protect value across their operations. In his practice today, Joe represents numerous start-up and high-growth companies. In addition to his legal experience, Joe has served as a CIO and as a CCO, with hands-on experience leading technology teams. Joe has also recently been appointed to serve as an Adjunct Professor of Law for the University of Illinois. Joe earned his J.D. from Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law and his B.A. from Vanderbilt University.

Joe McQuade

Joe is a trusted, solutions-oriented legal advisor with over 27 years of experience guiding businesses through complex legal matters. With a focus on serving as Outside General Counsel, he advises companies on day-to-day legal strategy, commercial transactions, corporate governance, financings, regulatory compliance, employment law, and risk mitigation. Clients value his ability to combine legal precision with practical, business-minded solutions, strategic thinking, and strong collaboration. He has worked across industries such as technology, healthcare, consumer retail, and marketing and communications, managing a broad range of matters from internal policy development to M&A support to data privacy concerns and dispute resolution. Joe earned his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.

Jedi Knight

Jedi Knight is OGC’s go-to expert on intellectual property (IP) matters. As an inventor on over 70 patent applications and as the former General Counsel to an innovative powersports company, Jedi has the insight to guide businesses in developing, protecting, and leveraging their IP portfolios. Clients value Jedi’s ability to develop holistic intellectual property strategies that take into account their business objectives and competitive posture. Jedi earned his J.D. from BYU Law School and his B.S. from Brigham Young University Idaho.

Ryan Newburn

Ryan Newburn’s practice areas include corporate formations, corporate governance, complex commercial contract negotiations, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, energy and natural resource law, and contract general counsel services. Ryan’s clients have ranged from startups to billion-dollar established enterprises, and he has served as a key executive in numerous companies, including ARB Midstream, LLC, Black Canyon Midstream, LLC, Taproot Energy Partners, LLC, and American Midstream Partners, LP. Ryan earned his J.D. from the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law. He also holds an MBA, B.S., and B.A. degrees from the University of Arizona.

What is the Outside General Counsel model?

OGC was founded with a single objective: to create a hybrid legal service model, combining the benefits of full-time in-house counsel with the flexibility and scalability of a traditional law firm.

Founder and Principal Attorney Lloyd Chatfield said, “Many business owners do not have the budget or need for a full-time in-house lawyer. And, when they need to speak to a lawyer at a traditional law firm, they get charged in six-minute increments. This creates a purely transactional client-lawyer relationship. Under our model, the client gets full access to a seasoned business lawyer who becomes a de facto member of the client’s management team. This enables our clients to control their legal spending while fulfilling their organization’s most essential legal needs.”

How do clients benefit from the Outside General Counsel model?

OGC’s team of seasoned business attorneys collectively has more than 200 years of in-house and business law experience. It is that background that Chatfield believes makes OGC different. Clients benefit from the Outside General Counsel model because it:

• Delivers support for small to mid-sized companies and growing enterprises that need regular legal advice, but do not need a full-time, in-house lawyer
• Manages broad areas of responsibility, with a partnership approach
• Provides legal advice and support on corporate governance, contracts, employment law, compliance, risk management, intellectual property, dispute prevention, and general business strategy
• Supports clients’ day-to-day business decisions with sound legal counsel
• Offers flexibility that enables clients to scale legal services as their company grows
• Aligns clients’ legal strategy with business objectives, contributing directly to their success

About Outside General Counsel of Chicago

At Outside General Counsel (OGC), we provide high-quality and flexible outsourced legal support – designed specifically for small and mid-sized businesses. Our team of seasoned in-house attorneys serves as true general counsel, delivering significantly more value than traditional law firms that operate on a billable-hour, project-by-project basis. We partner with organizations across industries to offer the full benefits of an in-house legal function, combined with the flexibility and scalability of an outside firm. Our model is built to support your business objectives while keeping legal costs predictable.

Visit our website at: https://outsidegclaw.com/
For more information about OGC Chicago, please contact Jennifer Fardy at jennifer.fardy@outsidegclaw.com.

Maria Doyle
Doyle Strategic Communications
+1 781-964-3536
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