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The Law Offices of Elaine D. Papas


Fractional General Counsel · Strategic Advisory

Your Outside General Counsel

40+ years combining legal expertise, psychology, and international business experience to help companies make better strategic decisions — when the stakes are highest.

Senior-level legal leadership
Without the cost or commitment of a full-time general counsel.
Decision-making insight
Legal strategy informed by psychology under pressure.
Cross-border experience
Structured transactions across Africa, China, Dubai, and Europe.

40+ Years
Legal, executive, and advisory experience across high-stakes matters.

15+ Countries
International transactions spanning Africa, China, Dubai, and Europe.

$175M+
Complex transaction value reflected in structured business deals.

Dual Expertise
The only Manhattan corporate attorney also licensed as a psychologist.

How I Help

Designed for your company’s specific situation — with clear outcomes, senior-level access, and flexible engagement structures that match the pace and pressure of the decision in front of you.

Core Advisory

Fractional General Counsel

Ongoing part-time counsel for companies that need strategic legal leadership without adding a full-time GC.

  • Executive-level legal oversight aligned with business priorities.
  • Flexible support for governance, contracts, risk, and special projects.
  • A practical outside counsel relationship that feels embedded, not outsourced.
Transactions

M&A, Deals, and Growth

Support for acquisitions, strategic partnerships, financing, and complex negotiation moments.

  • Deal structuring and negotiation strategy.
  • Cross-border coordination and transaction management.
  • Clear issue-spotting before risk becomes cost.
Leadership Support

Boardroom Judgment

Thought partnership for founders and executives making consequential decisions in uncertain conditions.

  • Decision support when legal, relational, and strategic issues intersect.
  • Negotiation insight informed by psychology and business context.
  • Calm counsel when stakes are high and time is short.

Why Companies Hire Elaine

The differentiator is not just experience. It is the combination of legal rigor, executive judgment, and human insight applied at exactly the moments when businesses cannot afford weak advice.

01

Fractional GC without friction

Senior strategic counsel on a flexible basis, built for growing companies that need depth without the burden of a full-time executive hire.

02

Attorney and psychologist

Legal strategy shaped by a sharper understanding of decision-making, conflict, persuasion, and leadership under pressure.

03

International range

Extensive transaction experience across multiple regions and business cultures — uncommon depth for a boutique advisory practice.

Client Perspective

Trusted by leaders facing consequential decisions

Clients turn to Elaine when they need more than technical legal work — they need clarity, discretion, and judgment that holds up in rooms where pressure is high and outcomes matter.

“Elaine brings rare perspective. She does not just identify legal risk — she helps leadership think more clearly about the real decision.”

Founder · growth company

“Her ability to combine legal strategy with executive insight made her indispensable during a complex, cross-border business negotiation.”

Chief Executive · international business

“She offers what many firms don’t: judgment. Calm, senior, strategic judgment exactly when the stakes are highest.”

Private client · advisory engagement

For Founders, CEOs, and Principals

Private strategic advisory for executives

Some matters require a more confidential, more calibrated kind of counsel — especially when business, personal dynamics, negotiation, and reputation all converge.

  • High-stakes decision support during growth, conflict, or transition.
  • Trusted sounding-board role for negotiations and sensitive conversations.
  • Discreet advisory perspective beyond standard outside counsel work.
Start the conversation

Schedule a confidential consultation

Whether you need ongoing fractional counsel or advice on a specific strategic matter, the first conversation is focused, practical, and tailored to your company’s immediate needs.

Engagement Types
Fractional GC, strategic projects, transactions, executive advisory
Best for
Founders, CEOs, boards, investors, and growth-stage companies
Next step
Email or call to discuss the scope, urgency, and best structure for support

The Law Offices of Elaine D. Papas · Strategic Counsel for Growing Companies