Cognition was founded for two main reasons – our clients and our people, in that order.  On the client side, two things occurred to us as our careers progressed between working at large law firms and as General Counsel.  First, there were many entrepreneurs and startup/growth companies who didn’t want or weren’t able to have their own full-time in-house counsel but could have greatly benefited from having that resource available to them on an affordable and as-needed basis. 

Second, there were several companies with legal departments which were overworked and understaffed and for which the general counsel were desperately seeking a viable alternative to outsourcing to a traditional “bricks and mortar” firm given the vast disparities in cost structure and practical/proactive approach compared to their own team. 

We had lived both these situations and wanted to offer another way.  In doing so, we simultaneously created a more flexible and appealing career route – initially for ourselves, and as Cognition has grown, for experienced, entrepreneurial legal counsel like ourselves – that has drawn some of the best and brightest in our industry.