Legal & compliance support for research & policy organizations

Research and policy organizations operate under a dense web of regulatory requirements — IRB protocols, grant compliance mandates, lobbying disclosure rules, and data privacy obligations that vary by funding source and jurisdiction. Keeping up with filing deadlines, document tracking, and compliance calendars is real work that pulls researchers and policy directors away from the work that actually moves the needle. A Trusty Oak EA handles the administrative and tracking layer of your compliance operations so your team stays focused on analysis and advocacy.

Fractional legal & compliance support support for research and policy organizations

How Trusty Oak handles legal & compliance support for research and policy organizations

A Trusty Oak EA working in legal and compliance support for a research or policy organization typically handles the day-to-day administrative infrastructure that keeps you audit-ready and on deadline. That means maintaining a compliance calendar in tools like Asana or Monday.com, tracking IRB submission windows and renewal dates, organizing grant compliance documentation in Google Drive or SharePoint, and monitoring lobbying registration and disclosure filing deadlines at the state or federal level. Your EA will flag upcoming deadlines, prepare draft submissions for your review, and maintain organized records so nothing falls through the cracks between reporting periods. You stay in the decision-making seat — reviewing, approving, and signing — while your EA owns the tracking, document prep, and follow-through.

What your EA takes off your plate

Before your first session, pull together a list of every recurring compliance deadline your organization faces — IRB renewals, lobbying disclosures, funder reporting dates, data use agreement expirations — even if it's just a rough notes document. The most common mistake is assuming your EA will know which deadlines matter most without that context upfront; a 30-minute onboarding conversation built around that list will save weeks of back-and-forth and get your compliance calendar operational much faster.

IRB Protocol Tracking and Renewal Reminders

Monitor active IRB approval expiration dates, prepare renewal checklists, and coordinate document collection from research staff ahead of submission windows.

Grant Compliance Documentation Management

Organize funder-required compliance reports, audit documentation, and subrecipient monitoring records in SharePoint or Google Drive according to grant-specific retention requirements.

Lobbying Disclosure Filing Preparation

Track lobbying activity logs, compile expenditure data, and prepare draft LD-2 or state-equivalent disclosure forms for attorney or director review ahead of quarterly deadlines.

Regulatory Monitoring and Digest Summaries

Monitor Federal Register notices, agency rulemaking updates, or state legislative trackers relevant to your policy area and deliver a weekly summary to your team.

Contract and MOU Intake and Tracking

Maintain a master log of active MOUs, data sharing agreements, and vendor contracts — including execution dates, renewal windows, and responsible parties — using Airtable or a shared spreadsheet.

Tools our team works with

We adapt to your existing stack — no forced migrations.

PandaDoc

SharePoint

Google Workspace

Notion

Airtable

DocuSign

...and many more!

Trusted by research and policy organizations

Trusty Oak supports research and policy organizations including Clayton Christensen Institute — handling everything from legal & compliance support to broader operational support.

What legal & compliance support support costs for research and policy organizations

Drag the sliders to build a monthly plan that fits your workload.

Executive Assistants

~$35/hour

15 hours $525

Specialists

~$50/hour

10 hours $500

Fractional Executives

~$95/hour

5 hours $475

Your monthly budget

$1,500

Starting at $1,000/month. One-time $300 onboarding fee includes your Strategic Delegation Plan.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can a Trusty Oak EA work directly with our IRB or legal counsel?

Yes — your EA can serve as the administrative point of contact for scheduling, document routing, and follow-up communications with your IRB office or outside legal counsel. They handle coordination and document prep; your PI or legal team handles substantive review and sign-off.

We receive federal grants with strict compliance requirements. Can an EA handle that documentation?

A Trusty Oak EA can manage the organizational and tracking layer of federal grant compliance — maintaining audit files, preparing progress report templates, logging subrecipient monitoring activities, and flagging upcoming reporting deadlines. They work within the systems and processes your grants manager or finance lead sets up, rather than replacing that expertise.

How does Trusty Oak handle confidentiality given the sensitive nature of policy and legal work?

All Trusty Oak EAs are US-based and sign confidentiality agreements as part of the engagement. For organizations handling sensitive research data or privileged communications, we recommend establishing clear document access protocols during onboarding — your Client Success Manager will help you build that into your Strategic Delegation Plan.

Get compliance off your plate

Start with a $1,000/month talent budget and a Strategic Delegation Plan built around your organization's actual compliance calendar. One-time $300 onboarding fee, US-based EAs, unused hours roll over.