Retained Counsel
A retained counsel arrangement gives a client a named contact for ordinary legal questions, routine documentation, and a team that is familiar with the business if a dispute arises.
What a Retained Arrangement Includes
The following items are typically included in a retained arrangement.
Named Contact
A Named partner responsible for your account and an associate who knows your files, both reachable directly.
Agreed Response Times
Response commitments recorded in the engagement letter, with urgent matters defined and handled accordingly.
Routine Advisory
Advisory by telephone and in writing on questions arising in the ordinary course of business.
Document Review
An agreed monthly volume of contracts, notices, policies and correspondence, returned marked up with a note.
Standard Documentation
Preparation and periodic revision of the templates you use, including purchase terms, vendor agreements, non-disclosure agreements, appointment letters and notices.
Notices and Correspondence
Drafting and issuing legal notices, and preparing replies to notices received.
Compliance Tracking
A calendar of the registrations, renewals and filings applicable to your business, reviewed periodically.
Periodic Legal Review
A scheduled meeting at an agreed interval to review open matters, contract exposure and the compliance position.
Separately Agreed, Clearly Stated
- Litigation and arbitration, handled on separately agreed terms
- Registrations and filings requiring statutory fees
- Transactions outside the ordinary course of business
- Work outside the agreed scope, set out clearly in the engagement letter
Court fees, filing charges, stamp duty, registration charges and travel are always additional and are billed at actuals.
Four Onboarding Steps
We understand the business, the volume and type of legal work it generates, and where it currently gets stuck.
A written proposal setting out the scope, Response commitments, team, review cycle and fee basis.
The engagement letter is signed, recording scope, Named contacts, Response times and the fixed monthly fee.
Review of existing contracts, policies and open matters, followed by a short note on what is found. Most of the immediate value of a retainer appears at this stage.
Organisations That May Benefit
The following organisations may be suited to a retained arrangement:
- Operating companies with continuous day-to-day legal questions
- Manufacturing units
- Media and content businesses
- Restaurant and food groups
- Textile exporters
- Trusts and institutions
- Family businesses with property and succession interests
- Organisations with an in-house legal function that need local courtroom capability or a second opinion
Fee Structure
Retainer fees depend on the scope, volume of work and Response commitments agreed. They are fixed monthly, recorded in the engagement letter, and reviewed at the end of each term.
The engagement letter sets out what is included, what is billed separately, and what is passed through at actuals before work begins.