Retainer and outside general counsel
Most foreign-owned companies in Bali are too small for an in-house lawyer and too exposed to go without one. A retainer buys the thing that is otherwise missing: someone who already knows your structure when the problem arrives, so the first hour goes on the problem rather than on the background.
What you get
- A named advocate who holds your file and answers directly, by email or WhatsApp.
- Contract review and drafting within the tier you hold.
- A compliance calendar set up at onboarding and kept current, so reporting deadlines arrive as reminders rather than as sanctions.
- A quarterly legal-risk review — a proactive read of your exposure, written down.
- First-line handling when a dispute starts, before it becomes litigation.
How it runs, step by step
| Milestone | Typical time | What happens / your part |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping call & tier | Days | A short intake call to fit the right tier (intake, not legal advice) |
| Engagement & onboarding | ~1 week | Engagement letter signed; we set up your compliance calendar |
| Ongoing advice | Continuous | Email/WhatsApp advice, contract review, first-line disputes |
| Quarterly legal-risk review | Quarterly | A proactive review of your exposure |
Typical total: Onboarding ~1 week; then continuous
Legal basis
| Aspect | Basis |
|---|---|
| Legal services are provided by a licensed advocate | UU 18/2003 |
Each basis above has been verified against the primary source and filed in the firm's dossier for this service. Points still under verification are not published here.
Common questions
What do the tiers cost?
Essentials is USD 350 per month, Outside Counsel USD 1,000, and Full Counsel USD 2,200. The difference between them is scope and response priority, not quality of attention. The right tier is the smallest one that covers what you actually use — and if a retainer is not what you need, you will be told that in the scoping call.
Does the retainer cover litigation?
No. Litigation is quoted separately, on every tier. A retainer covers advice, contracts and first-line dispute handling — the work that happens before a court file exists. Where a matter does go to court, it is scoped and quoted at that point.
Can we talk it through first?
Yes, in two steps. First contact on WhatsApp is intake and a conflict check — establishing who you are and whether the firm is free to act, which is not advice. Advice happens in a scheduled consultation: Rp2.5 million for 90 minutes, credited against your engagement if you retain the firm within 30 days.
Honest limits
A retainer is advisory capacity, not an unlimited draw: each tier carries a defined scope, set out in the engagement letter, and work beyond it is quoted before it is done. Litigation, court representation and enforcement sit outside the retainer and are quoted separately. The retainer does not cover accounting, tax filing, or licence and government fees paid to third parties. The firm can act only where the conflict check is clear.
Talk to the advocate
Tell us what you are dealing with on WhatsApp. That first message is intake and a conflict check — not legal advice. Advice happens in a booked consultation: Rp2.5 million for 90 minutes, credited against your fee if you retain the firm within 30 days.
Message on WhatsApp