External Counsel & Legal Retainer Services
Ongoing strategic legal support for founders, SMEs, family businesses, and growing companies that need more than reactive legal services.
Most Businesses Do Not Need a Lawyer Once.
They Need Ongoing Legal Judgment. Because founders, business leaders, and investors are:
- making high-risk decisions informally,
- entering into undocumented commercial arrangements
- handling governance confusion, shareholder tension, operational dependency, and escalating disputes unnecessarily,
We act as long-term external counsel to businesses that require long-term, commercially-minded legal guidance without the cost of a full in-house legal department.
What We Do
We help businesses build stable legal foundations for growth. We work alongside management as a long-term legal and governance partner, providing:
Commercial Legal Support
- Employee/Customer/Supplier Contract review and drafting
- Negotiation support
- Regulatory guidance
Strategic Business Support
- Operational Support
- Growth structuring
- Investor readiness
- Dispute prevention
- Crisis management support
- Succession planning,
Governance & Advisory
- Board and governance support
- Founder and shareholder advisory
- Governance audits
- Business structuring
- Succession planning
- Risk management
Retainer Packages
Our retainer packages are designed to fit business needs at different stages of growth. From early-stage companies, startups, SMEs and those in the growth stage. We provide tailored solutions to help you achieve your goals.
ESSENTIAL COUNSEL
KES 70,000 /month
Recommended For:
- small SMEs less than 10 employees,
- early-stage companies,
Includes:
STRATEGIC COUNSEL
KES 120,000/month
Recommended For:
- SMEs with more than 10 employees,
- growth-stage companies,
Includes:
Essential Counsel+
GENERAL COUNSEL
Contact Us for Pricing
Recommended For:
- multi-entity groups,
- family businesses,
- property-heavy businesses,
Includes:
Knowledge Hub
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Drag-Along and Tag-Along Rights in Kenya
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is external counsel?
External counsel is an ongoing legal advisory arrangement where a business retains a law firm for continuous legal support without employing a full-time in-house lawyer.
We work alongside the business management to provide ongoing, proactive legal guidance on contracts, governance, operations, risk management, and business decisions as issues arise.
What is the difference between external counsel and a traditional law firm relationship?
Traditional legal services are usually reactive and matter-specific. A business encounters a problem, then instructs a lawyer.
External counsel is proactive and ongoing. We become familiar with the business, its operations, leadership structure, commercial goals, and risk areas, allowing us to provide faster, more commercially informed legal guidance over time.
How are retainer fees structured?
Retainer fees are based on:
- business size,
- operational complexity,
- expected level of support,
- responsiveness required,
- and strategic involvement.
Some businesses require routine legal support, while others require deeper governance and strategic advisory involvement.
Why do businesses choose external counsel instead of hiring an in-house lawyer?
Many businesses require ongoing legal guidance but do not need — or cannot yet justify — the cost of a full internal legal department.
Retaining external counsel is significantly more cost-effective and flexible than maintaining a full-time in-house legal team.