A free 15-minute call
No pitch, no obligation.
Most recruiters match keywords. We come from legal practice, so every candidate is screened by senior legal consultants on real legal work, shortlisted to your stage, and priced as one scoped fee per role. No percentage of anyone's salary.
Shortlist: Legal Counsel
Series A fintech, first legal hire
Candidate 01Screening
8 yrs, fintech and funds
Candidate 02Screening
6 yrs, in-house SaaS
Candidate 03Screening
5 yrs, compliance and DPO
Screened before your inboxNotes attached
The problem
None of this is a sourcing problem. It is a judgment problem: nobody in the pipeline can tell a good contract lawyer from a confident CV, and the pricing rewards the wrong outcome.
Placement fee note
Search firm, example
First-year package
S$180,000
the opening package
Their fee, 25% of package
S$45,000
Every raise they negotiate, they get a cut of.
success feeContingency recruiters charge a percentage of the package, so their payday grows with the salary they negotiate. Your interests part ways at offer stage.
Inbox: Legal Counsel role
107 of 112 read
Someone has to judge all of them. Right now, that is you.
112 applicantsJob boards and keyword filters cannot tell a drafting lawyer from a litigator. Someone still has to read them all, and right now that someone is you.
Legal Counsel, headcount open
day 68
Meanwhile, the work
The seat is empty. The job is not.
still openEvery month the role stays open, the contracts and filings keep arriving. They land on the founder, or they quietly do not get done.
The mandate
From your first legal hire to the team around them, every search is scoped, screened and closed by people who have sat in those seats.
The generalist who can own contracts, compliance and the board pack at once: scoped to your stage, tested on real documents, referenced by lawyers.
Compliance managers, MLROs and DPOs who already know MAS and the PDPA, drawn from a pool we work with in practice, not a keyword search.
From one lawyer to a function: role maps, seniority mix and hiring order planned so each hire carries the next.
A gap between hires or a deal that needs hands now: our fractional counsel keeps the seat warm so the search never runs under pressure.
Offer letters, employment agreements and ESOP grants drafted in-house, so the hire you fought for signs paper that holds.
If the market says the role is mis-scoped, we tell you and re-cut the brief before spending your weeks on it. You pay for a filled seat, not for activity.
The math
Run the numbers before the search starts, not at offer stage when the fee has already grown.
S$45,000
on a S$180,000 package, and it scales with salary
Weekly hours
of founder time per hire, spread over months
One scoped fee
per role, agreed before the search starts
Recruiter figures are Singapore market contingency rates, typically 20 to 25 percent of the first-year package, not our pricing. Your scoped fee depends on the role and seniority: you get it in writing after the free call, before the search starts.
A free 15-minute call, no obligation.
How it starts
No monthly search fee drip-fed over a quarter. A scoped brief, one fixed fee, and a shortlist you would actually put in your calendar.
Fifteen minutes on what the seat really needs. You leave with a salary benchmark and a realistic brief, whether we run the search or not.
Sourcing plus our own network, then senior legal consultants test for real judgment: drafting samples, scenario questions, references taken from lawyers.
Only candidates worth your calendar, each with our notes on strengths, gaps and salary. We sit in on interviews if you want a senior legal consultant across the table.
If the shortlist is not worth interviewing, we re-run the search on our own time. The fee buys a filled seat, not a PDF of CVs.
Meet the leadership
Fifteen years getting founders through setup, growth and the raise, across the table from investors, regulators and acquirers. He is the founder of LDU guiding evolution of a new type of in-house law.
Eighteen years advising on capital markets, corporate finance and ESG across three jurisdictions, from Magic Circle law firms to the boardroom of a global insurer.
Five years recruiting senior talent for startups across APAC, then doing what most recruiters don't; staying to build the HR that holds a growing team together.
Why founders trust us
Legal hiring judged by legal experts, not keyword filters. A named team, a record you can check, and terms that put the risk on us.
Google reviewsFrom founders and teams we work with
Our promise
Every placement carries a replacement commitment: leaves early, and we re-run the search at no fee.
Your fee is agreed in writing before any work starts. If a matter needs more time, we agree the change with you in writing first, so the number never moves without your yes.
Customer stories
Veljko Vasic
CEO, HolyWally
“As a client of LDU, I was impressed by how they consistently focused on our needs, showing patience and a deep understanding of our core requirements. It felt like having an in-house counsel that always had our best interests at heart. If you're looking for a dedicated team that prioritizes client satisfaction, LDU is the right choice.”
“Daniel is a consummate professional who was very helpful in our consultation. He assuaged my fears and walked me through how to possibly handle my situation. Did not ask for unnecessary charges or quotes. Highly recommended, especially if you're a small business or startup.”
Leung Wai-Leng
“Thanks to LDU and Daniel support, my business which was not well structure for couple months and having some issues is now good to operate. Extremely recommended for anyone not familiar with how Singaporean laws and banks work, it is much better to get great assistance at the beginning and start smoothly. Highly recommended.”
Simon Giraldo
“LDU was able to listen to my situation in detail and quickly provide me with effective advice to move forward. Daniel was very professional and clear-headed. A very good experience.”
Benjamin Fossati
“LDU have been fantastic in providing legal consulting and services. They have in depth knowledge across various domains and they work quick at a fraction of the cost of what you'd pay at standard market rate.”
Dindo De La Cruz
“I had an excellent experience working with LDU Asia. Daniel, in particular, was incredibly helpful, he was responsive, knowledgeable, and guided me through the situation with clarity and professionalism. I highly recommend their services for anyone in need of reliable legal support.”
Josh Decker
“Highly qualified, knowledgeable, with a great team. Expert opinions and advice. Would highly recommend for multiple types of legal services. I've used LDUAsia multiple times for a myriad of tasks and they've always been top notch.”
Zach
“As an expat in Singapore the firm really helped me with all the clarity on the matter and were very honest during the process.”
Hasan Syed
“Excellent experience working with Daniel and his team. We first got into contact almost 2 years ago in the earliest stages of our company. Daniel's team's arrangement was startup friendly and sincere.”
Rishab Patwari
“LDU Asia is truly a game-changer for any Singaporean startup. Their team is incredibly tech-savvy, highly responsive, and genuinely values both your time and theirs.”
Sunny Saurabh
“Best legal team you can really trust.”
Veljko Vasic
“LDU Asia is amazing. Solving my issue within a few day. They are prompt is replying my text and giving advice on what I should do.”
Roy Loi
“Easy to work with, thorough, and diligent. A wonderful team that helped meet needs quickly and efficiently.”
Meagan Ranson
“Daniel was wonderful in guiding us through the compliance process.”
Kanak Chaudhari
“Probably the fastest, most efficient and affordable lawyers in Singapore!”
Mahir Sahin
“Super helpful. Professional and knowledgable.”
Daniel Hestevold
“I had the pleasure of a professional and highly informative discussion with LDU which brought clarity to my situation and openly shared options and paths forward in a simplistic and grounded way. I am very grateful and highly recommend.”
Robert Kiely
Trusted across Singapore
Fit
Read both lists. If the left one sounds familiar, scoping the role on a free call will be worth it.
Torn between hiring and fractional counsel? That is exactly the free-call conversation. Daniel prices both honestly, including the option where you do not hire yet.
Inside this service
From a founding lawyer to a full function, each search below is part of the service, screened on real legal work. Tell Daniel on the call which one you need first.
FAQ
Still weighing it?
Ask Daniel directly on a free call. Fifteen minutes, no pitch, just answers.
The screen. Every candidate is interviewed and tested by senior legal consultants before you see them: drafting samples, scenario questions, references taken lawyer to lawyer. A generalist recruiter matches keywords; we can tell whether the work is actually good.
One scoped fee per role, agreed in writing before the search starts. No percentage of salary, so nobody on our side earns more when the package inflates.
The first shortlist typically lands inside two weeks: three to five candidates, each already screened on real legal work, with our notes attached.
Every placement carries a replacement commitment. If the hire leaves inside the replacement window, we re-run the search at no additional fee.
Yes. Our fractional counsel can hold the seat from day one, so the legal work keeps moving and you never hire under pressure.
Yes, and in-house. Offer letters, the employment agreement and any ESOP grant are drafted by our consultants, so the closing paperwork is part of the service, not another vendor.
Book a free 15-minute call with a senior legal consultant and leave with a clear next step.
