01The first crisis asks
01 / 04An enterprise customer just sent a 60 page MSA. Who reads it?
Keyword hire
"The founder. At midnight. Again."
Lawyer-screened hire
"Your counsel. Redlines back before the deal cools."
First legal hire · Singapore
Your first lawyer sets the tonefor every legal call after.
We scope, source and screen your founding legal hire: a search run by senior lawyers who know the Singapore market, not keyword-matching recruiters. You interview four people worth your time, not forty CVs.
Candidates stay confidential until you meet them. What you see is the discipline of the search.
What you are actually hiring
What a first legal hire actually is.
A first legal hire is the lawyer who moves your legal function . Getting it right is a problem before it is a search problem: the role, the and the all have to match your stage, or the hire fails politely a year in.
Tap a highlighted term for the plain-English version.
Declassified
in-house
Inside the company as an employee, rather than bought by the hour from a firm. The economics flip somewhere around steady weekly legal work; before that point, fractional counsel is usually cheaper.
In plain terms: hire the lawyer your next two years need, not the one your job template describes.
The problem we remove
A generalist recruiter cannot interview a lawyer.
Put both versions of the same hire in front of the first real crisis and read the difference. Same four questions, asked when the answer actually matters.
02The first crisis asks
02 / 04Was this person ever tested on real drafting?
Keyword hire
"The CV said eight years of contracts."
Lawyer-screened hire
"Yes. They marked up a real agreement before the shortlist."
03The first crisis asks
03 / 04Is the seniority right for the next two years?
Keyword hire
"We hired whoever applied."
Lawyer-screened hire
"Scoped with the board before the search even started."
04The first crisis asks
04 / 04Six months in: is legal still landing on the founder?
Keyword hire
"Yes. The hire watches me do it."
Lawyer-screened hire
"No. The function runs, and reports weekly."
05Who runs the search now
The stakes
Daniel KungSearch lead 6 to 12months lost to a wrong first hire
A failed first legal hire costs the salary, the search, and a year in which the founder quietly went back to being the legal department.
A search scoped, sourced and screened by senior lawyers, with a guarantee behind the placement, so the first hire is the right one.
The second voice is not hiring luck. It is what a screened search sounds like, and running it is the job we take over.
How the search runs
From scoping call to signed offer, in weeks.
Swipe through a search as we actually run it.
Continuously updated
- Week 1Scoping
A working session with you, and the board if they care, turns 'we need a lawyer' into a role: scope, seniority, comp band and a first-90-days plan.
- Week 2Sourcing
We go into the market by name, not by job ad: our own network first, then a mapped longlist of everyone in Singapore who genuinely fits.
- Week 3Screening
Senior lawyers interview the longlist on real work: a contract to mark up, a judgment call to argue. CVs do not survive this stage; skills do.
- Week 4Shortlist
You meet four people, each pre-tested and each briefed honestly on your company. Every interview is worth your hour.
- Week 5Offer
Comp negotiated against live market data, the offer papered by us, and the counter-offer risk managed before resignation day.
- Week 6Landing
A 90 day onboarding plan, and your new counsel can lean on our bench while they ramp, so nothing drops in the gap.
A fixed placement fee, agreed up front. If the hire leaves inside the guarantee period, we run the search again for free.
Everything this covers
A search run like a legal matter.
Each stage has an owner, a date and a deliverable. You see all three.
Daniel KungSearch leadDuty 01 of 06
Role scoping
The role written down before anyone is contacted: scope, seniority, reporting line and what success looks like in the first 90 days.
- Scope
- Seniority
- First 90 days
Hover a duty to open it, or tap it on mobile.
- Singapore licensed
- Fundraising & SAFEs
- M&A and exits
- Regulators & MAS
The senior judgment behind LDU
Meet Daniel, the lawyer behind every approval.
Fifteen years getting founders through setup, growth and the raise, across the table from investors, regulators and acquirers. He is the senior judgment LDU is built on.
- Years in practice
- 0+
- Matters signed off
- 0+
Years in practice
Matters signed off
Why founders trust the search
Recruiters who have done the job being filled.
Senior lawyers running the screening, live market data behind the offer, and a guarantee that keeps the risk on us.
4.8/ 5
Google reviews60+ founder reviews
- 0+
- Legal and compliance roles placed
- 0
- Candidates per shortlist, tested
- 0%
- Screened by senior lawyers
- Singapore market
- Lawyer-led screening
- Live comp data
- Placement guarantee
Our promise
If the hire leaves inside the guarantee period, we run the search again for free.
We run a small number of searches at a time, on purpose.
Customer stories
Why founders choose LDU.
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.”
- Less time setting up contracts
- 0%
- Faster to close than competitors
- 0X
- Faster issue resolution
- 0%
- Reviewed by a licensed lawyer
- 0%
Less time setting up contracts
Faster to close than competitors
Faster issue resolution
Reviewed by a licensed lawyer
“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
FAQ
What founders ask about the first hire.
Not sure you should hire yet?
That is a fine answer, and the free call will give it to you straight, either way.
Roughly when legal work is steady every week rather than spiky: recurring contracts, an active compliance surface, deals in motion. Before that, fractional counsel usually fits better, and we will tell you so on the call even though we sell the search.
Your move
Make the first legal hire the right one.
Book a free call. Describe the role as you imagine it, and leave with an honest read on scope, comp and whether you should even hire yet.
- 15 minutes
- No pitch
- An honest read
10 companies booked a call this month4.8 Rated by 60+ founders
We run a small number of searches at a time, on purpose.