LOUIS & CHARLES
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Legal Counsel for SMEs in Taiwan

For most smaller businesses, legal needs are not one big lawsuit but a steady stream of contracts, staffing, equity, collections, leases and IP questions. Dealing with them only after a dispute breaks out costs more time and money. We act as outside counsel to Taiwanese SMEs, start-ups and family businesses, shaping the service to the company's size, industry and deal flow, and bringing in accountants or land administration agents where a matter also involves tax, registration or real estate.

When we can help

What we do

How we work

  1. 1. Needs review: Understand the company's industry, size, deal flow, main risks and internal contact points.
  2. 2. Service plan: Agree an hourly, monthly-retainer or project-based arrangement according to frequency of use and the nature of the work.
  3. 3. Day-to-day support: Provide legal advice, contract review, letters, meetings and negotiation support.
  4. 4. Building systems: For problems that keep recurring, put templates, procedures, work rules or review mechanisms in place.
  5. 5. Working across professions: Bring in accountants, land administration agents or other professionals as the matter requires.

Frequently asked questions

Does a small company really need a retained legal adviser?

Whether a legal adviser is needed depends not only on headcount but also on contract volume, transaction value, the complexity of staffing and industry risk. A smaller business can choose a suitable number of hours or a project basis according to its actual needs; it does not have to hire in-house counsel.

What does a legal adviser usually help with?

Common work includes day-to-day legal advice, drafting and reviewing contracts, employment issues, corporate governance, shareholder matters, debt collection, lawyer's letters, negotiation and advice on internal policies. Whether litigation or large projects are quoted separately is set out in the scope of engagement.

Can you also help with accounting, tax and real estate registration?

A lawyer advises on the legal structure and the contracts. Where accounting, tax filing or land registration is involved, we can work with accountants, land administration agents and other professionals as needed; each profession remains responsible for the work the law reserves to it.

The contract is the other side's standard form. Is it still worth reviewing?

Yes. A standard form still lets you identify the risks in payment, acceptance, limitation of liability, termination, intellectual property and dispute resolution. Even if the other side will not accept wholesale changes, the risks can be sorted into those you must push on, those you can accept, and those to be reduced through internal management.

Is it too late to bring in a legal adviser after a dispute has arisen?

No, but some of the risk may already have crystallized. A lawyer can first assess the evidence, limitation periods, interim measures and negotiation strategy, then decide whether to proceed by negotiation, mediation, collection or litigation — and afterwards use the incident to put preventive measures in place.

If you are facing one of the issues above, it helps to gather the relevant notices, contracts, correspondence, a timeline of events and the outcome you hope for before contacting us to arrange a consultation. Once we understand the basic facts and have completed a conflict-of-interest check, we will explain how we can help, the scope of engagement and our fees. The outcome of any matter depends on its specific facts, the evidence, the applicable law and the decision of the competent authority or court.

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