Legal Retainer Packages in Malaysia
A legal retainer gives your business monthly access to NZSK's lawyers for an agreed scope of advice, letters and document reviews, so issues are dealt with early instead of after they turn into disputes.
- Corporate and employment retainers
- Scope agreed before starting
- Puchong and Mont Kiara
- Online consultations
How We Can Help
- Answering legal enquiries by email and telephone
- Reviewing contracts and documents before you sign
- Drafting letters, replies and letters of demand
- Advising HR on discipline, dismissal and retrenchment
- Updates on Malaysian company and employment law
- Early advice when a dispute starts to develop
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Reviewed by Ms. Khoo Ai Theng, Founder, Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya. Last updated October 2026.
Why Choose Us?
15+ Years
Legal experience
Two Retainers
Corporate advisory and employment law consultation
Scope Agreed First
At an initial consultation, online or in person
Advice to Court
One firm if a matter becomes a dispute
What is a legal retainer?
A legal retainer is a standing arrangement under which a business pays a law firm a monthly fee for an agreed scope of legal services, instead of instructing a lawyer afresh each time a question comes up. The scope sets out what is covered, who in your organisation may contact the firm and how enquiries are handled.
A retainer suits organisations in Malaysia that need regular legal input but do not have, or do not want to expand, an in-house legal team. Typical retainer clients include:
- SMEs and family businesses in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and the wider Klang Valley
- employers whose HR teams deal with discipline, leave and termination questions every month
- corporations that want a second opinion before signing contracts or sending letters
- associations and other organisations with regular contracts and staff matters
A retainer does not cover every legal task. Work outside the agreed scope, such as court proceedings, is quoted separately before it begins, so you know what the monthly fee pays for.
Our two retainer packages
NZSK offers two monthly retainers, each built around a different part of running an organisation in Malaysia. Both are advisory: they give you a lawyer to consult before decisions are made, not after.
- The Corporate Advisory and Consultation Retainer is for SMEs and corporations. It covers company law questions under the Companies Act 2016 (Act 777), advice on and review of basic contracts for services, drafting and reviewing letters, and updates on corporate regulation and NZSK newsletters.
- The Employment Law Consultation Retainer is run by our Employment Department for employers and HR teams, and is also available to employees. It covers questions under the Employment Act 1955 (Act 265) and the Industrial Relations Act 1967 (Act 177), such as employment contracts, show cause letters, domestic inquiries and retrenchment.
Under both retainers, enquiries sent by email are answered by email, and telephone discussions and physical or virtual meetings can be arranged. If your questions fall under both areas, we can discuss at the initial consultation which retainer suits your needs.
What is included and what is billed separately?
A retainer usually includes the day-to-day legal support a business needs to operate with confidence. The exact list is agreed with you, but it commonly covers:
- legal enquiries by email, answered by email
- telephone discussions and physical or virtual meetings
- advice on and review of basic contracts for services
- drafting and reviewing letters, including replies to complaints and letters of demand
- updates on changes in Malaysian law and NZSK newsletters
Contentious work is billed separately, with a quotation before it starts. Examples are court proceedings in the Sessions Court or High Court, appeals, Industrial Court cases, arbitration and CIPAA adjudication. Disbursements such as court filing fees and stamp duty are also payable separately.
The monthly fee itself depends on the scope: the areas of law covered, the expected volume of enquiries, the number of companies or sites involved and how quickly answers are needed. We do not publish a standard fee. It is quoted after an initial discussion, once the scope is clear.
How does a retainer start?
Every NZSK retainer starts with an initial consultation, online or in person at our Puchong or Mont Kiara office. The steps are usually:
- You tell us about your business, the legal questions that come up most often and any issue that is already live.
- We review sample documents, such as your standard contract, employment contract or employee handbook, so the scope reflects how you actually operate.
- We agree the scope: the areas covered, who may contact us, how enquiries are sent and what falls outside the retainer.
- We quote the monthly fee for that scope, and the retainer begins once you accept it.
- You then send each enquiry with the relevant documents, so our lawyers advise on the actual terms rather than on a summary.
If a matter is urgent, for example a dismissal that may lead to a claim or a letter of demand with a short deadline, mention it when you first contact us so we can tell you at the outset how it will be handled.
Why do businesses use a legal retainer?
The main benefit of a retainer is early advice. Many disputes begin with a contract nobody checked, a letter sent in anger or a dismissal handled in a hurry. A retainer makes it easy to ask first. In practice it gives you:
- quick access to lawyers who already know your business, its contracts and its people
- documents checked before signing, while unfavourable terms can still be negotiated
- fewer disputes, because letters, warnings and termination decisions are reviewed before they go out
- early notice of legal time limits, such as the 60 days an employee has to file an unfair dismissal representation under section 20 of the Industrial Relations Act 1967, or the general six-year limit for contract claims under the Limitation Act 1953 (Act 254)
- a predictable monthly cost for routine advice
When a matter does turn into a dispute, the advice and records built up under the retainer help with preparation. Our pre-litigation advisory guide explains that stage.
How NZSK handles retainer clients
NZSK is a litigation and disputes practice with offices in Puchong, Selangor and Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur. Our retainers are advisory, but they are handled by lawyers who also act in courts and tribunals, so day-to-day advice takes account of how a dispute would be argued if one arose.
Partner Khoo Ai Theng (Maxine Khoo), an Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya admitted in 2014, leads our Employment & Industrial Relations practice and also acts in civil and corporate litigation, construction disputes and competition law. She holds Legal 500 Asia-Pacific recognition in employment law and ALB Malaysia awards recognition. We work as a team on retainer matters.
Our approach is the same for every retainer client:
- consultation first, so the scope and fee are clear before work starts
- advice based on your actual documents, not on a description alone
- plain answers that set out the options, the risks and the next step
- a separate quotation before any court, tribunal or arbitration work begins
Frequently Asked Questions
In Malaysia, a legal retainer is an arrangement under which a business or organisation pays a law firm a monthly fee for an agreed scope of legal services, such as answering legal enquiries, reviewing basic contracts and drafting letters. The scope is agreed in advance, and work outside it, such as court proceedings, is quoted separately. NZSK offers a corporate advisory retainer and an employment law consultation retainer.
The cost of a monthly legal retainer in Malaysia depends on its scope. The main factors are the areas of law covered, the expected number of enquiries each month, the number of companies or sites involved and how quickly answers are needed. At NZSK, the monthly fee is quoted after an initial discussion in which the scope is agreed. Court proceedings and other contentious work are quoted separately.
A legal retainer suits a business that has legal questions most months, such as recurring contract reviews or HR issues, because it gives quick access to lawyers who already know the business, for a predictable monthly fee. Paying per matter may suit a business that needs a lawyer only occasionally. At an initial consultation, NZSK can discuss which arrangement fits how often your business needs legal input.
At NZSK, a legal retainer covers advisory work, not litigation. Court proceedings in the Sessions Court, High Court or appellate courts, Industrial Court cases, arbitration and CIPAA adjudication are outside the monthly retainer and are quoted separately before work starts. The retainer still helps, because early advice, reviewed letters and organised records put a business in a stronger position if a dispute later reaches court.
Yes. SMEs in Malaysia often use a legal retainer because they need regular legal input but do not have an in-house lawyer. NZSK's Corporate Advisory and Consultation Retainer is designed for SMEs and corporations, and the scope can be limited to what a smaller business needs, such as basic contracts for services, letters and company law questions. The monthly fee follows the agreed scope.
Yes. Under NZSK's retainers, enquiries sent by email are answered by email, and telephone discussions and virtual meetings can be arranged, so a business outside Kuala Lumpur or Selangor can still use a retainer. Physical meetings are available at our Puchong and Mont Kiara offices. The initial consultation to agree the scope of the retainer can also be held online or in person.
A corporate retainer suits a company whose questions mostly concern company law, directors' duties, contracts for services or letters to customers and suppliers. An employment law retainer suits a company whose questions mostly concern staff, such as contracts, discipline, dismissal, retrenchment or sexual harassment complaints. If your business has questions in both areas, the right fit can be discussed at an initial consultation with NZSK.
If an issue raised under an NZSK retainer turns into a dispute, for example a customer refuses to pay or a dismissed employee files a claim, we advise on the options and the time limits and quote separately for the contentious work, such as court proceedings or an Industrial Court case. Because the retainer team already knows the background, preparation can start from the documents and advice already on file.
Considering a legal retainer for your business?
Book an initial consultation, online or in person at our Puchong or Mont Kiara office, so we can understand your business and agree the scope and monthly fee of a retainer. We advise once we have reviewed your documents at that consultation, never on a description alone.
- (+60)12-401 4799 | (+60)3-8060 0267
- [email protected]
Consultation by appointment at Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur and Puchong, Selangor, or online.
