We often find that clients have:

  • a business idea,
  • a problem, difficulty, issue or dispute, or
  • an outcome they wish to achieve.

But they are not sure what they require to ensure they get what they need. They are not sure what to do next or what their roadmap looks like. This is understandable because the issue is often very complex. For example:

  • They want to comply with a regulatory requirement by doing a gap analysis.
  • They want to start a new business in a highly regulated industry.
  • They want to address the legal aspects of IT Governance, Risk and Compliance.
  • They want to review their information governance.
  • They want to comply with all ICT laws, rules, codes or standards.
  • They might know that they need to protect the personal information they process, but not know where to start.
  • They want to comply with data protection laws by doing a data protection gap analysis.
  • They want to create a record of their processing activities by mapping their activities.
  • They may want to define the nature of the relationship between them and various third parties, and work out what agreements they should conclude with them.
  • They might want to start using open source software, but are afraid of the risks involved.
  • They might find that getting their customers to sign their agreement is a real problem. They have marathon contract conference calls where hours of time is wasted arguing legal technicalities.
  • Do they need a default or an altered MOI with a Shareholders Agreement?

They need legal solutions, but are not sure what they are. Is it a due diligence, a corporate policy, new template agreements, a framework, or a workshop? What type of template?

They are still trying to decide what, when, where and how.

It is crucial that they (and us) understand exactly what they require. Otherwise, a lot of time and money can be wasted doing the wrong thing. Requesting people to submit proposals for the wrong thing can also be a waste of time and resources.

How can we help you?

For the above reasons, it is sometimes necessary for us to spend some time scoping what work needs to be done by us. We often refer to this as a “Requirements Assessment”, “Requirements Gathering Exercise” or “Putting together a Legal Roadmap”. For a relatively low fee, we scope exactly what you need and when you need it. Part of this involves identifying the specific challenges that you face. We will ask you questions (sometimes using questionnaires) to gather information and help define the issues.

We find this almost always saves the client money in the long run and reduces the overall fee. Planning is always a worthwhile exercise. We offer a few other assessments as well.

Often the client then engages us to provide the services we have scoped. But they don’t have to. If not, the client still has a great working plan or specification to help them select the service provider of their choice. Sometimes we recommend other people who are more suited to provide the service. We only do what we do well.

What we will deliver?

We will present our findings and make our recommendations in:

  • A written report, or
  • A presentation

Who is it for?

  • Executive management
  • Entrepreneurs
  • Legal advisers
  • Privacy officers
  • Compliance officers
  • Company secretaries

How you benefit

  • Be sure you are going to get it done correctly
  • Make sure you get what you need
  • Get a great working plan or specification to help you select the service provider of your choice
  • Save time and money