This Singaporean firm wants to take the pain out of hunting for lawyers

Photo by succo

If you’re inexperienced with legal conundrums and just now looking to consult your first lawyer, Cherilyn Tan might be the girl you want to hit up. The young Singapore-based entrepreneur is CEO of a SaaS platform that connects lawyers, law firms, and clients to one another. The startup is called Asia Law Network, and Cherilyn says the idea came about as the result of frustration a few years back.

“I was looking for a lawyer to help restructure a business I was involved in. I found the process incredibly frustrating even though I had many friends who were lawyers,” explains the accounting and business administration graduate from Singapore Management University. “Essentially, it was difficult for me to get all the relevant information I needed [in] one go. That’s when I realized there was a need for a platform or a resource which could serve […] people like me, who are looking for legal help.”

To use the platform, visitors key in requirements for legal help on Asia Law Network. The software will then automatically connect you to the relevant law firms or lawyers who can–in theory–provide the information you need. Additionally, the startup also allows law firms to look for one another when it comes to big, complex legal cases which may require expertise outside a firm’s own capability.

Cherilyn believes when it comes to legal, it’s better to be safe than sorry. But at the same time, finding someone you can trust at the right time is a huge problem. “Even lawyers I know can’t find lawyers to work with in other countries,” she says. “Our search is currently the most exact one around and unbiased.”

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Counting beans and pushing papers

Cherilyn Tan, CEO of Asia Law Network.

Cherilyn claims there are no other firms out there like Asia Law Network. However, while it’s unclear how strong the firm is in Asia, a similar platform called LawKick has been around since 2012. London-based Lexoo has been running a similar model since 2014 and has already raised a couple rounds of funding. Other international names include UpCounsel and LawGives. A little more indirectly, Asia Law Network sees competition from the likes of Hong Kong’s Dragon Law, a startup that helps small and medium-sized business get advice and customizable legal documents.

Asia Law Network attempts to differentiate itself by also offering its complimentary service Asia Accountants Network. Essentially, the network is identical to Asia Law Network, except instead of lawyers, it’s for accountants and bookkeepers.

“It also serves as an inter-professional resource, allowing a law firm to look for an accountancy firm, for example, should the need arise in complex law cases,” says Cherilyn. “With regard to accounting, a stitch in time saves nine. Trust me, I’m accounting trained. To retrospectively do accounts can be a huge pain and drain to resources, especially for SMEs. It’s better to find the right people and do it right from the start.”

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Coughing up the cash

The team says Asia Law Network currently has around 3,500 lawyers and accountants on the platform. It measures active users by their “contribution to the platform and the rate at which they respond to the requests,” says Cherilyn.

She adds that subscription prices for Asia Law Network depend on the services each firm requires. Cherilyn didn’t mention whether she charges the end users for the service, or the partnering law firms, or both. Additionally, she didn’t spill any beans on the firm’s revenue projections for the next three to five years.