A fractional general counsel is a senior lawyer retained by your organisation on a scoped, part-time basis, instead of employed full-time. At Beyond Horizons by Bethel Chambers LLC, fractional general counsel support means ongoing legal judgment under a retainer with a named lead counsel and a named deputy — covering, as scoped, contracts, employment, board, privacy, AI vendors, restructuring and regulator-facing work. It is not a full-time employment contract and it is not an agency placement. Organisations generally choose among three models: employ a lawyer, take a placement from an agency, or retain a law practice. This page explains each model and how a retainer with us is structured.
Beyond Horizons is the practice of Bethel Chambers LLC, a Singapore law corporation. This page explains those options and how a retainer with us differs in structure — not by comparing our fees with other law practices.
Fractional general counsel suits a Singapore organisation that needs senior legal judgment regularly, but does not need — or does not yet need — a lawyer employed full-time. On this page that typically means a scale-up or an established company whose contracts, employment questions, board and privacy matters, AI vendor terms or regulator-facing work keep reaching the founders or the finance team. If legal volume truly fills a full-time seat, or you need someone physically in your meetings most days, employ in-house counsel instead; the comparison below says so plainly. If the work is already scoped and you only need hands to execute it, an agency placement may be enough.
Fractional general counsel is often chosen by growth-stage companies, usually with 10 employees or more. We have supported businesses under this arrangement in sectors from energy and sustainability to consumer-facing physiotherapy and therapeutics, blockchain and financial services.
One sector example, for illustration only: a Singapore waste-to-energy, alternative fuels or solar energy business with 20 or more employees, with power purchase agreements (PPAs), virtual PPAs and hedging arrangements to negotiate, a joint venture or an acquisition in view, and an equity round or a debt raise to fund its growth. Each workstream brings its own documents, counterparties and advisers. A fractional general counsel holds the company's side across them — keeping positions consistent between the PPA and hedging terms, the joint venture terms, the investment documents and the facility, preparing board decisions, and bringing in specialist or foreign counsel where a matter needs it. Beyond Horizons by Bethel Chambers LLC acts for waste-to-energy, alternative fuels and solar energy businesses, including on PPAs, virtual PPAs, hedging and related funding. This example describes a type of organisation the model suits; it is not a description of any client.
Fees and scope for your plan are fixed in the engagement letter before work begins.
We do not charge by the hour for retained work, and we do not bill for the first conversation. We give no guarantee of outcome. We commit to a named lead counsel, a named deputy, and a typical 3 to 5 business day substantive response timeline.
Day-to-day commercial contract work is covered in more detail under commercial contracts counsel.
Technology companies can also read about general counsel support for tech companies.
For the ACRA changes that took effect on 20 October 2026, see our regulatory compliance page.
These are different names for the same need: senior legal judgment on a regular, scoped basis, without a full-time hire. With Beyond Horizons by Bethel Chambers LLC it is a retainer with a regulated Singapore law practice, with a named lead counsel and a named deputy, and scope and fees set out in an engagement letter. If your legal work would fill a full-time seat, employing in-house counsel may suit you better, and we will tell you so.
The first conversation is not billed. It helps to send, in a short email to HL@beyondhorizons.sg:
| Retain Beyond Horizons by Bethel Chambers LLC | Employ in-house counsel | Lawyer placed by an agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you are buying | Judgment on what needs doing | Employed hours inside your organisation | Capacity for work you have already scoped |
| Professional indemnity behind the advice | Compulsory for a Singapore law corporation (cover must be proved before a practising certificate is issued) | Not compulsory in the same way — the company carries employee error risk under its own policies | Often none on “advice” where the supplier states it does not offer legal advice |
| Practising certificate / continuing education | Held and renewed by the practice | Often not required to advise your own employer | Depends on the individual placed — ask |
| Privilege (Singapore Evidence Act) | s128 — advocate or solicitor acting for a client | s128A — “legal counsel” defined as your employee | Unclear for a contractor who is not your employee |
| Conflicts check before acting | Professional Conduct Rules 20–22 — the check can stop us taking the work | One employer, one client | An employment agency is not a law practice; those PCR conflict rules do not bind the agency |
| If something goes wrong | You are a client — Law Society complaints / disciplinary route | Internal employment matter | Commercial contract with a staffing supplier |
| Continuity | Named lead counsel and named deputy, both holding your matters | One person is one point of failure through leave and illness | Depends on the supplier’s bench and your contract |
| How the relationship ends | Engagement letter | Employment notice, possible re-hire cost | Placement contracts are built to end |
This table is about structure and professional duties, not price. We do not compare our fees with those of any other law practice.
Agency placements. Some placement businesses are registered employment agencies. They may state that they do not offer legal advice and are not a registered law firm. That can be a good fit when you need hands for scoped work. It is not the same as retaining a law practice for judgment.
Daily presence. If you need someone physically in your meetings most days, employ them. A retainer cannot honestly replace that.
You retain a regulated Singapore law corporation: compulsory professional indemnity, practising certificates, PCR conflict checks, a Law Society complaints route, and privilege under Evidence Act s128 for solicitor–client communications. You get a named lead and a named deputy — not a single employed seat and not an agency placement that may expressly not offer legal advice. Scope and fees sit in the engagement letter; we do not compare our fees with those of other law practices. Your lead counsel is Hui Ling Teo, Founder of Beyond Horizons by Bethel Chambers LLC, who is qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales and as an advocate and solicitor in Singapore. Meet the team behind your retainer, including Sonia Motwani.
Schedule a consultation, or email HL@beyondhorizons.sg.
Related tools (optional): employers building Workplace Fairness Act readiness or reviewing the first published Employment Claims Tribunals decision can use workplacefairness.beyondhorizons.sg — a separate microsite, not a substitute for this page. Beyond Horizons is the practice of Bethel Chambers LLC, which is licensed and regulated by the Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA), a department under the Singapore Ministry of Law. This page is general information only. It is not legal advice and does not create a solicitor–client relationship.