The Asia-Pacific legal startup ecosystem is growing rapidly. And Asia Law Portal has and will continue to seek to provide a window into this ecosystem by interviewing the founders and entrepreneurs behind this exciting trend. In the most recent chapter of this effort, we interview Mr Lai Chee Hoe, Founder & CEO of Malaysia-based BurgieLaw.com.
What is BurgieLaw.com and what inspired its founding?
BurgieLaw.com is a Legal Tech Platform which eases the search for lawyers. Clients are able to streamline and select a lawyer based on their Areas of Practice, Years of Practice, Hourly rate and also other reviews.
BurgieLaw.com was created firstly as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project by me after seeing a repeat of problems faced by customers largely, set out below:
(a) They don’t know the areas of law (when they bump into a legal matter); and
(b) They don’t have the contacts to access the right lawyer in the right practice areas.
Problems in matching a client with a lawyer are equally as challenging for in-house counsel when he/she is tasked to find a lawyer to undertake briefs. Eg: An in-house counsel who reviews contracts is tasked to get an intellectual property lawyer to register an IP. A general search in google often does not return an ideal fit.
With BurgieLaw.com, we hope to solve these problems.
BurgieLaw is currently operating in Malaysia. Where do you hope to be in 5 years’ time?
We have plans to expand to other ASEAN countries, subject to having the desired funds.
Who are BurgieLaw’s founders and investors?
BurgieLaw.com was founded by me and invested in by a series of my business associates.
What makes BurgieLaw a good resource for lawyers?
- It has the potential to increase business leads for lawyers
- 24/7 online appointment scheduling system
- Reduce random call-in / walk-in clients shopping for lawyers
- A bridge between start-ups and legal services
What inspired you to be a startup entrepreneur, and what advice do you have for aspiring startup entrepreneurs?
It was totally unintentional as BurgieLaw.com was initially created as a CSR project. The decision to take it to the next level came after a series of discussions [s between] me and several other prominent lawyers.
Aspiring startups should consult a lawyer at the very stage of inception of an idea for the purposes of:
(a) Determining the mode of incorporation of legal entity to carry out its business; and
(b) Understanding the legal environment/legislation which regulates the industry.
