Three Engagements
Find the Format
That Fits Your Question
Drapeon Counsel offers three formats — from a single considered letter to a structured multi-month engagement. Each one is designed for a different kind of question.
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Our Methodology
Every engagement at Drapeon Counsel begins with reading — reading the situation carefully before offering any view. We do not arrive with a fixed framework and fit the client into it. We listen, ask careful questions, and only then attempt to be useful.
The three formats we offer reflect the three most common ways a principal finds their way to us: with a single pressing question, with a governance matter that has been gathering weight for some time, or with a question about who should lead the business next. Each format has clear deliverables, a fixed fee, and a senior counsellor throughout.
Engagement One
Family Enterprise Counsel
A private engagement for second- and third-generation family businesses considering matters of governance, role definition between family members, and the steady preparation of the next cohort. We meet privately with each principal in turn, then convene a small working group to draft a family charter — a written document setting out shared expectations on involvement, dividend policy, dispute resolution, and the conditions under which incoming family members may join the business.
The engagement runs over three to four months and concludes with a draft charter and a quiet handover session with your existing legal advisors.
- Private interviews with each principal before any group session
- Written family charter as the primary deliverable
- Covers governance, dividend policy, and dispute resolution
- Handover session with your legal advisors included
- Three to four month timeline
Engagement Two
Succession Mapping
A considered look at the question of who comes next. We work alongside the principal to identify three or four potential successors from inside or outside the family, prepare a confidential capability profile for each, and suggest a multi-year preparation pathway tailored to the candidate's existing strengths and gaps.
The engagement is paced patiently and respects the sensitivity of the question. Nothing is shared beyond the principal without written agreement. Deliverables include the capability profiles, a written pathway document, and four review sessions across the year.
- Three to four confidential candidate profiles
- Multi-year preparation pathway per candidate
- Four review sessions spread across the year
- Nothing shared beyond the principal without written consent
- Candidates drawn from family or wider pool
Engagement Three
Counsel Letter
A short written engagement: you send us a single letter describing a question or matter you are turning over, and we reply within ten business days with a considered written response of roughly twelve hundred to fifteen hundred words.
The format suits founders who simply want a thoughtful outside view on a particular question — a hiring decision, a difficult conversation, the wording of a policy — without committing to a longer relationship. One letter per engagement; further correspondence available by separate arrangement.
- Send one letter; receive one considered reply
- Response of 1,200 to 1,500 words within ten business days
- No prior relationship required
- Suits hiring decisions, policy questions, difficult conversations
- Further correspondence available by separate arrangement
Decision Guide
Which Engagement Fits Your Situation?
| Family Enterprise Counsel | Succession Mapping | Counsel Letter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Governance & charter questions | Leadership transition planning | A single pressing question |
| Duration | 3–4 months | Across one year | 10 business days |
| Primary deliverable | Family charter | Capability profiles + pathway | Written advisory reply |
| Prior relationship | Preferred | Preferred | Not required |
| Fee | From RM 3,300 | From RM 2,900 | RM 750 |
| Multiple principals | — | — |
If you are uncertain which format suits your situation, the Counsel Letter is a sensible place to begin.
Across All Engagements
Standards That Apply Throughout
Strict Confidentiality
Information shared in any engagement is confined to the named counsellors. No internal circulation beyond those agreed at the outset.
Written Scope Before Work Begins
Deliverables, timeline, and fee are all committed to in writing before any billable work commences.
Senior Counsellor Throughout
The counsellor assigned to your engagement at the start is the one you speak with at every stage. No delegation to junior staff.
PDPA Compliance
All personal data handled in accordance with Malaysia's Personal Data Protection Act 2010. Data is never used for secondary purposes.
Fee Schedule
Clear Pricing, Agreed in Advance
Counsel Letter
RM 750
per engagement
- One written question per engagement
- Reply within ten business days
- 1,200–1,500 words considered response
- No prior relationship required
Succession Mapping
From RM 2,900
fixed fee, agreed in writing
- 3–4 candidate profiles
- Written preparation pathway
- Four review sessions
- Strict information controls
Family Enterprise Counsel
From RM 3,300
fixed fee, agreed in writing
- Private interviews, each principal
- Written family charter
- 3–4 month engagement
- Legal handover session included
Not sure where to begin?
A brief introductory call at no charge is the simplest way to find out whether the work we do is what you are looking for.