Lex& A service of LexDesk360 The ecosystem around the matter
Law is rarely the whole answer.
A market entry creates banking, accounting and visas. A data protection gap creates security engineering. An Emiratisation exposure creates workforce planning. A dispute creates forensic accounting and, sometimes, a press statement.
Clients ask us who does that work. Lex& is our answer, written down: the providers we have assessed, the standard we assessed them against, and the reason each one sits where it does.
Assessed, not advertised. Nobody buys their way onto this page, and a provider who stops meeting the standard comes off it.
What assessed means here
Why it exists
A referral is worth something only when it arrives at the right moment.
Most professional networks are directories. They list everybody, they are paid to, and the client can tell. Lex& is organised the other way round: every category below is attached to the legal event that creates the need for it, because an introduction made at the trigger is useful and the same introduction made cold is noise.
That is also why this sits with us rather than with a marketing firm. We are usually the first to know that the trigger has fired, often months before the client has budgeted for the work.
- One relationship, not eight. You brief us once and we brief them, with the matter context attached.
- Assessed against a written standard. Licence, references, cover, independence and conduct, renewed annually.
- Disclosed. Any commercial arrangement is put in writing before an introduction, and you are free to use anyone you like.
Where it applies
15 categories, each attached to the legal trigger that creates it.
Read the right-hand column first. If the trigger has fired in your business, the introduction is probably overdue.
Establish and operate
Entering a market is a legal decision followed by a dozen operational ones. These are the disciplines that turn a licence into a working business.
| Discipline | What they do | The legal trigger | Via |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate services and PRO | Licensing administration, establishment cards, visa processing and government portals. | Incorporation, licence renewal, visa quota changes | LexFound |
| Accounting, bookkeeping and tax | Statutory books, corporate tax registration and filing, VAT and e-invoicing readiness. | Corporate tax registration; the e-invoicing service provider deadline | LexFound |
| Banking and treasury | Account opening, KYC preparation, payment rails and multi-currency treasury. | Incorporation, where account opening is the critical path | LexFound |
| Workspace and facilities | Tenancy, flexi-desk and fit-out in the jurisdictions where a licence requires premises. | Licence conditions requiring registered premises | LexFound |
People and workforce
Localisation quotas, wage protection and end-of-service rules make workforce decisions legal decisions. The execution is not legal work.
| Discipline | What they do | The legal trigger | Via |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR consulting and workforce planning | Organisational design, localisation planning, job architecture and pay benchmarking. | Emiratisation and Saudization assessment dates | LexTend |
| Executive search and recruitment | Search for senior and nationalised roles across the Gulf and Egypt. | Mandated national hires; senior exits and succession | LexTend |
| Employer of record and payroll | Compliant hiring before an entity exists, and wage protection system administration. | Hiring ahead of incorporation; WPS compliance | LexFound |
Risk, data and assurance
Advice tells you what the obligation is. These disciplines are what closes it, and what evidences that it was closed.
| Discipline | What they do | The legal trigger | Via |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cybersecurity and data engineering | Security testing, incident response retainers, and the technical side of data protection. | Data protection gap assessments; breach readiness; licensing regimes | LexFend |
| ESG, sustainability and assurance | Greenhouse gas accounting, sustainability reporting, supply chain ratings and third-party assurance. | Mandatory sustainability reporting; carbon disclosure deadlines; buyer requirements | LexFend |
| Forensic accounting and investigations | Quantum analysis, asset tracing, background diligence and expert testimony. | Disputes, fraud, internal inquiries and regulatory investigations | LexTrack |
| Insurance and risk transfer | Directors and officers, professional indemnity, cyber and trade credit cover. | Board appointments, contract requirements, post-incident review | LexFend |
Reputation and influence
A regulatory position is argued in more than one room. These are the disciplines that carry the argument outside the legal one.
| Discipline | What they do | The legal trigger | Via |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public affairs and government relations | Regulator engagement, consultation responses and stakeholder mapping. | Licensing negotiation, public consultations, market entry | LexFound |
| Corporate and crisis communications | Announcement strategy, media handling and internal communication under pressure. | Investigations, disputes entering the public domain, leadership change | LexTrack |
| Marketing, brand and design | Brand systems, campaign delivery and regulated-market advertising compliance. | Market entry, product launch, advertising permit regimes | LexTend |
| Translation and legalisation | Legal translation, notarisation, attestation and apostille across jurisdictions. | Any cross-border filing, court submission or corporate approval | LexTrack |
Named providers are shared on request rather than published, so that a recommendation stays a recommendation for your situation rather than an advertisement. Ask for an introduction and you will have names, with the reasoning, within one working day.
How it works
Three steps, and one commitment.
Step one
You tell us the problem
Usually you already have. Most introductions start from a matter we are running, at the point where the next piece of work stops being legal.
Step two
We brief two, sometimes three
Never one. You get a shortlist with our reasoning, the relevant experience, and an honest note on where each is weaker. We brief them on the context so you are not starting from nothing.
Step three
You contract directly
Unless you ask us to hold the whole scope, in which case one engagement letter and one invoice cover the lot and we carry the coordination.
The commitment
We tell you what we earn, before you decide.
Where a commercial arrangement exists with a provider, we disclose it in writing before the introduction is made, in terms you can read. A recommendation is never a condition of our advice, using someone else costs you nothing with us, and no arrangement with a provider will ever sit behind the advice we give you. If that ever appears to be in tension, we will say so and tell you to take the point elsewhere.
For providers
Three ways to work with us.
Assessment is the same for all three. What differs is how far into our practice you are integrated, and what each side commits to.
Entry
Assessed
Has passed the assessment and appears here with a profile. Introductions run in both directions and are logged. No money changes hands.
For: Providers we already trust and work alongside.
Core
Panel
Everything in Assessed, plus named placement, co-branded material, placement in LegalEyes distribution, briefed introductions with the matter context attached, and a quarterly review of what each side has sent the other.
For: Providers committing to a working relationship with a reciprocal obligation.
By invitation
Integrated
LexDesk360 contracts with the client for the whole scope and the partner delivers within it. One engagement letter, one invoice, one point of accountability. Reserved for partners with delivery history on Panel.
For: Mandates where the client wants a single throat to choke.
Commercial terms are set in the partner agreement rather than published, and differ by category and market. Assessment is renewed annually and is not a formality: the value of this page to a client is entirely a function of who is not on it.
Clients
Ask for an introduction
Tell us the problem rather than the provider you think you need. Names, with reasoning, within one working day.
Providers
Apply to be assessed
Assessment takes about two weeks and starts with your licence, two references and your cover. We come back either way.
Not sure which part is the legal part?
That is usually the useful conversation. Tell us the whole problem and we will tell you honestly which of it we should do, which of it Lex& should, and which of it you do not need to do at all.