Start with recurring decisions
Look at the questions your team has faced over the past few months. Have you repeatedly negotiated customer or supplier terms, reviewed agreements or sought advice on corporate decisions? The pattern matters more than the size of your company.
An ongoing engagement may be useful where those questions recur and a lawyer’s familiarity with your business can provide continuity. A business with one isolated transaction may instead need a focused, separate engagement.
Prepare a realistic outline
List the types of work you expect, how often they arise and who will request assistance. Note whether contracts are mainly in English or Bulgarian, whether counterparties are abroad and whether your work involves recurring deadlines.
You do not need to send a complete archive at the enquiry stage. A short description of the main areas of support is a better starting point. Documents can follow once arrangements have been discussed.
Define what is included
The word subscription alone does not tell you what a legal engagement covers. Discuss the types of advice, document work and other assistance to be included, and how additional matters will be handled.
Clarify expectations around communication, priorities and urgent requests. Major transactions or disputes should be discussed expressly rather than assumed to be covered by a general arrangement.
Agree a working relationship
The useful outcome is an arrangement your team understands: whom to contact, what information to provide and when a new instruction requires a separate discussion. Fees and scope should be agreed around the needs of the particular business.
If you are considering ongoing support in Bulgaria, outline your business activity and the recurring questions you would like help with. That allows the first conversation to focus on the right scope.