Insights & Frequently Asked Questions
Practical answers on consultations, fees and the questions clients most often bring to the firm.
- 01How do I arrange a consultation with the firm?Call or send a message on WhatsApp to 9801025779 with a short description of your matter. We will confirm whether it is something the firm handles and arrange a time. Consultations are held at the chamber, opposite the eastern gate of Singha Durbar in Kathmandu, and can also be conducted by phone or video where that is more practical.
- 02What should I bring or send before the first meeting?Whatever documents relate to the matter — contracts, appointment or termination letters, notices, correspondence, court papers, registration documents, or anything you have been served with. A short written timeline of what happened and when is more useful than it sounds, and it shortens the meeting considerably.
- 03Which languages does the firm work in?English, नेपाली and हिन्दी. Advice, contracts and correspondence can be prepared in any of the three, which allows foreign clients and their local teams to work from the same documents.
- 04Where is the firm located?The chamber is in Kathmandu, on the road opposite the eastern gate of Singha Durbar — close to the ministries, regulators and courts where most client matters are decided.
- 05Do you act for clients outside Kathmandu or outside Nepal?Yes. We act for clients across Nepal and regularly work with foreign investors and their counsel abroad, providing Nepali law advice in the format an overseas board or legal team needs. Meetings can be held remotely where attendance in person is not practical.
- 06How are fees calculated?Fees depend on the nature of the matter, its complexity and how it is likely to progress. We discuss the basis of charging before work begins and confirm it in writing, so that you know what is included before you commit. Where a matter can sensibly be handled for a fixed fee, we will say so.
- 07Is the first consultation free?A short initial conversation to establish what the matter involves and whether the firm can assist is without charge. Substantive advice, document review and drafting are chargeable, and we will tell you clearly when that line is being crossed.
- 08Can you review our employment contracts and workplace policies?Yes — this is a core part of the practice. We review existing contracts, handbooks and policies against current Nepali labour law, identify what is unenforceable or non-compliant, and prepare revised versions. For international employers, this usually means localising group templates that were drafted for another jurisdiction.
- 09An employee is being terminated. What should we do first?Take advice before the decision is communicated, not after. Nepali law attaches significant weight to the procedure followed before a termination, and most successful challenges turn on process rather than on the underlying reason. Getting the sequence right at the start is far cheaper than defending it later.
- 10Can a foreign company set up and operate in Nepal?Yes, subject to the sectoral restrictions and approval requirements that apply to foreign investment. The right structure — subsidiary, branch, liaison office or joint venture — depends on the sector, the intended activity and how returns are to be repatriated. We advise on the choice, obtain the approvals and complete the registrations.
- 11What ongoing compliance does a Nepali company have?At a minimum, annual filings with the Office of the Company Registrar, tax registration and periodic returns, employment and social security obligations for staff, and any sector-specific licensing and renewals. We run compliance reviews for companies that have grown faster than their administration and set out what needs correcting and in what order.
- 12Do I have to go to court?Not necessarily. Many disputes are resolved through negotiation, conciliation or arbitration without proceedings being issued. Where litigation is unavoidable we will say so plainly, along with a realistic view of cost and timeline, so that you can weigh it against a settlement.
- 13How long do proceedings usually take in Nepal?It varies considerably with the forum, the complexity of the matter and the conduct of the other side, and anyone who gives you a confident figure at the outset is guessing. We give a realistic range once we have seen the documents, and update it as the matter develops rather than leaving you with the first estimate.
- 14Is what I tell the firm confidential?Yes. Everything you disclose in the course of seeking or receiving legal advice is treated as confidential and stays within the firm. That applies from the first conversation, whether or not you go on to instruct us.
When your reputation, enterprise, or liberty is on the line, settlement is second to decisive victory.
Bhattarai & Associates
Senior Legal Counsel
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