You know how easy it is to rid your garden of rogue plants when they are still very tender; if left unattended, such plants may require paid professional help to control them. This analogy applies quite well to the legal realities faced by businesses. At the onset, if the founder(s) of the firm seeks the counsel of experienced attorneys, the company can easily avoid legal hurdles in its journey. And there is no likelihood that there will be any cause for alarm down the years.
The financial implications of hiring a business attorney do not have to be overwhelming, so far, the needs of the business have been identified, and the business owner is ready to conduct an informed search to secure one. Learn some basic considerations to keep in mind when seeking the services of a reliable business attorney.
Identify your expectations of a potential attorney
If a suite has recently been filed against your business concern, your legal requirements of an attorney will vary from another business that needs someone to oversee the proper signing of business agreements and double-checking its license application. For startups, it is always advisable to be in consultation with a contracted business lawyer who would intermittently avail the business of their services; when necessary.
Employing the services of such contract lawyers is not as expensive as getting a full-time business attorney. Still, it will be a lifesaver when it comes to checking the legal implications of the startup’s activities. Such proactive steps will prevent the organization from contravening state and federal laws on tax, liabilities, or shares sales, knowing the best way to word employee contracts, and providing the best customer experience without infringing on consumer rights.
Work with recommendations or utilize online directories
Finding reliable legal help might not be an easy hurdle to scale; it is, however, not rocket science. It is easy to find an attorney through referrals by people on your social and corporate network. However, do not let relational sentiments becloud your judgment, subject the recommended attorney to the necessary scrutiny. There are several reviews available online that avails you the opportunity to narrow down your search of a competent lawyer, based on your needs; examples are WireLawyer, UpCounsel, and Priori.
It is, however, necessary to be wary of how online platforms conduct their review of the skills of lawyers.
Weigh your odds
After narrowing down your search, you might want to invite in some of your identified prospects. The physical interaction will help in identifying the core field of expertise of each individual. The interview session will equally be an excellent time to discuss the fee structure. Another factor to consider is assessing if there would be no conflicts of interest when your business hires a particular attorney. To better explain this ‘conflict of interest’ – companies that employ a lawyer who represented their competitor in the past; the terms of engagement of the lawyer with his former client (your competitor) might be an impediment, or at best, complicate their serving as your business attorney.