How to Find the Right Business Lawyer

As a business owner, you probably know the importance of a business lawyer in regards to the success of your business. However, the reason for engaging a business lawyer is not so apparent for some people. But, an experienced business lawyer will offer essential legal assistance in all areas of your business.  

Therefore, the best way to deal with all legal issues in the future in your business is to find a reputable business lawyer. Having a good attorney by your side is like having a business partner. Your attorney can offer invaluable assistance during some of the most difficult moments for your business. Moreover, they can provide all the legal services that you need—from drafting contracts and handling employment issues to raising money, filing patents, copyrights, as well as lawsuits.

The most exciting thing is, finding a business attorney isn’t so hard. Moreover, it shouldn’t cost you a lot of money to find a reputable business attorney. With that said, let’s look at how you can find the right business attorney.

Determine When Your Business Needs An Attorney

Well, this varies among different business owners. However, the sooner you create a relationship with a business attorney and start getting the necessary legal advice, the better for your business. However, you should understand that legal advice comes at a cost—but this shouldn’t deter you from hiring an attorney for your business.

If you’ve never hired a business lawyer, don’t worry at all as this is very easy. First, you need to contact different business attorneys and enquire about their rates for basic serves. Such services include providing business information or initial consultation. Factor in that cost in your budget as it will assist you to determine the amount you need to hire a business lawyer.

Lastly, ensure that you have a business lawyer at hand—regardless of whether or not you need urgent legal help. You should never think of hiring a business attorney when you are in trouble, as you are bound to decide in haste, and hire an attorney who’s not right for your business.

Find an Attorney Who Understands Your Business

Endeavor to hire someone who understands your business or who is willing to learn about it. Finding an attorney who understands your niche or market is even better. Hiring an attorney who doesn’t understand the operations of your business or industry presents a great challenge to your business—commutation breakdown.

However, this doesn’t mean that you must hire a business attorney who has a specific understanding of the operations of your business. You can also find an attorney who’s willing to learn and understand your daily business operations. Moreover, the attorney must be ready to learn your strategic business partners, as well as your main clients. You should note that your attorney shall factor in all this information when creating your legal plans.

And, in case your business is in a highly-specialized and highly-regulated industry, you will need a business attorney with a clear understanding of these regulations. For instance, if you manage a cyber-security business, your attorney must be familiar with the ins and outs of the regulations and policies in this industry.

Check Your Budget

As a rule of thumb, hire a business attorney within your budget. The best business lawyer is who you can afford. That’s why we said that you should check their rates first before making your final decision.

If possible make sure that the attorney’s rates are in writing, and that you are comfortable with them. Moreover, you should make sure that you sign a contract with your attorney, which should cover their service delivery. This is essential as it prevents any possible conflict that might arise.

If your contract is on a percentage basis, some attorneys will be willing to negotiate before signing the contract. The willingness to negotiate is an indication that you are dealing with a professional business attorney. However, you should think twice if you notice that the attorney is somehow desperate, or is pushing you to sign the contract.

Check Their Resourcefulness

As we said earlier, legal advice comes at a cost, and a good one is a bit expensive. The following are some questions that you should ask your prospective attorney to make sure that you will get the value for your money:

 

• Does the attorney’s firm hold frequent events for their clientele to meet and network? Such events take different forms, like webinars or live events, among others.
• Does the lawyer have a reliable network of other lawyers as well as professions whom they can consult in the event you need expert assistance?
• Is the attorney a member of a group or organization that you can profit from?
• Is the lawyer willing to introduce and connect you to potential customers, strategic partners, or other clients?

You shouldn’t hesitate to ask these, among other questions that you feel are necessary. Moreover, make sure that your attorney provided detailed answers for every question that you ask. Nevertheless, skepticism is important when asking such questions. You should be wary of a lawyer who makes unrealistic promises. The best thing to do in this situation is to use your judgment.

Honesty

Most business lawyers won’t charge you for the initial consultation. Always capitalize on this. This meeting plays an important role in determining if the lawyer will be honest and open-minded. Some people have high instincts, and they don’t need a lot of time to determine the character of an individual when they interact. However, certain personality traits should be a red flag.

For instance, does the attorney maintain eye contact when addressing you? Also, enquire what type of cases they have handled in the past. If you need a settlement, the business attorney should be able to push for amounts for lawsuits related to yours without any problem.

In case you notice that the attorney has some skepticism, and cannot tell the potential risks of costs associated with your case, don’t hire them. You should always feel secure before signing the contract with your attorney. In fact, you shouldn’t have any doubts about the attorney.

Lastly, you need to check their reviews. These will assist you to understand the kind of person you shall be dealing with. At the end of the day, you don’t want to enter into an agreement with a business attorney who has questionable character.

Check Their Credentials

The best way to obtain such information is by checking their website. A simple scanning of the website will allow you to do away with people whom you believe are not qualified. Therefore, you should search for the following details:

• Which law school did the lawyer attend and when did they graduate from law school? You should find this information on their website.
• Which cases have they worked on? What additional services does the attorney provide? A reputable lawyer should have listed their previous cases, as well as services on their website.
• Client testimonials and reviews. Check to see if the website has a list of the attorney’s clients, both present and past. Don’t forget to check the reviews and comments left by their clients.
• Does the attorney possess the necessary credentials? Certain states require attorneys to obtain specialist’s certification in certain fields. For instance, a business lawyer in Orlando, Florida, is required to obtain certifications in business litigation, worker’s compensation, and tax law, among others.

Bottom line

The primary reason for hiring a business attorney is to save you valuable time and money in the future. Thus, you should make sure that you hire a lawyer who’s proactive when it comes to getting you the necessary legal assistance. Moreover, you should note that you are the client when hiring the attorney. Therefore, you have the right to choose the attorney whom you believe is right for your business. And, if you feel that you are unsatisfied with your business attorney, it’s your right to terminate the contract and search for a new attorney.