Getting Acquainted With a Business Attorney
The attorney-client relationship is one that is considered to be a confidential and beneficial bond between a professional and a personal representative of your company. The functions of a business attorney are many as they provide you with protection against a plethora of day-to-day events and liabilities that could result in severe legal ramifications for you and your business. With the proper legal minds on your side, your nearly endless responsibilities can be covered by the technology with a lawyer-on-file that your business attorney provides you with. This allows you to continue managing your business without worrying about the legal ramifications of your decisions .
Corporate and business law covers a variety of distinct areas that can assist you in protecting your company and the people who are involved with it, including but not limited to the following:
Purchasing and drafting business contracts
Business licensing
Business formation
Antitrust laws
Civil rights
Securities laws
Taxation
Labor and employment law
Business litigation
By understanding the various responsibilities of a corporate and business lawyer, you can choose one that suffices your needs as a business owner. Know what you want out of your joint partnership with a business attorney before you contact one so that you can ensure that your company receives the professional services that you deserve.
The Perks of a Free Consultation With a Lawyer
In most cases, free consultations are offered to determine whether the business attorney would be a good fit for your needs. This allows years of experience from a local business lawyer to shine through in a stress-free, open dialogue. For local businesses, these consultations provide insight into the necessary legal steps that need to be taken for patent protection or forming a corporation. Even though legal consultations provide a valuable service to business owners seeking information from a business attorney, they are not strictly designed to measure expertise. All businesses differ in their needs, so the free consultation allows the business owner to gauge if the attorney is able to offer a customized plan based on their input. This is especially beneficial for business owners with little experience in navigating the legal side of business. It also builds trust and sets up an ongoing professional relationship. A local business attorney will meet with you and discuss your objectives, business goals and legal concerns. In return, they will present possible ways to achieve your specific objectives and how to handle your legal concerns. When it is time to make a decision, this is the best way to determine if the security of your business is worth hiring this individual or firm to take your case. Many business owners find this consultation to be helpful in deciding whether their industry requires further legal action. It is not uncommon for small misunderstandings to require legal action, but there are times when loose contracts and policies can be explained to the other party to satisfy their concerns. If you are unsure about the necessity of a legal proceeding, this is the kind of information you will receive during the initial consultation. A free consultation provides you with a non-committal opportunity to glean as much information as possible. The goal is to leave with more information than you entered with.
Discovering Local Business Attorneys Who Provide Free Consultations
Business lawyers are a dime-a-dozen these days. Even with the sheer volume of attorneys in today’s legal field, it will probably be relatively easy to find one that suits your business needs. However, if you’re looking for an attorney offering a free consultation, then you may be a little puzzled about where to look.
One of the best ways to locate a local business attorney is by searching an online directory that has a lawyer for just about every city and county across the United States. Some directories even rank their licensed lawyers by specialty and by most recent reviews.
Reviews are also a great way to find a local business attorney that is offering a free consultation. Generally, if a lawyer provides free consultations, then they will divulge this information across all the local business directories and their own websites.
Finally, you should definitely check out online legal networks where lawyers gather to network and generate leads. You don’t need to be a member or a licensed lawyer to search and filter out results according to a specific specialty and location. You’re bound to find a good attorney with a great rating at a reasonable price.
Getting Prepared for Your Complimentary Consultation
Client consultations of all types must be productive if the relationship between a client and their lawyer is to move forward, and that requires preparation on both their behalf and yours.
Rather than list your questions on a legal pad, make a logical outline that you can check off after you’ve covered that item. (For instance, if you’re meeting to review a new contract you want to use for your business , and the lawyer goes over their engagement agreement with you-which you can do later-you might miss the real subject matter.) You want to be able to quickly review your notes when you’re back at your office and not waste time with unnecessary delays along the way.
Take a few minutes and write down all of the issues you plan to take up during the meeting. It’s also a good idea to write down these questions beforehand:
- What experience (if any) does the attorney have with this issue?
- Why does the attorney think he or she is a good match for you?
- Fees: more structure or less? Also expect a budget.
- Are you simply getting an overview? Is this a trial package or another type of employee?
- What are the benchmark milestones to expect in the next few weeks?
You should have prepared yourself for specific and unique considerations after making it through the above questions, which should lead to follow up questions, but at a much shallower level of detail.
Questions to Pose During a Free Consultation
When confronted with a legal issue, the last thing an owner of a business would want to do is make an ill-informed decision. Therefore, your initial consultation with your potential attorney should involve asking them relevant questions regarding their background and their experience in successfully handling other cases. First and foremost, any attorney intending to represent your business should be able to provide you with sufficient proof of their expertise in the field of law that your initial matter involves. The following are suggested questions you could ask the attorney. Bear in mind that the purpose of these inquiries is two-fold; 1) an inquiry as to whether your attorney possesses the requisite background skills and experience in the field of law at issue; and 2) an inquiry into whether the attorney possesses the necessary agreeableness and amiability to work with closely over the course of your projected legal matter:
- Do you have experience in the field of law at issue regarding the proposed representation?
- How long have you been practicing in your field of law?
- What is your success rate in handling cases and/or matters similar to those involved in my case?
- Can you provide me with the names of clients for whom you have provided similar legal assistance?
- Are there other types of cases and/or matters you frequently handle?
- Do you have a particular style of filing legal pleadings, framing legal arguments and responding to opposing legal positions/cases?
- How do you handle your cases?
- How often will I meet or speak with you, and if you are busy with other clients, will I be referred to another competent member of your staff who can assist me?
- If I am referred to another qualified person on your staff, what steps will you take to stay abreast of developments in my case while I am working with them?
Figuring Out Whether an Attorney is Suitable for Your Business
Once you have your initial consultation with a business attorney offering a free consultation, you should have a pretty good idea of whether or not they are the right fit for your business. For one, you will have a feel for their expertise in your area of concern. You should also know if their fee structure is suitable to you. For example, if your case is fairly simple and will likely take no more than an hour to complete, then hourly fees are fine for that type of situation. If the case will take much longer or is a lot more complex, it might be better to have them work on a retainer basis and you can pay that fee out of escrow. Most attorneys are happy to work out a special deal for larger clients . You do not need to pay what is considered benignly referred to as a "mill rate" much like an oil company charges if you are a grassroots business person in need of some legal help. You may very well be charging mill rate to your own clients at a much higher rate per hour.
For many small business owners, the best approach is to do the vast majority of the work themselves and to lean on an outside attorney only when help or counsel is absolutely essential. In other cases, a business person may need to lean heavily on their lawyer to get them through a difficult situation or case. When they do this, the attorney should be charged with being entrepreneurial and looking out for the business’s bottom line and protecting their client from litigation and loss in any way possible.