Did you know there are roughly 1.3 million lawyers found in the United States? Despite this large number, it can be surprisingly difficult to find a good lawyer. This is especially true if you’re looking for one with specialized knowledge, like a business attorney.
Your business deserves the best legal help that money can buy. So, how do you ensure that you hire a good fit for your company?
Simple: by reading this article! In this guide, we’ll provide you with everything you need to know about finding the best business attorney in your area. Let’s get started!
What Can a Business Attorney Help You With?
Business attorneys are there to help you with legal aspects of business that you might not have enough experience with. For example, you may be able to deal with the IRS, submit a business plan, and apply for licenses/permits on your own.
However, that doesn’t mean that you necessarily should. While doing these things yourself might save you some money, it can backfire if you do it wrong. As such a business attorney can help make sure that you’re protected with these day-to-day affairs.
There are also things that only a business attorney should handle. These are issues that are simply too complex for you to handle on your own. This includes things like:
- Raising venture capital
- Selling equity
- Choosing a business entity
- Creating founder agreements
- Contact reviews
- Sales/acquisitions
- Acquiring IP protection
- Dealing with employment issues
How to Hire the Right Business Attorney for Your Company
The last thing you want to do when looking for a business attorney is just hope of Google and choose the first search result in your area. This will very likely land you with someone who isn’t a good fit for your company.
So, how do you find the right one? Simple: by following the steps we layout in this section.
1. Think About the Kind of Service Your Business Needs From an Attorney
Before you begin looking for a business attorney you first need to lay out what you value in a good candidate. The answer to this question will depend on the specific nature of your business, as well as what you’re currently going through.
You can do this by asking yourself this series of questions:
- What type of legal guidance do we need?
- What is the current state of the business?
- What are the present and future goals of the company?
- How much can we afford?
After answering these questions you should have a good idea of what you require from an ideal business lawyer. For example, let’s say you run a tech company in California.
When you think about your needs, you’ll probably decide that you need a business attorney that specializes in licensing and copyright law. Similarly, pretend your company is in some type of business dispute. You should be looking for an attorney or firm that specializes in business litigation.
2. Ask for Referrals if You Can
If you’re able to, then you should try and get recommendations from someone with experience dealing in business law. This can be anyone — an acquaintance, family member, or friend.
However, ideally, it will be someone who is both a friend and practices law. These individuals likely know other members of the profession that they can pass on to you.
Having a candidate from someone you trust is a great first choice. However, you can also talk to people from similar businesses as yours. See if they retain a legal option and, if so, who they work through.
Even if you don’t find an ideal business attorney this way, you can still learn valuable information, like which firms to avoid completely.
3. Research
Once you find a few candidates it’s time to research. You want to make sure that the attorney is experienced and qualified for the type of legal work that you need. You can usually learn this by exploring their website.
Look for information on their education, experience, years in practice, and other notable data. Ideally, the right candidate will have a lot of practical experience and knowledge in the specific area of business law that you need help with.
4. Schedule an Initial Consultation
Next, it’s time to meet with the business attorney candidate. During this consultation, you should lay out what you expect from the attorney. You should also discuss the company itself and where you want to go in the future.
Remember that businesses can feel like families. As such, you need an attorney who understands your vision, goals and who can fit into the structure of your business. So, if at any point you don’t feel understood by the attorney, then simply find another option.
5. Decide on the Right Type of Fee Structure
If the consultation with the business attorney goes well, then it’s time to bring up fees. Typically there are two options: flat fees and hourly fees. Flat fees are good for specific transactions.
They are also ideal if you need the business attorney on a monthly to monthly basis. Hourly fees, on the other hand, are good for temporary solutions you need to be handled by the attorney.
Ultimately, the right fee structure will depend on what you need out of the lawyer, as well as the rates the lawyer expects.
Need More Content? Keep Reading
We hope this article helped you learn how to find the best business attorney for your company’s location. As you can, hiring a competent law practice for your specific business isn’t easy.
It requires a lot of research and consultations before you can be 100% sure. However, as long as you follow the advice in this article, then you’re sure to find a business attorney that’s a good fit.
Did you enjoy this article? If the answer is yes, then you’re in the right place. Keep reading to find more topics you’re sure to love.
