Whether you’re an entrepreneur or not, you need proper legal representation. You may want to avoid it because you don’t want the added expense. The truth is that you can’t afford not to.
If you find yourself in a lawsuit, you can lose your business and find yourself in a financial mess. You can lose opportunity costs like productivity and lost sales. There are also massive legal fees.
You want to make sure that your business is set up to handle any legal issue. That means you have to find the best lawyers for your business.
Read on to find out how to find an attorney for your business needs.
Know the Type of Lawyer You Need
There are dozens of different attorneys to work with. Some specialize in tax law, while others specialize in business law, and others will help with DWIs. You may find some business lawyers aren’t well-versed in trademarks and copyrights.
You’ll want to take a look at your business or personal life and determine what your legal needs are. If you’re just starting a business, you can work with a business attorney who can set up your company’s legal structure and incorporate the business.
You’ll also need contracts and you’ll need to know your legal and tax obligations if you hire employees.
If you’re married and own a business, a family lawyer is a good attorney to have on hand. You’ll want to make sure that your business is protected in the event of a divorce. Look at someone like Jeff Bezos, who is parting with billions as part of his divorce settlement.
A family lawyer could also help you with a prenuptial agreement if you’re going to get married and with your will to make sure the business continues when you’re gone.
A tax attorney can give you the best tax strategies to protect your assets and keep you out of trouble with the IRS. They can also help you if you owe back taxes.
Start Looking for the Best Lawyers
Once you know what your legal needs are, it’s time to find a lawyer, whether it’s a family lawyer or a business lawyer.
You can start by doing your research. Contact your local chamber of commerce to get a few names of attorneys. You can also ask friends and family for recommendations as well. You can always turn to Google if those searches turned up empty.
Once you have an initial list of attorneys to choose from, you’ll want to take a look at their websites to make sure that they specialize in the areas that you need. You’ll also want to get a feel for their reputation.
Look at Experience
In the legal field, experience is everything. You don’t want to be in a legal situation where your attorney is getting slammed because they’re just out of law school.
If they have a wealth of experience locally, it’s even better. They are likely to know the various law firms and judges in town. They’ll know exactly how to help you because they’ve probably have seen a case similar to yours before.
Professional Credentials
The best lawyers will have a professional credential and be members of legal organizations. They should be a member of the state’s bar association, and other associations related to their specialty.
For example, a bankruptcy attorney might be a member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys. An attorney who represents corporations would be a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel.
You want to make sure that the attorneys are involved in their specialty and stay up to date on legal changes in their respective field. These associations usually do well to address that.
Ask the Right Questions
When you narrow down your list to a few attorneys, you’ll want to take the time to interview them. Some will offer 30-minute consultations to go over the basics of your situation and see how they can help you.
In a personal injury case, you’ll want to have as much documentation as possible for the attorney to review. Bringing a lot of information with you about your case will help the attorney determine if you have a case and
Regardless of the reason why you’re seeing an attorney, you’ll want to be prepared to ask the right questions. You want to get an understanding as to how your case will be handled and how they communicate with you.
Here’s what you want to ask:
How Many Cases Does Your Firm Handle at Once?
You want to make sure that your attorney isn’t distracted by having so many cases at once. Ideally, you want a law firm that’s busy, but not so busy that you have to remind your attorney who you are every time you speak with them.
Who Handles Most of the Case Work?
Some of the best lawyers have paralegals do most of the casework for them. You want to know how much a paralegal does vs. the attorney.
Have You Worked with Similar Cases? What Was the Result?
When you hire an attorney, you want them to help you win your case. That means that they should have experience in similar situations with positive results.
Finding the Best Lawyers Isn’t Difficult
When it comes to finding the best lawyers, you want to make sure that you do your homework. You simply can’t risk your business and your personal life by hiring some legal hack. You need and deserve the best lawyers possible.
You’ll want to start by knowing where you need legal help. You can then gather a list of potential lawyers and make sure they have the experience and credentials. You want to interview them and ask the right questions.
You can then narrow down your choices to get the top attorneys to protect you and your business.
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