If you own your own business, you’ll need to hire a business attorney who will give you the help you need for everything from copyrights to zoning compliance, incorporation, and, of course, lawsuits.
Remember, it’s best to have an attorney you can trust on hand at all times, from the moment you launch your business, rather than waiting until you’ve been sued. But how can you choose the right one?
Make Sure the Lawyer Has the Right Set of Skills in Place
Not all attorneys are created equal. You don’t want to hire someone who’s a great lawyer in personal matters but has no experience in, or knowledge of, how to deal with business cases. Therefore, when searching for a lawyer, look for the following skills:
• The individual should have experience with commercial real estate matters, including leases for everything from retail locations to offices. Your lawyer can look over any contracts before you sign them in order to ensure that your rights as a tenant are in place.
• The lawyer should be able to assist you when it comes to deciding upon how to organize the company, and whether you’ll register as a limited liability company or corporation.
• A great business attorney will be able to help you with drafting up a variety of contracts that will protect you when it comes to your relationships with suppliers, clients, customers, etc. He or she will also be able to help when it comes to responding to any contracts that someone else wants you to sign.
• If your business involves working within creative industries, such as media or design, you want to find a lawyer with experience in intellectual property to assist you with registering for trademarks and copyrights.
• Even though you’ll likely have your accountant take care of preparing and filing your tax returns, a lawyer can assist you with registering your company for the state and federal tax ID numbers you need. He or she will also be able to explain any tax consequences associated with a variety of business transactions.
How to Locate the Best Business Lawyers
To find local business attorneys, don’t just rely upon a simple online search. Instead, ask other business owners for referrals or call the local bar association. You may want to gather a list of five names, call them all for phone consultations, and then narrow your list to about three that you’d like to meet in person before making a final decision.
What to Ask a Lawyer During an Interview
Before you hire an attorney for your business, you should interview a few and ask how much they charge for their services. Also, ask about their ability to take complex business issues and explain them easily to you. And ask about how quickly they return calls, and how eager and experienced they are to work with your type of company.
Once you have a reputable lawyer like Parkman White at your side, you can rest easy that you’ll have the best guidance to make the right decisions.
