Choosing the right business attorney is vital for any business. Your attorney, like your tax accountant, will be an important part of your ‘team’ and their advice and guidance will be extremely valuable. After all they will represent you when the need arises and you will want to be sure that they know their stuff.
It would be prudent to contact and speak to a number of different law firms when making your decision. But what considerations should you take into account when choosing who to hire your new business attorney?
• Confirm the law firms/attorneys area of specialism. Law is very complicated and there are multiple strands attached such as; property, family, divorce etc. It is best to find a law firm who concentrate on business, so that they will fully understand your needs.
• Check with other professionals whom you deal with such as your tax accountant, they will deal with business attorneys when working for their other clients and may be able to provide you with a sound recommendation.
• How accessible are they? You can try beforehand yourself. Is the phone answered promptly? Have they replied to your emails in a reasonable time frame? What are their hours of operation for visiting the office? Do they have an out of hour’s number which you can contact them on? You never know when you will need your business attorney, it may well be at short notice. You should ensure that you can get hold of them easily in needed.
• Fees. Agree on all fees upfront. You don’t want to receive and unexpected bill if you require their services for class action lawsuits and similar.
Business attorneys provide a great service, be sure to do your research before their appointment for attorney consultation so that you are working with an attorney with the knowledge you require.