Most people don’t think that they need to hire a lawyer. However, when people start needing lawyers, it becomes too late to find one they can trust. Even professionals like Horst Shewmaker Attorneys have had to deal with clients that didn’t know they needed a lawyer until it was too late. Businesses are notorious for cutting costs when it comes to their overhead, and many of them consider a lawyer an expense they can possibly do without. Yet, according to Insurance Journal, nearly nine in ten US corporations juggle multiple lawsuits. With numbers like these, it may be apparent that hiring a lawyer should be on your list of priorities. But why does a business even need a lawyer?
Filing for your LLC
The first thing you will need your lawyer to do is to prepare your paperwork for filing for your company. Ideally, you would be filing for an LLC since sole proprietorship doesn’t offer you any protection for your personal assets. Your lawyer may also be able to advise you in which state or province you should be filing your LLC. This decision has as much to do with legal oversight as it does with taxes. If your lawyer is worth their price, they’ll be advising you on the viability of your LLC and what you should do to ensure it remains on the right side of the law.
Representation in Lawsuits
One of the most terrible mistakes a business owner can make is avoiding hiring a lawyer until they’re already being sued. If the local authorities are serving you with a subpoena, it’s already too late. If you have a business lawyer before the summons is served, you can seek to prevent the action or even have your lawyer advise you on what you can do to defer it or prove it wrong. Goof lawyers also advise you what not to do to avoid ending up in this situation. If you’re already being served, it means that you’ll end up having to pay a settlement, in addition to legal fees to whoever you hire to deal with the issue.
Specialization Is Key
You might be tempted to hire a lawyer from a small firm because their rates are negotiable. However, larger firms also have their own draw. According to The Balance SMB, specialized representation might be the way of the future for smaller firms. Yet large firms can have entire departments dedicated to a particular type of law. Smaller firms may be more in-tune with what their clients need but are less specialized in the amount of coverage they offer. Businesses may be better off looking at law firms that have a broad specialization if they straddle different industries and disciplines.
Is It Difficult To Find a Good Business Lawyer?
The answer to this question depends on what you desire out of your business lawyer. Ideally, you should have someone who understands modern business law and can easily navigate the legal system on your business’s behalf. You should also choose a firm that can guarantee their representation across a wide range of potential issues. It would be awkward having to switch over to another firm because your preferred business lawyer doesn’t cover a particular area of law you need them to. The difficulty in choosing the right business lawyer boils down to what your company is looking for in a legal firm and how much you’re willing to pay for it.
