Starting a business is an exciting endeavor, but it can also be a complex process. There’s a lot you need to do to make sure your business can succeed, including in terms of legal challenges that may arise.
To navigate this process, a business lawyer is an absolute necessity. No matter how small your business is, legal support is more important than ever before. When it comes to hiring a business attorney, here are four items you should look for.
1. Extensive Experience with Your Industry
The first is experience. An experienced attorney will be more familiar with legal best practices and potential points of difficulty when it comes to regulatory compliance, dispute resolution, etc.
However, experience alone is not sufficient. That experience must be relevant to your business’s unique needs.
That means your attorney of choice should be familiar with your industry as well as general legal principles. The laws that pertain to your industry will likely be very different from those of others. Familiarity with the ins and outs of your particular sector of the market is important to avoiding legal pitfalls and ensuring compliance.
2. Communication
Secondly, communication is key to any business relationship, and that is no different when it comes to hiring a business lawyer. Your attorney should be communicative, especially in terms of giving you updates on projects, providing timely legal guidance, and seeking understanding about the direction you want to take your business. Transparency is vital to a successful lawyer-client relationship, so you’ll want a lawyer who can communicate with you on important matters.
In addition, your lawyer should be available to answer questions and provide input on legal matters related to your business. This means they should be clear on when and how to contact them.
3. Sufficient Resources
Legal work frequently requires both time and money, especially if you get involved in a dispute with another organization or are facing action from a regulatory body. While those costs may ultimately end up being covered by legal fees, your lawyer may need to front those costs until the situation resolves, and that means having sufficient resources at their disposal.
Larger law firms are often more reliable and stable than smaller ones, but they may also be more costly to hire. It’s important to balance cost with reliability. Ideally, you’d choose a firm that is able to scale its services to your size.
4. Willing to Go to Bat for You
Finally, you want an attorney who is willing to go to bat for you, even if that means taking a case to court. While the majority of disputes settle without ever setting foot in a courtroom, being able to take your case that far is important to validate it. If a party you’re disputing with knows that you can back up your claim in front of a judge or jury, they’ll be more likely to comply with a settlement that favors you.
Where to Hire a Good Business Lawyer
If you’re looking for a solid business attorney, Hart David Carson, LLP is a great place to start. We have experience with businesses of all sizes in various industries, and we are able to fight on your behalf, even if that means progressing a case to the courtroom. To learn more, contact us.