How Do I Choose A Business Lawyer?
Finding the Right Business Lawyer
Business law encompasses a very broad range of legal issues and disputes. Not surprisingly, few, if any, business lawyers are well versed in all of them or practice all of them. Consequently, when searching for a competent lawyer to represent you and your company, your wisest strategy is to first determine the types of legal issues you might reasonably expect to face now and in the future and then find an experienced local business lawyer whose areas of practice include those types of issues and disputes. After all, you don’t expect your surgeon to treat you for cancer. Neither should you expect your business lawyer to represent your business in a criminal or personal injury matter.
Sample Business Law Practice Areas
Business law can focus on an almost endless variety of subspecialties, including the following:
- Business formation issues
- Contract drafting, review, and issues
- Intellectual property issues
- Employment issues
- Labor issues
- Wage and hour issues
- Pension and benefits issues
- Tax issues
- Consumer goods issues
- Business dispute resolutions
- Business litigation
- Antitrust issues
- Secured transactions issues
- Bankruptcy issues
- Estate and trust issues
- Compliance issues
- Immigration issues
Matching Your Business Needs With Your Business Lawyer’s Areas of Practice
As the owner of your business, you are in the best position to know what legal issues or problems your business faces now and may encounter in the future. For instance, if you’re just starting your company, you need a lawyer who has experience in forming businesses and knows the tax and other consequences of each type of business entity.
On the other hand, if you own a micro business that is just now starting to hire employees, you need a lawyer who can help you develop and implement employment policies and procedures.
If you’re a software developer who needs copyright protection for your apps or other software, you need a lawyer who knows more than a little about copyright law, including applying for your copyrights, registering them, and defending against any attempts at copyright infringement. A business litigation attorney, like Brown Kiely Law may also be needed if someone wishes to sue your company for some reason. There are numerous different lawyers with different skill sets, which is why it’s important to understand what your needs are.
Internet Searches
Virtually all lawyers, business and otherwise, have a website nowadays. Consequently, when searching for a business lawyer, doing a Google search for “business lawyers near me” should give you a plethora of results. Then, it’s a matter of going to several sites and checking out which areas of business law are listed in the lawyer’s or law firm’s practice areas. Also, look for a lawyer or firm that offers free initial consultations. That way you have the opportunity to “interview” prospective lawyers for free.