Hiring a Business Attorney For The Betterment of Your Company

Though more people are starting small businesses today than ever before, many of them are doing so without the assistance of a qualified business attorney by their side. While selling things on eBay or another website of its type may not call for legal assistance, anything more substantial should probably be done under the watchful guidance of a lawyer. Many people think the only reason to hire a lawyer is to protect yourself from being sued or to pursue litigation yourself. This is far from accurate. There are numerous reasons why you should have a lawyer on retainer and all of them can conspire to make your company better.

Most entrepreneurs would be better off if they hired a business attorney as one of the very first steps in the founding process. When you have qualified legal representation, the chances that you’ll make a major mistake in the process of forming a liability partnership, breaking zoning ordinances, or simply the limitations on your own growth are substantially reduced. These are important considerations now and they may come to be much more important as time wears on. You wouldn’t want to begin having success only to be thwarted by something foolish you did when you started the company. 

Beyond that, it is difficult to sum up everything a good business attorney can do for your company. The list of tasks and advice that you can get is not only worth whatever fee you’re paying, but is practically priceless. They can help you move through the patent process, the trademark process, they can help you protect your intellectual property, and they can offer valuable advice on your hiring practices. Taxes are a major issue for the small business owner and a good lawyer can help you find the best ways to minimize how much you owe to the government. This only scratches the surface of the value that you can get in a good lawyer.

Of course, before you can begin reaping the benefits of a good lawyer, you have to find such a lawyer. This means not only finding someone with a good reputation (though that is important), but finding someone who has experience in dealing with companies of your size and type. If you are setting up a small retail shop, you may not want to hire a business attorney who works mostly with corporate medical insurance companies. You want someone who has dealt with small retail shops and knows exactly what you need to do to be successful. That’s not to say that your lawyer will become a partner in the business—making your company a success is up to you. But they can help you avoid some of the legal pitfalls that stop so many from realizing their full potential.