Being a business owner brings you a lot of joy and satisfaction but you really need to make sure you have a lawyer on retainer.  You will have a lot of things to worry about from a legal standpoint, such as operation, rental agreements, business loans, customers, suppliers, taxes, and more.  Having a lawyer on your side is going to be a benefit to your business. 

While you may not think that as a small business you will need a lawyer there are particular times when you will.  Your particular business could also require the services of a lawyer.  When would it be good to consult a lawyer in your business?  When you are: setting up a corporation or partnership; negotiating business loans; trying to comply with regulations; tax planning; attempting to obtain a trademark or patent; looking into buy-sell agreements; setting up pension plans for your employees; needing forms to be reviewed; reviewing employee contracts; dealing with real estate matters; exporting or selling products in other states or oversea; and in the need to collect on bad debts.

No matter what size you business is you will need a lawyer’s advice at some time or another.  Lawsuits are brought up every day in the business world for one reason or another and it’s a good idea to have a lawyer on retainer before a problem arises.  Some businesses wait too long to hire an attorney which is why their lawsuits fail.  Even if all you need is a lawyer’s advice on a tax concern while laying out your business plan, it is better to hear what they have to say than to pay the consequences later down the road. 

Additionally, having a lawyer on retainer when you start your business will help you avoid having to rush to find one in the event of a crisis.  Crises will have you turning to whatever lawyer is available in your local telephone book and you will not have the chance to find a lawyer who specializes in your particular type of legal case.  It takes some time to develop a report with your lawyer so it is a good idea to research lawyers and get to know them before you discover that you need them. 

If you do not have a lawyer in mind, ask other business owners in the same industry for recommendations.  You can ask you financial advisor, accountant or even your banker for a name that they trust.  Ask them what the lawyer’s strengths and weaknesses are to get a good idea of who you will be dealing with.  You can also ask other lawyers who they recommend if they do not deal with cases similar to the one you have.  They know others in their field from working with them on a regular basis.  If you still have trouble finding a lawyer call your local Bar Association.  They usually have some type of referral service in place specifically for instances such as this. 

Take the top five lawyers you are interested in using and set up an appointment with them.  Tell them that you want to find a lawyer you can build up a long-term relationship with and see if any of them will set up a consultation with you without charging a fee for their time.  Some of the areas you should cover during this interview include but are not limited to the following:

Experience.  While you do not necessarily need a lawyer that specializes in your field, you do need to find someone who specializes in small business needs and problems.  The lawyer you select should be willing to take on small problems as well as larger issues and they should charge you accordingly.

Understanding.  Your lawyer should be interested in what your goals are for your business.  This is important because you want to establish a partnership that will grow with you and your business.  They need to be able to share your vision of the future for you business.

Communication.  A good lawyer will be able to speak to you in regular laymen terms so you understand what they are saying.  If they simply throw legal terms at you, find someone else.

Availability.  Your lawyer should be available to conference with you when you need them to and they should return your phone calls on a timely basis.  If you have to consistently pursue your lawyer, you need to find a new one.

Rapport.  You will know if the chemistry between you and your lawyer is good.  If you do not feel comfortable with them, then they are not going to work to your advantage.

Reasonable charges.  A good lawyer will charge between $90 and $300 per hour depending on the firm and their reputation.  Get quotes from different lawyers to gauge their fee schedule but choose one that you feel comfortable with.

Reference.  You can ask for references from the lawyer so you can get a feel of the type of cases they have worked on before.