Every company, both small and medium-sized and large, sooner or later needs a legal consultant. That is why it is important to carefully choose the right law firm to turn to. A mistake in the choice could mean a significant loss of money in addition to requiring extra time to reorganize contacts Law tutoring.
How to guide yourself to make the right choice? Avoiding making common mistakes is a good start, here are some tips.
THE MOST COMMON MISTAKES WHEN CHOOSING A LAWYER
HIRE A LAWYER AHEAD OF TIME
Some companies, especially startups, make the mistake of hiring a lawyer before knowing the reason why they need their assistance. Before making the choice, it is necessary to acquire a little experience in the field, turning, for example, to a tutor or a mentor (a trusted person active in business or, even better, a corporate lawyer who has left his profession. to engage in consulting). In addition, we must prevent the lawyer himself from doing the tasks that we could perform, such as investigations, website analysis to find out if our activity requires specific authorizations, etc. Chas Rampenthal, an attorney at LegalZoom , recommends that new business owners allow themselves at least six months of research before hiring a law firm.
HIRE AN EXPERT LAWYER FOR REASONS OF FRIENDSHIP OR KINSHIP
Many people make the mistake of turning to former co-workers, friends or family even though they do not have the appropriate experience to guarantee a high-level legal service. Tom Cervantez, one of the founders of Harvard Angels (angel investment foundation for Harvard Business School students) states that “if you hire a lawyer who does not have specific experience in the sector, it is likely that he will not know the subtle nuances in the laws, which can lead to errors that can make investors distrustful.” To avoid uncomfortable situations, it is good practice to ask other businessmen in our sector for advice. Cervantez recommends asking several lawyers the same questions and comparing the answers.
THINKING THAT THE GREATEST AND MOST PRESTIGIOUS IS ALSO THE BEST PROFESSIONAL
For an inexperienced businessman, large law firms may seem like the best, but it must be taken into account that this will involve paying very high costs and being assigned to an “inferior” professional, since the most expert ones work with larger companies. Much better to go to smaller firms that can offer professionalism and experience, as suggested by Patricia H. Lee, director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Law Clinic . When the company is large enough, you can opt for a larger law firm to deal with more complex problems to manage, but doing so ahead of time is risky.
DO NOT NEGOTIATE REMUNERATION
In a field as traditional as law it may seem inappropriate to negotiate remuneration. However, although the person in front of us is a lawyer, we must consider that we are hiring a freelance professional. Therefore, it is not bad to negotiate remuneration at the time of hiring. There are many agreements regarding the form of remuneration: hourly billing, global price per service, etc.
CONSIDER THE LAWYER ONLY AS A LAWYER
When you choose a lawyer, you are deciding on a person who is competent in several areas, who has accumulated experience in different sectors, and who has a vision of the world that can help your company grow. Above all, before making your choice, try to understand whether the person in question also has useful contacts with other professionals. For companies, the lawyer can become an expert advisor and facilitate the realization of business ideas and achieve profit and growth objectives.