As a business owner, you are likely to face a few lawsuits over the course of your company's existence. Legal support for the business is one of the most important factors to consider.
Every lawyer should have a portfolio and resume ready to show his potential clients. As a client, remember to ask for those before hiring one. As a legal professional, remember to prepare these and polish them. And for those of you who need help with this, consider hiring professional legal resume writers who will craft you a personalized CV and cover letter.
It is critical to understand which type of lawyer is best suited to your needs. However, if you hire a lawyer from the start of your business, many lawsuits can be avoided, and the damage from those, that do occur, can be mitigated.
The good news is that you don't need to keep an army of lawyers on retainer to feel confident about your company's legal obligations. An employment or labor lawyer, for example, is one type of lawyer that your small business can hire on an as-needed basis. Depending on the type of small business you run, most or all of these categories of lawyers may be required for your small business.
The following are the various types of small business lawyers:
1. Employment And Labor Lawyers
If you are the sole employee of your small business, you most likely do not need the services of a labor and employment lawyer. Otherwise, every small business with employees should consult a labor and employment lawyer to avoid lawsuits. The duties and obligations of the employer are very specific under federal and state laws.
The last thing you want to do is blissfully disregard these stringent requirements because the consequences can be severe.
As a small business owner, the most typical labor and employment issues you are likely to experience are hostile workplace environments, workplace discrimination, wrongful termination, and sexual harassment. Labor and employment laws are constantly evolving to keep up with the times, and staying current can be difficult. Labor and employment lawyers will help keep your small business compliant and safe.
2. General Business Attorney
A general business attorney will assist you in ensuring the smooth operation of your daily operational processes and will provide advice as needed. Consider the matters affecting your business and whether the business lawyer you plan to employ will be able to assist you with them.
If you anticipate having several issues in various specializations, you should collaborate with a big law firm that has a lot of different specialized departments.
3. Tax Lawyer
Business taxes can be complicated. A tax attorney can prove to be useful if or when the tax authorities take legal action against you or your business. This can happen if you submit your taxes inaccurately because you didn't employ a CPA ( certified public accountant) or your CPA was dishonest or incompetent.
A tax lawyer can assist you in navigating the process and minimizing the impact on your business. When looking to hire a tax lawyer, find one who has at least a master's degree in tax law. Taking referrals and recommendations from other business owners can be extremely helpful.
4. Intellectual Property Lawyer
If you are planning to establish trademark rights or patents for your business, you will almost certainly need the assistance of intellectual property (IP) attorney. These attorneys are knowledgeable about trademarks, patents, copyrights, and even brand image.
The Intellectual Property lawyers or trademark attorneys can also confirm that your business is not infringing on the IP rights of others. An intellectual property attorney is essential because most business owners aren't sufficiently well-informed to know when they're breaking the law. This is the reason why some of the most sizable settlements result from patent infringement suits.
To protect your business and yourself, you should recruit an Intellectual Property attorney or a trademark lawyer.
5. Contract Lawyers
When creating contracts, it is desirable to use templates easily available on the internet. These are useful for very basic needs, but they do not address specific business requirements and may leave you vulnerable to problems.
By utilizing a template, you may unknowingly commit your company to obligations it does not require or fail to include clauses that enable you to look for legal redress if another party fails to carry out their duties. Legal jargon is frequently too complicated for those who are not lawyers, and the phrasing of your contracts is critical to the durability of the agreement.
Using a qualified and experienced contract lawyer for your contracts allows them to create contracts that are tailored to your company's needs. They can also draft contracts that reflect the terms of your business transactions. In addition, if there is a conflict, your breach of contract attorney may be able to assist you in recovering damages.
Conclusion
Lawyers can be costly, and as a small business, you wish to cut costs until you reach profitability. However, legal assistance is just as valuable as other upfront costs and can save you a significant amount of money and time.
When you receive your first lawsuit, you will be grateful that you have a lawyer. They can make sure that your company is properly set up to avoid legal claims and that you are equipped with sufficient hard evidence to cope with any legal claims quickly and without insane damages.
