How to Find a Great Attorney
Hiring a lawyer should be given at least as much care as changing hair stylists. Most people I know wouldn’t think of changing haircutters or colorists even if they move hundreds of miles away! You need to feel this loyal about your attorney, since they will part of your management team, so don’t just pick a name out of the yellow pages!
Network to Find a Good Small Business Corporate Attorney
The best way to find a good corporate attorney that works with small businesses is to ask friends and acquaintances who have small businesses. Referrals are the way the legal profession works. Today, with the proliferation of email, it’s easy to send out a message that will reach a large number of professionals quickly. If someone has a good attorney, they will email you their contact information. It’s a quick and easy thing to do, and you will get responses.You don’t need to go to a large law firm where the rates will be higher. An attorney at a small or medium firm who has experience working with restaurants will do fine. The most important thing, aside from finding a competent and licensed attorney, is finding a person whose opinion you will respect and who will listen to you as well. You need to find someone you’re comfortable with. If your gut tells you that one of the attorneys is smart, tough when they need to be and diligent, that’s the attorney you should hire, even if they’re not the cheapest. Once you have three or so referrals for good attorneys, call them and ask them a few questions:
- Hourly Billable Rate - Ask them what their billable rate is and how much it is for paralegals and associates.
- Get References - Call a couple of clients to find out how efficient the attorney is and how quickly he returns calls and attends to important matters.
- Determine the Type of Practice - Does he work with a few large clients, or does he spread his time amongst many smaller clients? Try to find an attorney that works with a variety of small clients, so that you won’t be the smallest fish in the pond.
