Do you need a business lawyer? Here is how to find a business lawyer and make it work for your business. Read on!
Business Lawyer
A business lawyer helps business owners understand what kind of problems they are facing and what sort of problems they might face in the future. Business lawyers are responsible to educate their clients on applicable laws and best practices. They also represent their clients in case an issue occurs.
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Who is a business lawyer?
A business lawyer is an attorney who provides legal advice to business owners on different issues concerning businesses such as taxation, business transactions, and intellectual property rights. A business lawyer is also commonly known as a corporate lawyer, commercial lawyer, corporate attorney, etc.
Business lawyers help companies run smoothly by overseeing legal ins and outs. They also help business owners weigh the pros and cons of each entity while starting a business.
Roles and responsibilities of business lawyers
The different roles and responsibilities of business lawyers are,
- Protect assets and reputation of the company
- Ensuring that the business is following and understands all relevant laws and outcomes
- Examine and report any existing legal issues to the concerned authorities
- Provide assistance to prevent, navigate, and resolve complex legal issues
- Taking care of legal paperwork related to business operations
- Negotiating contract terms, transactions, and settlements on behalf of the business owners
- Ensure business operations and processes are in compliance with the local, state, federal, and international laws
- Strong research and verbal and written communication skills
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When should one get a business lawyer?
Here are the different reasons why you might need to hire a business lawyer,
- Business lawyers guide business owners through complex laws and are able to draft and review business agreements.
- Business lawyers can take business owners through a lawsuit in case things aren’t running smoothly.
- A business lawyer can represent you in court in case you’re being sued or want to sue someone.
- A business lawyer gives advice on how to start and manage your own business.
- A business lawyer can help you in forming, managing, transferring, or dealing with new business.
- Business lawyers are helpful in case an environmental issue arises and your business is involved.
- Negotiating the sale of your company or during the acquisition of another company or assets by your company.
- Consulting a business lawyer helps in preventing any legal issues from arising and identifying them in advance.
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Types of Attorneys
Law has been a preferred career for many but with technological advancement, the field has gone through a drastic change. There are several different kinds of lawyers who specialize in specific areas. Let us have a look at the different types of attorneys and their respective salient features,
1. Business attorney
Business attorneys are lawyers who provide a full range of expertise in building, managing, maintaining, transferring, and dissolving a business. They may either choose to handle legal matters of large companies only or prefer working with small businesses or startups. They may represent clients during a legal crisis.
2. Small business lawyer
A small business lawyer is a lawyer who is solely responsible for handling legal issues of small businesses, startups, entrepreneurs, and SMEs. A small business lawyer is more familiar with the complexities of running a small business and majorly focuses on providing specialized advice to small business owners.
3. Personal lawyer
Personal lawyers are often known as civil litigators, they usually represent clients in civil court either as a plaintiff or a defendant. They specialize in areas such as personal injury, corporate, tax, etc. They often investigate claims and screen potential clients to evaluate the merit of their case.
4. Business contract lawyer
A business contract lawyer is a lawyer who specializes in giving advice regarding business contracts. They have extensive knowledge of contracts, sales agreements, contract requirements, and laws governing contracts in their area. Business contract lawyers often draft, review, and negotiate business agreements for their clients.
5. Business solicitors
Business solicitors are business lawyers who provide legal advice on a wide range of issues and for several reasons. They help businesses achieve the outcome and provide the assurance that your business-related legal concerns are in reliable and experienced hands. They even provide tailored solutions based on your business needs.
6. Commercial attorney
A commercial attorney advises business owners on a variety of legal matters such as managing contracts. They are responsible for managing contracts and ensuring that there are no provisions that could harm the company. They usually assist the company’s sales team with negotiating and managing contracts.
7. Business law lawyer
Business law lawyers are lawyers who are experienced in handling legal matters concerning any kind of business. They ensure that a company complies with all the local laws and regulations. They find existing legal loopholes in the system and predict any future issues that may pose a threat.
8. Business legal advice – Tax Lawyer
Taxes for businesses are complicated to understand without assistance. A tax lawyer can help businesses when the tax authority decided to take action against the business. The tax business lawyer is licensed to be a lawyer and is highly experienced in dealing with taxes.
9. Lawyer for business startup
A business lawyer who helps with different legal issues that may arise when forming and operating a startup. An experienced lawyer for the business startup will be aware of all the steps you need to take and possible legal challenges that may arise in the future.
10. Entrepreneur lawyer
An Entrepreneur lawyer is a lawyer with expertise in legal matters concerning business enterprises. They help new enterprises make the right decisions and provide them with sound legal advice. These lawyers have their own firms and work with multiple clients, turning them into entrepreneurs from business lawyers.
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How to find a good lawyer?
Here are the top 5 steps of finding a good lawyer,
- Conducting candidate interviews – One of the best ways to find a lawyer who suits your business needs is to interview them. Most of them will provide free of charge initial consultation that helps you interact with the lawyer and assessing them.
- Taking references from other attorneys – Lawyers generally are aware of the skill and reputation of another lawyer. They may be able to provide information about a fellow lawyer that might not be present in any book or internet. These may include lawyer’s ethics, competence level, demeanor, practice habits, and reputation.
- Conducting background check – Contact the lawyer disciplinary agency in your state to confirm if the lawyer you are going to hire is in good standing as a member of the bar. Always check the references of the lawyer you are hiring especially if you have found them on the internet.
- Cross-checking references from past clients – Before hiring a lawyer, ask them about the clients that they have worked within the past. Getting reviews and opinions from past clients would help you get an idea about the lawyer’s professionalism. Review ratings can also be found online.
- Taking a tour of the lawyer’s office – Take a brief tour of the attorney’s office. Office space can tell a lot about the attorney. See if their office space is neat, clean, orderly, and efficiently run. Understand their relationship with their staff.
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5 best business attorney firms in the US
Business attorney firms are law firms that provide expertise in handling legal business matters. They provide small business owners and SMEs legal advice based on their requirements. There are several business attorney firms in the US. Let us look at the top 5 business attorney firms in the US,
1. Romano Law – Small business lawyer NYC
Small business attorneys of Romano Law are more than capable of providing legal guidance to your small business. Their experienced business lawyer provides both practical and technical advice to keep your business well-prepared and on track for growth. They provide legal assistance in a wide range of matters such as corporate to real state, employment to intellectual property, contracts to litigation. Their existing client base covers a wide range of industries.
2. Tobin O’Connor & Ewing – Best business lawyer in DC
The attorneys at Tobin O’Connor & Ewing provide legal counseling to their clients to help them establish their small businesses. The expert business lawyers at Tobin O’Connor Ewing help their clients select the type of business entity that is right for their business. They also provide assistance once the business entity is selected by helping with succession planning. All kinds of business disputes can be handled by their attorneys.
3. The Law Ladies – Business attorneys in Atlanta
The business lawyers at The Law Ladies can help with a variety of legal needs to ensure that your business keeps running smoothly. Their skilled lawyers know how to successfully represent a small business at any stage. They specialize in a wide variety of business laws such as new business formation, business litigation, influencer contracts, non-compete agreements, non-disclosure agreements, different kinds of contractor agreements, etc
4. Adam Dash & Associates – Business lawyer near me in Boston
At the law firm of Adam Dash & Associates, you can find lawyers and attorneys skilled in litigating and negotiating all types of business disputes. Their lawyers can handle a wide range of processes such as drafting formation documents, helping you choose appropriate business entities, working with investors and venture capitalists, provide ongoing and legal advice, regulation and ordinance compliance, handling business-related disputes, etc.
5. G&G Law, LLC – Small business attorney Chicago
G&G Law, LLC are small business lawyers in Chicago’s neighborhood and suburbs. Their attorneys are highly responsive and have a deep understanding of closely-held business owners. They make use of technology and automation to make their service better and more efficient for their clients. Business attorneys at G&G Law focus on developing lasting personal relationships with their clients. They give high-quality service at reasonable prices.
Megha is a content writer with sharp technical skills, owing to her past experience in networking and telecom domains. She focuses on various topics including productivity, remote work, people management, technology, market trends, and workspace collaboration.