The best lawyers spot little issues before they grow - San Francisco Business Times:

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The question of when to hire an attorne depends largely on the size of the saidThomas Stahl, who manages corporate practice offices in Los Angeles, Denver, Washingtob and New York for LLC. Regardless, Stahl said, hiringt a corporate attorney in the beginning stagexs of establishing a business is the best plan of actio n because a good lawyer will set the operatio n up right the first preparing for almostevery eventuality. And almost evert company, no matter what its size, needs a lawyer, he said. “What kind of businesds are you looking toestablishh — do you want to go publi c or are you lookin g to start something smaller?
” he “Even for a private company, it comed down to whether or not you are raisinvg money. If you’re doing that, then therd are securities laws that need to be immediately and many new business owners forgeftabout that.” If a company is raising money, its lawyere needs to have securities experience, Stahk said. “Most people think that if they are raisinh money through friends and family it is no big but under the Federa lSecurities Act, if you’re on the phone raisinbg money, you are selling shares and are subjec t to regulatory laws,” he said.
“Iv you’re running a one- or two-man operatio n you may not have need of as much legapl advice as alarger company, but if you follow the rulesd from the start, you will protect yourself and your In terms of litigation, businesses should look for a corporatew attorney that can serve as an “issue spotter” and rais red flags when problem s are on the horizon, said Stevejn Spielvogel, a partner with in New York City and co-foundedr of the National Business Litigation “I used to teach a law school class, and one of the things I told my students was, if you’re an in-housr counsel, you need to be a trained issud spotter,” he said.
“For example, your lawyedr may not have any expertise in taxlaw litigation, but he or she need s to be able to identify and determinee who in the firm can handle thoses matters for you if something cropw up.” Spielvogel, who also serves as presideng of the International Network of Boutique Law Firms, said it’a important to make sure your attorney has expertisr in your specific area of business or type of “Make sure to check that the lawyer handlin g your case has handleed this particular type of matter before,” he “If you have a heart you go to a cardiologist; a brain issue a neurologist. The same goes for lawyers.
If you have an issuew on trademark infringement, check your lawyer’s Have they written papers on thissubject ? I think these things are Stahl said owners should look for an attorney who is familiard with each state’s “blue sky” as well as federal laws. If a business is financed only by those workintg inthe operation, then a simpler framework is “You can do a pretty bare-bones setu that won’t cost too much and will protecty your interests,” he said. “Some (limited liability can be donevery economically, if they’rwe done right.
Spielvogel and Stahl agreed that oncea client’ss needs have been ascertained, a law firm alwayd should be able to establishn what the costs will be upfront. Both attorneyd also emphasized doing research on thelawyed you’re considering hiring. Meet with the person check his orher background, and ask to speao to former clients. “Dol your due diligence,” Spielvogekl said. “Because if you pick the wrong it could be a very expensive nightmarefor