Shopping for a Dallas business attorney or a Tucson business attorney should be a selective process. It is not like shopping for any other service, agent or product because the person you hire should be well versed and knowledgeable in all areas of the law and should have practical hands-on experience in operating a business. When researching a business attorney, you should focus on finding a professional who can represent your business in a wide range of complex matters including preparing formation documents, drafting or negotiating contracts, or assisting in contract disputes. Many of these matters you may not fully understand and that is why you need to retain an attorney you can trust.
Before hiring a business attorney, you may want to ask these questions:
How Much Experience Does Your Attorney Have in Business Law?
While some firms may offer business services, they may not specialize in business law, commercial law, administrative law, or corporate law. If the firm (or attorney) that you would like to represent you does not specialize in these areas of law, and if the attorney representing your company does not have trial or jury experience, you may be hiring the wrong firm (or attorney) and you may want to search further for proper legal counsel. Locating a firm that can handle a wide gamut of issues and cases, including complex cases, will ensure your company’s overall success in doing business. It is tough enough to run a business, but when there are legal issues that crop up and your legal counsel does not know the law or cannot handle the matter at hand, your company may suffer, both financially and from loss of reputation. When seeking out a business attorney it is also important to hire one who not only practices in these areas of law, but they must practice in both the state and federal courts, as you never know when your case may be bumped into federal court. Business law in itself is complex, and the attorneys practicing in this area require specific knowledge and expertise. The business law attorneys, commercial attorneys, administrative law attorneys and corporate attorneys at Goldstein & Scopellite, PC have the expertise necessary to provide your company with qualified legal counsel and they have the ability to protect your companies interests.
How can a Conflict of Interest Affect your Case?
If you are involved in a legal dispute, it is very important to know up front if your business attorney is currently working with any current or former employees of the opposing party or if they work with or previously represented a business competitor. If they did, this could cause a conflict of interest with your case. Contact the attorneys at Goldstein & Scopellite, PC to request information regarding the potential risks, if you believe there is a conflict of interest, and before sharing any confidential information with any third party.
How Does the Attorney Communicate With their Clients?
Open access and free communication with your legal team is crucial and critical in the success of your business and especially if you are having legal issues. Make sure that you fully understand how the attorney you select typically communicates with his/her clients and how long it takes for them to respond to your issues and questions. While you may not always be able to get an immediate response from your attorney, you should expect a call back or a returned email within 24 hours and you should not be made to wait more than 24 hours for a response (except weekends).
How Does the Attorney Bill the Client?
No one likes paying bills but they especially do not want a surprise at the end of the month when they receive a bill that does not itemize what was done regarding their matter. If the statement is detailed, it reduces questions. If you have questions about your bill, the attorney should respond to those questions. As a rule, litigation can be expensive. Therefore, you should expect increased legal expenses the first three months of your case and consistent billing if you have a number of issues that the attorney has to take care of each month. To reduce confusion, it is best to understand how your attorney bills, when he bills, when the payments are due, and for what they will be billing. Some attorneys will bill at 10 minute increments (.17), while others bill on the quarter hour, which will end up costing additional fees. And most firms will bill for incidental expenses such as copying and faxing and additional fees for research and paralegal or legal assistant work performed on the case or file.
The business lawyers attorneys at Goldstein & Scopellite, PC have a proven and successful track record.
Goldstein & Scopellite, PC, established in 2002, has offices located in Dallas, TX and Tucson, AZ. For more information, see their local Dallas listing in D Magazine.
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