How To Select The Attorney For Your New Company

You'll need a decent lawyer for your new start up company. You don't need a great lawyer or a big law firm yet but you do need a lawyer.

Where to look? The lawyer from your neighborhood that handles wills, divorces, business formations, and traffic violations probably isn't the best option.

Online is the first place to start. There are a number of directories for lawyers such as Martindale. There are also a number of review sites and one should definitely check the consumer sites that give good and bad reviews. There are some bad lawyers out there that can easily take advantage of a novice businessman. Read the bad reviews as there is usually an element of truth to bad reviews of attorneys.

"We were are looking at a start up. We usually have to replace the attorney or we don't make the investment," said Peter Klamka ( http://www.peterklamka.biz), an investor who specializes in seed stage investments.

Look for someone who is passionate about new business ventures. A tired, jaded attorney with one foot on the golf course or one foot in the bar is not going to be the right fit for a dynamic, aggressive, entrepreneurial venture. If your lawyer doesn't get excited about your growth prospects, this isn't the right lawyer for you.

Ask around. Talk to other people that you know and it doesn't have to be other entrepreneurs or small business people. Referrals are often the best source for attorneys and a mutual relationship means you will be treated with respect and taken seriously from the initial meeting.

Speaking of the initial meetings, do not pay a consultation fee. If the attorney charges by the hour for the first meeting, this is usually a sign of bad things to come. The attorney is either too busy to take these type of meetings or the attorney is an aggressive biller. Both situations can spell disaster for your new company.

Don't be afraid of distance. Some times the best option for your attorney will not be in your hometown. It is wise to have an attorney that is relatively close say within an hour's drive. It doesn't make sense to have legal counsel that is six states away. However, average legal talent is everywhere but good, competent counsel for a new venture is worth going a few extra miles.


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David Webb is a freelance writer and student of human moves. He follows the Gracie Diet and is writing a book on Larry Ellison. You can follow him on
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