Choosing the Right Corporate Lawyer in Barrie for Your Small Business

When you are starting a business in Barrie, Ontario, it is important to have a reliable corporate lawyer in Barrie right from the very start to advise you on complex legal questions and represent you in all types of business law matters. With the right expertise on your side, you can feel confident you’ve got your legal concerns covered as you focus on getting down to business.

Hiring and working with a lawyer can often be a daunting task however, especially if you’ve never worked with a legal professional before. Here are some tips on what you should look for in a business lawyer and how to deal with the attorney-client relationship:

Hire a lawyer early on

Many entrepreneurs who are starting put off hiring a lawyer until they find themselves in some kind of legal trouble. Attorneys charge high rates and many small businesses don't have much money set aside to pay lawyers, so it is understandable why they wind up using self-help resources instead.

While you certainly don't need an attorney for every step of running your business, there are a few situations when you are just starting out where you'll want or need the advice of a good corporate attorney. A few examples are when:  

• If you are forming a partnership
• Before incorporating your business
• When you are entering into a lease
• When you are planning on taking money from investors
• When you are putting a product that might create some liability issues
• When you are buying or selling a business
• When you are hiring employees with access to company secrets or confidential information
• When you are negotiating contracts with customers and suppliers
• When you are raising capital

Basically, you will want to make sure to hire a lawyer before you do something that’s going to get you into trouble. Getting good legal advice is not free, but often it will save you money and help your business in the long run.

The best strategy for any start-up is to establish a client-attorney relationship early on,  even before an actual need arises. Start finding a good start-up attorney with a reasonable rate for basic services like an initial consultation or to get basic business formation and deliberately include those numbers into the budget as you get the funds together to start your business. The sooner you start getting good advice, the better off your business is going to be.

Ask about their fee structure

You need to plan for your business’ legal costs, so don’t hesitate to discuss payment arrangements with any potential lawyers you plan to hire. Basically you will want to know

• how much the attorney charges,
• how often you will be billed, and
• whether the attorney may consider an alternative fee arrangement.

Most startups will deal with attorneys that will likely charge from $150 an hour for a junior lawyer at a small firm in a smaller city and up to $1,000 an hour for senior partners in big firms in major cities. Lawyers typically charge on an hourly basis and bill in ten- or fifteen-minute increments. So if the attorney charges $200 an hour, for example, he  will bill $50 for fifteen minutes of work and $100 for half an hour of work.The hourly rate is certainly a crucial part of the costs and is something to really consider when you are on a tight budget.

Choose the right fit

When making your final decision, keep in mind the following concerns to ensure that you select the attorney who will best meet your company’s needs:

• Do you think you will feel comfortable working with this person on a regular basis?
• Does the attorney have the right qualifications to help you?
• Is the payment structure reasonable and within your range?
• Do you feel that you can reach a level of communication between yourself and the attorney where you can freely confide sensitive aspects of your business?

Hiring a good corporate lawyer in Barrie is not just recommended but a necessity. He can negotiate leases for your office and retail space, provide copyright and trademark advice, draft software license agreements, oversee corporate meetings, ensure that your business complies with all related laws to avoid lawsuits and liability, and basically provide vital assistance in almost every aspect of your business.

Finding the Right Corporate Lawyer in Barrie for your Business

Hiring a good corporate lawyer in Barrie is critical for any sized business. Whether you are operating a start-up venture, a small company or a large corporation, legal matters that may arise throughout the course of your business can become a major expenditure, so it’s an extremely important decision.

Eric C. Taves

Many entrepreneurs are sometimes reluctant to hire an attorney for their business for a couple of reasons. One is that business owners balk at the costs, particularly since lawyers have become increasingly specialized. Another reason is that many fear that lawyers will over complicate every decision they make and will only stand in the way with the growth of their business.

They won’t hesitate to hire an accountant early on as they believe that the business has greater need for someone to help layout the organization’s chart of accounts, check financial records periodically, and prepare the required federal, state and local tax returns. They fail to see, until they are being sued, that a good business attorney can provide valuable legal advice in almost every aspect of the business.

In a nutshell, every business needs a lawyer for a number of reasons, including some of the following:

• Creating a corporation or LLC
• Putting together a partnership agreement
• Negotiating business and employment contracts
• Drafting common business contracts
• Buying or selling your business
• Obtaining  public or private financing
• Drafting internal business policies and procedures
• Filing tax returns, licenses and other legal reports
• Drawing up basic documents such as minutes of formal meetings, articles of incorporation and bylaws
• Negotiating lease of office or retail space
• Obtaining patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets 
• Dealing with franchise and distributorship issues
• Managing pending or potential litigation

When finding the right corporate lawyer, competence is, obviously, the most important factor to consider. Big corporations typically retain a large law firm that has top legal talents with ample resources and expertise in numerous fields of law. Though it costs a lot of money to secure their services, it can be more advantageous for the business in the long run to have all the legal skills ready and available under one roof and to be able to leverage on the influence and power the legal firm has in the local, regional and even the national legal community, particularly when your business is looking for financing sources or seeking partnership arrangements.

Michelle Greenwood

Small to midsize businesses usually hire a general business lawyer or a general counsel, who has solid knowledge and experience in many areas of law, including corporate law, partnership law, labor relations and employment law, tax, contracts and debt collection. Keep in mind, however, that a general counsel may not have all the skills your business may need to grow. At some point, a general practitioner may have to refer you to a specialist or to  two or three or even more attorneys which could result in an additional amount of legal costs over time.

Small businesses also have prepaid legal service plans as an available option. These plans provide quality affordable legal services which includes unlimited telephone legal consultations and routine legal tasks, such as drafting basic contracts and equipment leases.

Michael Reed

A good starting point for finding the right lawyer for your business is to ask relatives, friends and business associates to recommend one for you. Also, you can contact your local or state bar association or trade or professional organizations or chamber of commerce to ask for a referral. If you have acquaintances who are lawyers or paralegals, it’s good to ask them to recommend someone with the specialization you need.

Sooner or later, your business is going to need some type of legal representation. Finding a corporate lawyer in Barrie, who can anticipate and address the specific legal needs of your company, can prove to be a huge asset for your business.

Finding the Right Corporate Lawyer in Barrie for your Business

Hiring a good corporate lawyer in Barrie is critical for any sized business. Whether you are operating a start-up venture, a small company or a large corporation, legal matters that may arise throughout the course of your business can become a major expenditure, so it’s an extremely important decision.

Many entrepreneurs are sometimes reluctant to hire an attorney for their business for a couple of reasons. One is that business owners balk at the costs, particularly since lawyers have become increasingly specialized. Another reason is that many fear that lawyers will over complicate every decision they make and will only stand in the way with the growth of their business.

They won’t hesitate to hire an accountant early on as they believe that the business has greater need for someone to help layout the organization’s chart of accounts, check financial records periodically, and prepare the required federal, state and local tax returns. They fail to see, until they are being sued, that a good business attorney can provide valuable legal advice in almost every aspect of the business.

In a nutshell, every business needs a lawyer for a number of reasons, including some of the following:

• Creating a corporation or LLC

• Putting together a partnership agreement

• Negotiating business and employment contracts

• Drafting common business contracts

• Buying or selling your business

• Obtaining  public or private financing

• Drafting internal business policies and procedures

• Filing tax returns, licenses and other legal reports

• Drawing up basic documents such as minutes of formal meetings, articles of incorporation and bylaws

• Negotiating lease of office or retail space

• Obtaining patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets 

• Dealing with franchise and distributorship issues

• Managing pending or potential litigation

When finding the right corporate lawyer, competence is, obviously, the most important factor to consider. Big corporations typically retain a large law firm that has top legal talents with ample resources and expertise in numerous fields of law. Though it costs a lot of money to secure their services, it can be more advantageous for the business in the long run to have all the legal skills ready and available under one roof and to be able to leverage on the influence and power the legal firm has in the local, regional and even the national legal community, particularly when your business is looking for financing sources or seeking partnership arrangements.

Small to midsize businesses usually hire a general business lawyer or a general counsel, who has solid knowledge and experience in many areas of law, including corporate law, partnership law, labor relations and employment law, tax, contracts and debt collection. Keep in mind, however, that a general counsel may not have all the skills your business may need to grow. At some point, a general practitioner may have to refer you to a specialist or to  two or three or even more attorneys which could result in an additional amount of legal costs over time.

Small businesses also have prepaid legal service plans as an available option. These plans provide quality affordable legal services which includes unlimited telephone legal consultations and routine legal tasks, such as drafting basic contracts and equipment leases.

A good starting point for finding the right lawyer for your business is to ask relatives, friends and business associates to recommend one for you. Also, you can contact your local or state bar association or trade or professional organizations or chamber of commerce to ask for a referral. If you have acquaintances who are lawyers or paralegals, it’s good to ask them to recommend someone with the specialization you need.

Sooner or later, your business is going to need some type of legal representation. Finding a corporate lawyer in Barrie, who can anticipate and address the specific legal needs of your company, can prove to be a huge asset for your business.