how to find good startup lawyer

1. Get a referral from a lawyer who has helped you with personal legal matters. ...
2. Attend business events & conferences. Startup incubators, industry conferences and business meetups are other great ways to find lawyers. ...
3. Online legal directories & services. There are several online legal directories and services that give you access to legal help. Have a quick legal question?
4. Get referrals from other business owners. The final way to find a startup lawyer is simply to ask fellow business owners. ...

Full Answer

How to choose the right lawyer for Your Startup?

You should be comfortable with him or her and his or her ability to meet your company’s needs and to minimize its exposure. Selecting the attorney right for you and your startup begins with gaining an understanding of his or her experience and knowledge.

How much does it cost to hire a startup lawyer?

The cost of a startup lawyer can range anywhere from a $50 fixed fee on an online legal service to over $1,000 per hour for a senior partner from a prestigious law firm. Cost can be a major deterrent in hiring a startup lawyer, so it’s important to find out upfront how much you will be expected to pay your attorney.

What does a startup lawyer do day to day?

The day-to-day translates to “counseling startup clients through the formation process and capital raising from angels and venture capitalists, advising on legal and business issues that arise as the companies scale and grow, and then eventually helping them sell the business or take the company public in an IPO.

Why should you hire a startup law firm?

But the main reason to go to a startup law firm, Burke further explains, is to really gain a deep understanding of the ecosystem, which companies are more likely to succeed and why. “ If you try to enter the startup ecosystem from the outside, you’re going to be flying blind,” Burke says.

What are some good websites to find a lawyer for a startup?

What is a good startup lawyer?

How to sort through lawyers in zip code?

How much does a lawyer cost?

What is a free initial consultation?

What happens if you have multiple lawyers?

Who handles business information?

See more

About this website

How do I choose a law firm for a startup?

Here are a few things to keep in mind when looking for the right startup lawyer or firm to partner with:Recognize your company's needs. ... Find the right legal and business fit. ... Know your first priorities. ... Communicate clearly about fees and expectations. ... Ask for help.

What makes a good startup lawyer?

A firm with a strong VC practice has deep relationships with investors that can be helpful to startup founders as they fundraise, and your lawyer should be willing to introduce your company to investors when the time is right. Investors may include individuals (angels), VC firms, and corporate/strategic partners.

How do I find a good lawyer near me?

You can run an attorney search at databases such as Avvo and Martindale Hubbell, which provide information such as practice areas, location, disciplinary records, and lawyer reviews. You might also consult your local or state bar association's attorney directory, which is a list of lawyers in your area.

How much does it cost to hire a top lawyer?

A lawyer in a big city could charge $200-$400 per hour. Specialized lawyers with a lot of expertise in a specific area of law, such as patent or intellectual property law, could charge $500-$1,000 per hour. Larger and more prestigious law firms often have higher rates as well.

How much do Silicon Valley lawyers make?

The estimated salary for a lawyer is $64,422 per year in Silicon Valley, CA.

Is Legal Shield legit?

For the first question, the answer is no… it's not a scam. Unlike some shadier MLM type schemes like 30-Day Success Formula and Impact Mailing Club… Legal Shield is a legit company with a real product. Having said that, the way in which some Legal Shield consultants market or sell the opportunity, may be a scam.

What's the difference between attorney and lawyer?

Attorney vs Lawyer: Comparing Definitions Lawyers are people who have gone to law school and often may have taken and passed the bar exam. Attorney has French origins, and stems from a word meaning to act on the behalf of others. The term attorney is an abbreviated form of the formal title 'attorney at law'.

How do you know a bad lawyer?

Signs of a Bad LawyerBad Communicators. Communication is normal to have questions about your case. ... Not Upfront and Honest About Billing. Your attorney needs to make money, and billing for their services is how they earn a living. ... Not Confident. ... Unprofessional. ... Not Empathetic or Compassionate to Your Needs. ... Disrespectful.

What questions should you ask when hiring a lawyer?

Below are ten questions to ask your potential lawyer.How long have you practiced law? ... What type of cases do you generally handle? ... Who is your typical client? ... How many cases have you represented that were similar to mine?More items...•

How much does it cost to sue a company?

Small claims actions cost considerably less and often involve little more than a small filing fee and another fee to serve documents on the opposing side. Typically in a civil lawsuit, it can cost $1,500-$5,000 to initiate an action and have a lawyer deliver a Statement of Claim.

How much does it cost to talk to a lawyer?

The minimum for an hourly consultation is around PHP 1,000.00 outside of Metro Manila and PHP 2,500.00 in Metro Manila. The rate only goes higher depending on the lawyer. There is no standard rate for an hourly consultation so it is best to ask for the consultation fee before booking a consultation.

How long is a lawyer retainer good for?

A lawyer cannot claim the retainer fee until they have completed work and provided an invoice to the client. The retainer is still the possession of the client until used for legitimate expenses as detailed in the retainer agreement. The amount in the trust account will not expire.

Why do companies need lawyers?

A Business Attorney can guide you on the applicable regulations, codes, and laws related to hiring employees or independent contractors. The right legal advice will prevent you from possible claims for discrimination, misclassification of employees, or braking state and federal laws.

Who does Cooley represent?

Cooley is a trusted boardroom insider to public companies, their boards and board committees on high-stakes and complex matters, representing 1,500+ public companies and serving as principal corporate governance and securities counsel for 190+ public companies.

Top 10 Startup Lawyers NEAR ME on UpCounsel | 2022

Find the top Startup Lawyers on UpCounsel near you and receive custom quotes in 24 hours. Get your legal work done right and save on legal fees. Trusted by Airbnb, Reddit, and 15,000+ other companies, UpCounsel lawyers have an average of 14+ years of experience and come from law schools such as Harvard Law and Yale Law.

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Top 10 Business Lawyers NEAR ME on UpCounsel | 2022

Find the top Business Lawyers on UpCounsel near you and receive custom quotes in 24 hours. Get your legal work done right and save on legal fees. Trusted by Airbnb, Reddit, and 15,000+ other companies, UpCounsel lawyers have an average of 14+ years of experience and come from law schools such as Harvard Law and Yale Law.

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Find the best Small Business Attorney near you on Yelp - see all Small Business Attorney open now.Explore other popular Professional Services near you from over 7 million businesses with over 142 million reviews and opinions from Yelpers.

How Much Does a Startup Lawyer Typically Cost?

Determining the cost of a startup attorney is important as these costs can vary greatly depending on the attorney or firm and the complexity of your needs.

What factors influence the cost of a startup lawyer?

There are a number of factors that will influence the cost of a startup lawyer, including the size and reputation of the firm, the complexity of the legal support you need, who is working on your legal matters, and how they spend time working on your behalf.

What is Rocket Lawyer?

Online legal services such as Rocket Lawyer offer a host of legal services . For a fee, you can find standardized and customizable forms for business formation. These forms often include registering a business name, business compliance, non-disclosure agreements, leases and contracts, registering trademarks and copyrights, and applying for a patent.

Is online legal services good?

When you know what you need, or your legal needs are not overly complicated, online legal services may be a viable alternative. When used correctly, these services can greatly reduce a startup's legal expenses.

Do I Need a Startup Lawyer?

When it comes to starting a business, entrepreneurs are almost entirely focused on getting their product or service to market. Of course, getting your business up and running is the most important thing, but you need also consider the legal implications of your business.

Where to Start Looking for a Startup Lawyer

Need some assistance sifting through the lawyers in your area? Try a site like Avvo, which has the world’s biggest online lawyer directory. You can search for lawyers by location, speciality, years of experience, and rating.

Things To Keep in Mind When Hiring a Startup Lawyer

What are the areas of expertise of the lawyer? Make sure the lawyer has expertise working with businesses similar to yours and can provide you with the required services. If you need to file a federal trademark application, for example, you should seek lawyers who have helped similar businesses register trademarks in the past.

How Do Lawyers Charge?

What are the legal fees charged by the lawyer? Do you know how much your lawyer’s time is worth? Before you hire a lawyer to do work for you, you must first grasp this. Understanding billable rates allows you to predict and budget for legal expenses.

Questions You Should Be Asking

What type of experience do you think you’d be able to offer my startup?

Conclusion

The ideal startup lawyer is the one you never seem to need later on. A good startup lawyer will create a strong legal basis for your company, enabling you to focus on growing your business without worrying about legal difficulties like compliance, tax liabilities, or costly litigation.

Where to find a startup lawyer

Most founders know they need to find a lawyer, but actually finding one can be very daunting. Like any other precious resource, startup law expertise tends to be concentrated in certain places, but you’ll need to know where to look.

How to evaluate a startup lawyer

Before engaging an attorney for your startup, asking the following will help you and your lawyer set appropriate expectations and avoid future misunderstandings.

What to do if you already have a list of investors?

If you already have a list of investors you are interested in approaching, share these with the lawyer. Does the lawyer/firm know them? Can they recommend others you haven’t thought of?

What is a law firm?

Law firms are made up of attorneys with various levels of experience and billable rates – from partners to junior associate lawyers. You should know what the day to day (or month to month) communication with the legal team will look and feel like.

What is a law firm culture?

Law firm culture. A law firm’s culture can be very relevant to its clients. In firms with a collaborative or ‘team’ culture, your lawyer is better able to leverage the collective knowledge of his or her colleagues to offer more effective and efficient legal counsel, quicker responses and business-friendly answers.

Why is it important to have a legal advisor?

A great legal advisor is important as you launch and grow your company. Choose a lawyer who is smart, accessible, interested in you and your company, easy to talk to, and is someone you can count on to be available and honest with you. You’ll be working with your lawyer through exciting and occasionally difficult times – choose wisely!

What to think about when selecting legal counsel?

As you select legal counsel, think about: (1) experience with startups, (2) what your day-to-day experience will be, (3) the law firm’s culture, (4) connections to capital, (5) cost and (6) chemistry.

Can a lawyer represent a startup?

Don’t underestimate the ‘non-legal’ services that your lawyer can provide. In addition to representing startups, some firms also have a venture capital practice where they represent VCs in their fund formation and investment activities. A firm with a strong VC practice has deep relationships with investors that can be helpful to startup founders as they fundraise, and your lawyer should be willing to introduce your company to investors when the time is right. Investors may include individuals ( angels ), VC firms, and corporate/strategic partners.

How to pick a good lawyer for a startup?

Selecting the attorney right for you and your startup begins with gaining an understanding of his or her experience and knowledge. Good startup lawyers must master or at least be conversant in a wide range of legal disciplines , such as corporate law, securities law, tax law, real estate, intellectual property law, employment law, litigation, and employee benefits law. Ideally, the lawyer also knows something about the startup’s industry. As one lawyer cannot be an expert in all of these fields, you might want to consider retaining an attorney, who is part of a firm and can tap the expertise of legal colleagues, or a lawyer who otherwise can access to the necessary expertise.

How to choose a lawyer?

In many ways, choosing a lawyer is similar to choosing any professional and requires some investigation. You should be comfortable with him or her and his or her ability to meet your company’s needs and to minimize its exposure.

What happens if a startup company succeeds?

On the other hand, if a startup company succeeds, the startup and its principal want to pay as little as possible in taxes and be paid as much as possible as a result of that success. Again, this is the type of counsel that lawyers regularly provide.

What are the two possible outcomes of a startup?

All startups have two possible outcomes – they either fail or they succeed.

Is it important to spend money on a lawyer?

Although there are many other priorities for a startup’s limited time and resources, spending the right amount of money on the right lawyer is essential.

Do startups charge a fixed fee?

Many lawyers serving startups charge a fixed rate for the first or even early stages of financing. The right lawyer for you also ensures you are clear about when you will and won’t be charged for his or her time.

What do I need to be a startup lawyer?

While there are aspects of the practice that are highly specialized (such as understanding VC deal terms and startup market conventions), being a startup lawyer requires at least some working knowledge across a broad array of legal domains, including tax, employment law, compensation, intellectual property, commercial law, corporate law and securities regulation. As Gandhi puts it, “ In many ways, to succeed as a startup lawyer, you need to be a mile wide and an inch deep — a real generalist. ”

Why do people move to a startup law firm?

One of the main attractions of moving to a startup law practice is the prospect of building the skills and network that can enable transitioning to an in-house role at an up-and-coming startup . Firms in the space recognize this reality, as Gandhi notes: “ Most laterals who come to startup law firms don’t want to be firm lawyers forever. For most, it’s a stepping stone, and we’re conscious of that. ” In addition to equity incentives that could yield dynastic wealth if the company is a runaway success, venture-backed startups can provide an environment where the in-house lawyer isn’t just a risk mitigator or document processor, but a true strategic partner for the executive team and a wearer of many hats.

Do corporate lawyers prefer business?

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a corporate lawyer secretly—or, in many cases, not so secretly—would prefer a career in business. Any recruiter who speaks regularly with corporate/transactional associates at big law firms invariably hears that their eventual goal is to move over to the business side, or at least to get closer to the business. But what many of these attorneys fail to realize is that there are ways to continue practicing law while still getting to flex those business muscles as a key member of the top-level strategic team at fast-paced, growing companies. Now, does that sound like something you might be interested in?

Is a startup a risky endeavor?

Startups are inherently risky endeavors. As Whistler Managing Director Kathleen Mon sees it: “ Startups are disruptors. If you want that life, you have to be about that life. If you want to work in this space, you can't expect to follow the typical legal career path.

What are some good websites to find a lawyer for a startup?

Services like LegalMatch and UpCounsel will match you to the best startup lawyers located near your business. These sites are a great way to find attorneys who can help you through complicated legal concerns.

What is a good startup lawyer?

A good startup lawyer is more than a lawyer. They are also a close advisor and confidante as you’re trying to grow your business. Here are some of the important steps that startup lawyers can help you with: Deciding how to structure your new business.

How to sort through lawyers in zip code?

Just need help sorting through the lawyers in your zip code? Try a site like Avvo, which hosts the largest lawyer directory online. You can sort through lawyers based on location, areas of expertise, years of experience and rating.

How much does a lawyer cost?

The cost of a startup lawyer can range anywhere from a $50 fixed fee on an online legal service to over $1,000 per hour for a senior partner from a prestigious law firm.

What is a free initial consultation?

Some lawyers offer a free initial consultation during which you can introduce your business and evaluate if the lawyer is a good fit for you. During the consultation, the lawyer should give you an overview of how they plan to help your business.

What happens if you have multiple lawyers?

If multiple people are involved, it can increase the time it takes to handle your case and, subsequently, can increase your final bill. So, make sure you understand what work the lawyer will do and what work the lawyer will delegate.

Who handles business information?

Unless you’re working with a lawyer from a solo firm or a very small firm, chances are good that others in the lawyer’s office will handle your business’s information. These may include junior partners, associates, paralegals and legal secretaries.