Choosing a business attorney
Since I just posted about choosing a CPA, I thought I'd jot down a few thoughts on choosing an attorney for a small business.
1. I don't think price per hour is always a good way to gauge total cost. An experienced attorney may be able to do something in less than 1/2 the time that a newbie takes, but only charge 75% more.
2. On a LinkedIn Q&A, someone mentioned, when talking about choosing a higher end attorney: "I slept better too" That's always been one of my tag lines on my website. My job is to allow my clients get a better night's sleep. Many do it yourself or online resources are inexpensive but not great for peace of mind.
3. I recommend that business owners think of attorneys like doctors. People are used to having the GP (General Practitioner or family doctor) who they go to first, and who takes care of most things. Then the GP brings in specialists when needed. That system works well for business attorneys too. A business in the US or in China may have international aspects to its operations, but they also have local aspects. So a good local attorney, conversant in the local language and familiar with local laws should be the GP, and specialists can be brought in as needed.
4. Attorneys are at their most efficient when doing "preventive" law. Once things get to the dispute stage, or even worse, into the courts, odds are no one will be happy with the result. So use your attorneys early and it will be much cheaper no matter how much they charge per hour.
