Are you the owner of a small business? Or, are you perhaps a C-suite manager? Or, are you a self-employed individual or freelancer? If so, there are many scenarios where you could need to hire the services of a business or corporate attorney to ensure that the related legal documents are drawn up correctly.
According to Cliff Ennico from Entrepreneur.com, “there are two professionals every business will need early on: an accountant and a lawyer.”
What is a business attorney?
However, before we consider several of the reasons why you might need to employ a business lawyer, let’s first consider a succinct definition of a corporate lawyer.
Succinctly stated, legalmatch.com defines a business attorney, like the business attorney in Warren, as a legal professional who provides “legal services when it comes to the operations and regulations of businesses.”
Corporate attorneys commonly help with business development documents, dispute resolutions between the business and a third-party, corporate law, and documents that need to be drawn up to conclude the sale or transfer of a specific company.
Why should you hire a corporate lawyer?
Now that we have an understanding of the definition of a business attorney, here are several scenarios where contracting a corporate lawyer makes sound business and financial sense:
Settle a business dispute
Unfortunately, a disagreement between two signatories of a contract seems to be an inevitable part of the modern corporate world. However, business disputes do not only rise as a result of a contractual disagreement, and there are several different scenarios where companies can disagree with each other, including supplier disputes, a dispute with an independent contractor, and disputes with customers over products purchased.
Draw up business contracts
Corporate contracts are an essential part of the business model. For example, a legal agreement is necessary when signing up with a new supplier, independent contractor, or customer. Thus, a corporate attorney needs to have a keen understanding of your business and how it operates to draw up contracts that not only protect your company’s interests but also provide an equitable solution to all signatories.
Intellectual Property: Trademarks and copyright protection
Do you have an idea or product that needs protection? If so, you need to register a trademark and copyright with the US Patent and Trademark Office. And, it is best to hire a specialist corporate attorney to fill in the application forms and file the application on your behalf.
As an aside, companies that might need to register a patent or trademark include start-ups, manufacturing concerns, and software development companies. Moreover, anyone can apply for a copyright or trademark; you do not need to be a specific type of company.
General consulting services
There are times where you will need business advice on how to solve specific legal challenges. And, an experienced, knowledgeable corporate lawyer can advise you on almost every aspect of your daily business operations. As a result, it is wise to cultivate a good relationship with a business attorney and, rather than make decisions that could turn out to be costly, first consult your attorney. The cost of this consultation will pay itself back multifold.