Why Your Biz Might Need Two Lawyers, and How to Find Them

Think your business only needs one lawyer? Guess again. A recent post on the always, always, always fantastic Free Enterprise blog goes over three crucial reasons you probably need a second one. They range from the fact that attorneys specialize, like doctors do, so you might need someone better suited to your particular needs.

Also, "you may need multiple attorneys if your business operates in multiple locations to make sure you are in compliance with local laws and regulations."

The final point Free Enterprise makes is if you get sued, "you need an attorney who will get you out of trouble as quickly as possible."

But, some might say, and I would be one of them, that if you're being sued, it's a little too late to start looking around for a second lawyer. Entrepreneur.com has a whole post on this, and also how to go about looking for and finally hiring an attorney that makes a great supplement to this article. But here's the gist:

If you are being sued, it's too late. Most small businesses put off hiring a lawyer until the sheriff is standing at the door serving them with a summons. Bad mistake. The time to hook up with a good business lawyer is before you are sued. Once you have been served with a summons and complaint, it's too late--the problem has already occurred, and it's just a question of how much you will have to pay (in court costs, attorneys' fees, settlements and other expenses) to get the problem resolved. 

If you want to nip that in the bud and read up on the different kind of business attorneys, what to ask when you're interviewing them and where to start looking, check out this Entrepreneur.com post.

David Wolinsky is a freelance writer and a lifelong Chicagoan. In addition to currently serving as an interviewer-writer for Adult Swim, he's also a comedy-writing instructor for Second City. He was the Chicago city editor for The Onion A.V. Club where he provided in-depth daily coverage of this city's bustling arts/entertainment scene for half a decade. When not playing video games for work he's thinking of dashing out to Chicago Diner, Pizano's, or Yummy Yummy. His first career aspirations were to be a game-show host.

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