Better Call Saul is a TV show, based on the premise that when things go wrong, you call your attorney. I’ve never seen an episode, but when I mention I'm an attorney I often hear “well hopefully I wont need to call you.” However, in the realm of business law, calling an attorney just as often means exciting opportunity as it does something has gone wrong.
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Whether good or bad, legal issues come. The beautiful thing about the internet is that you can find an inordinate amount of information on any issue you have, with enough time. If you have a stomachache, you can go to WebMD and find 37 things that are wrong with you, within seconds. The same is true for legal issues. Need to hire someone? You can find the information on protected classes, information that cannot be included in your hiring decision. It might just take some time.
Your time is a valuable asset. While Google is an invaluable tool, it may not always be the best use of that asset. Having a relationship with an attorney can save you time, and therefore money. I can tell you in a quick phone call or email that race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, and age are protected classes at the federal level; that you shouldn’t ask those things on an application or in an interview; and that the State of Michigan has additional protections.
But in order for that to happen, there must be a certain level of trust.
You have to trust that I know what I’m talking about, that I know your business, your goals, your willingness to take risks, and finally, that I am not going to charge you an outrageous amount of money for the answers you need. This trust can only come over time.
Photo Credit: @jaclyndm.photos
At some point you will want to grow, expand, hire employees, fire employees, sign a lease, add a partner, file a lawsuit, form an entity, or one of a million other things you may not even have even considered. There is no way around it. But what you can do, is start to build a relationship with an attorney and have someone to call when things go wrong-or right.
If you own a business, give me a call, text, or email. Lets get a cup of coffee, or a beer, and talk about your business. It will give you a chance to learn about who I am, and start to build that trust, so that when the day comes, you will know who to call.
AS ALWAYS, THIS IS GENERAL INFORMATION. I AM A LAWYER, BUT I AM NOT YOUR LAWYER, AT LEAST NOT YET. THIS LIST IS NOT EXHAUSTIVE, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE AN INDIVIDUALIZED CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS AND HOW I CAN HELP. A BLOG POST SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS SPECIFIC LEGAL ADVICE AND THIS BLOG DOES NOT IN ANY WAY CREATE AN ATTORNEY-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP.
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