For a business owner, the time to hire a corporate attorney is not after running into legal problems; it’s before they occur. By working with a corporate lawyer on an ongoing basis, you can ensure that your business is properly formed, that it is in full compliance with all applicable regulations, and that you are achieving favorable contracts and transactions. When searching for corporate legal services in San Jose, there are a number of factors you should consider. These include the attorney’s areas of specialization, credentials, track record, and approachability.

Consider Practice Areas

The legal field is very broad, with numerous areas of specialization. Some lawyers work exclusively on personal injury law and medical malpractice, for example, while others only handle divorce and child custody cases. Since it doesn’t make sense to hire a divorce lawyer to handle your business affairs, the first step in hiring an attorney is to develop a short list of lawyers in your area who have specialized in corporate law. Check the websites of a few attorneys in your area and look for a section labeled something like “practice areas.” If it is a corporate law firm, the website will likely list specialties such as employment, business transactions, partnerships, and tax planning.

Evaluate Credentials and Experience

Once you have a list of corporate attorneys in your area, narrow the list down further by considering the attorneys’ credentials and experience. Lawyers often list their education and experience on their websites. Select an attorney who is a member of the bar association in good standing and who holds other professional memberships. You may also wish to select a corporate attorney who is dedicated to ongoing professional development , as evidenced by authoring various publications, or serving as a panelist or guest speaker.

Assess Approachability

During your consultation with the corporate attorney, consider his or her approachability. It’s important to hire a lawyer who will take the time to answer your questions to your satisfaction and who is committed to furthering your own knowledge of legal matters for companies.

The information appearing in this blog does not constitute legal advice or opinion. Such advice and opinion are provided by the firm only upon engagement with respect to specific factual situations. Specific questions relating to this article should be addressed directly to Strategy Law, LLP.