By Robert Tritter
It is very important to obtain legal advice when you are in the process of starting a new business, but that is also the most difficult time to do so from a financial standpoint. This does not mean that you have to choose between foregoing the advice and having enough money to get your business off of the ground, however. Instead, you should look for an attorney who works with new businesses. Many of them will give you discounted, deferred or free legal advice as long as you know that you are able to ask for it.
Pro-bono providers
One of the easiest ways to get legal advice is to find someone who works pro-bono. If you have a court case, this means that the lawyer would not get paid unless you win. For a new business, however, you can negotiate with a pro-bono attorney to make deferred payments based on how successful your business becomes by a specified time period. To find a list of attorneys in your area who accept pro-bono work, you can visit the American Bar Association's (ABA) list at www.ProBono.net.
Free legal assistance
If you have a limited income, you can contact one of the many attorneys listed on LawHelp.org. Not only are the attorneys on this site available to help with a wide range of legal questions, but they also provide free legal assistance in many cases. Even though you will be asking for advice about a business, you can still qualify based on your current income level.
Free help online
Many attorneys frequent online message boards such as LawGuru.comand FreeAdvice.comto provide users with free basic legal information. Although an attorney might require an offline meeting and a fee to discuss anything that is really detailed, you should be able to get some pointers that will steer you in the right direction without having to pay for them.
Other ways to obtain free or discounted legal advice
Family attorney
If your family has an attorney that they have used at least a couple of times, you might be able to get them to provide you with some free legal advice. Even if they do not want to give you advice for free, though, you might be able to get them to barter with you. Tell them about whatever service or product your new business will be offering, and ask them if they are willing to make a deal.
Friends who are attorneys
Most attorneys get hit up on a regular basis by their family and friends for free legal advice, so make sure that you approach your attorney friends very carefully. It might make the most sense to start the conversation with an offer to barter so that you do not make your friend instantly shut down to the idea of helping you out.
Social networking
Almost everyone knows an attorney, but if you do not have access to one, consider reaching out via your social networking pages. You will probably be surprised by how quickly someone will offer to give you discounted or free advice.
Putting the Advice to Work
Make sure that you actually listen to the advice that you are given, even if it is not what you wanted to hear. After all, an attorney will have more experience with legal matters than you. It is better to tweak your plans now to match the advice that is given than to deal with problems later on.
This article was written by Robert Tritter on behalf of Blake Lapthorn. Check out their website if you're looking to seek advice on professional negligence claims.
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