Top 8 Reasons Why You Need a Small Business Lawyer

We understand that when you’re starting your business, money can be tight. You might be looking for ways to save money to help your business get and remain profitable. You might think that a business lawyer is a smart item to cut from your budget.

However, that would be a mistake. Here are 8 reasons why you should have a small business lawyer as soon as possible.

1.   You Can Be Sued at Any Time

Nobody likes to think about the prospect of being sued, cited, or summoned to appear in court. However, the truth is that this can happen to you and/or your business at any time, and when it does, it’s too late to look for a lawyer.

By having an attorney at the beginning of your business, the hope is that you can structure your business and its services such that you will never need to face a courtroom. However, if it happens, it’s best to have someone that can help you navigate the process – whether it is with them as your litigation attorney or with them playing a supporting role and helping you find a litigation attorney.

Protect yourself and your business by having a lawyer before you need one.

2.   You Are Constantly Dealing with the Law

Part of the reason why you can be sued at any time is that your business is constantly dealing with the law. If you have employees, there are numerous legal complications with employment law. Any product you produce or sell has standards it must meet. Any client you work with might present you with a contract that you’ll want to review before signing. There are zoning laws and environmental regulations and building standards to consider.

Having a small business lawyer will make it easier to navigate all these legal complications to protect your business.

3.   You Have Intellectual Property to Protect

Your business likely has intellectual property. This could be something as simple as a logo or a family recipe. Or it could be something much more complicated, including software, a unique manufactured product, or a unique manufacturing process.

A lawyer can help you file the proper paperwork to protect your intellectual property, help you license or sell it, and go after people infringing on your property.

4.   You Need to Buy or Lease Commercial Real Estate

Real estate is expensive, and making mistakes in buying or leasing commercial real estate can make it much more expensive for your business. A small business real estate lawyer can help you go through the proper steps in drafting, reviewing, and negotiating agreements. A lawyer can help you get proper inspections before committing to purchasing or leasing property. They can also help you get any zoning issues out of the way to ensure the property will be useful for your business. Finally, they can make sure any agreement is free of burdensome terms that might doom your business.

5.   You’ll Be Working with Businesses That Have Lawyers

Why do burdensome terms get put in contracts? Because other businesses have lawyers who are always on the lookout for ways to help their clients. If you don’t have anyone looking out for you, you might find yourself held to terms that harm your business. Whenever another business gives you a contract, you will benefit from having a lawyer to review it.

6.   Making Legal Mistakes Can Be Expensive

Remember when we mentioned that you are constantly dealing with the law? Well, every one of those dealings can easily become a major legal liability if you don’t know what you’re doing. Running afoul of an employment law, municipal code, or environmental regulations could cost your business thousands of dollars, or potentially much more depending on the legal issue.

In comparison, having a lawyer available to review your documents and consult with about the law is relatively inexpensive. It will save you considerable money over time.

7.   You Don’t Have Time to Study Law

Running a business is at least three full-time jobs rolled into one. Most business owners work extremely long days for several years before they can afford to find someone to take much of the burden off your shoulders. With all this work, you don’t have time to try to squeeze in legal studies on the side. The law is extremely complicated and takes years of dedicated work to master. Even if you dedicate all your free time to studying the law, you’re unlikely to master it in time to save your company from making a major legal mistake. Just like you want to be the expert in your field for your clients to turn to, having a seasoned business attorney ensures that you have an expert in the legal field to turn to.

8.   You’ve Got Enough Other Things to Worry about

In addition to being a lot of work, owning a business is a lot of worry. You have employees that count on you. You have expenses to keep track of and a budget to manage to ensure that all your employees get paid. There’s competition to watch out for and inventory to track. Whenever you can get a worry off your mind, it’s best to do it.

Having a business lawyer will eliminate many worries so you can focus on the critical tasks necessary to ensure your business grows and thrives over time.

Why Choose the Law Office of E. C. Lewis

If you are looking for a business lawyer who understands the needs of small businesses, then you’re looking for the Law Office of E.C. Lewis. Since 2007, Elizabeth Lewis has been helping small and medium sized businesses in the Denver area navigate the complicated legal landscape to chart a course for long-term success. Elizabeth focuses on developing relationships with businesses. She wants you to succeed, and she’ll always be here when you need her. She offers a wide range of legal services and can help with any legal challenges your company may face.

If you are ready to talk to the Law Office of E. C. Lewis in Denver about representing your business, please use our contact form today.