One telltale sign that it might be time to hire a lawyer for your startup is if you are starting to engage in activities that could potentially lead to legal problems. For example, if you are starting to raise investment capital or finalizing your business structure, it might be a good idea to consult with a lawyer to ensure that you are taking the appropriate legal steps.

In today’s digital world, startups often begin at home, however, as they outgrow those confines, and you need to move to a more traditional office, it is time to get some legal advice. Simply negotiating rent and signing a lease can cause tremendous financial problems down the road if there are hidden conditions in the fine print. Different properties have varying legal requirements, whether it is office space, combination areas that includes storage, or commercial property, and having legal counsel review leases and agreements can keep you abreast of latest developments concerning city, county, and state laws. Therefore, when it is time to upgrade your business location, this is the sign that you need to invest in a lawyer to make certain that moving forward, there will be no surprises and that you are informed of the property owner’s and your obligations.

Before you file for your first copyright, before you hire your first employee and before you interact with your first supplier or customer – you need to hire a lawyer. That is especially true if there are two or more people creating a business together. No two business owners will be on the same page all the time on every legal issue. The first hint of a disagreement is your first telltale sign – and it can be anything from a logo design to an office location. From the company’s inception is when you need to hire a business lawyer. Who owns the intellectual property? What are the expectations? Who is responsible for what? You have to enter such a partnership anticipating there will be disagreements down the line. Approach it like you would a marriage. Hope for the best outcome, but prepare for the worst. Prepare for a possible fallout, or else the fallout will be far worse than you can imagine. An experienced attorney will help you with all of the hard preparation that goes into that.

Starting a business takes a lot of hard work and determination, you will already have conducted a great deal of research to be where you are now. Hiring a local lawyer who knows the current legislation in your area is a must to protect yourself and your company. Business documents and contracts are legally binding, a lawyer can draft legal documents, including contracts and agreements, helping to prevent your business from becoming entangled in costly lawsuits in the future and leaving you to focus on doing what you do best.

One telltale sign that it might be time to hire a lawyer for your startup is if you start receiving cease and desist letters from other businesses or individuals. Cease and desist letters are usually sent as a warning from the other party, letting you know that they plan to take legal action if you don't stop infringing on their intellectual property or some other legal issue. If you're getting these letters, it's best to speak with an attorney who can help advise you on what to do next.

If your startup has developed a new product, service, or process, it’s important to protect your intellectual property. This can be done by filing for patents, trademarks, and copyrights. Intellectual property is an asset for any startup and can be the key to success, but it could be vulnerable to theft or copied by competitors if it's not protected. When you see other businesses in your industry starting to copy your products or services or using your company name or logo, it’s time to speak with a lawyer about your options for protecting your intellectual property.

The moment you start facing tax-related issues. If you are hiring more people, signing legal documents, and handling big amounts of money, you will realize sooner than later that you need legal advice. Navigating the taxes as a business owner can be challenging, especially in startups that usually need the guidance of an attorney to be registered with state and federal tax agencies. Having a business lawyer to help with anything tax-related will save you money in the long run by avoiding possible mistakes. It will also save you time and avoid a lot of stress.

Once you start getting into larger job territory, the contracts needed for those become far more complicated. Whether you’re the one creating them or you’re on the receiving end, when you reach this point in business it’s time to hire a lawyer to look things over. They’ll make sure that the contracts you’re using have all the right sections and clauses needed to protect your business, and they’ll be able to look over contracts you’ve received as well to check for any red flags and to explain anything you’re unsure about.

If you have never run a startup before and do not have experience with drafting business contracts, you could hire a lawyer to help you draft these contracts correctly. This lawyer can make sure that you have included all that is needed in these contracts in order to avoid any legal issues down the road, whether with customers or employees.

The best time to hire a lawyer for your startup is when you find the perfect fit. Lawyers hold one of the most critical roles in your startup, ensuring your operations, tax filings, employee treatment, and compensation all meet federal and state legal requirements. Choosing a lawyer at random to hire can lead to devastating and even business-ending consequences, so take the time to vet your lawyer, especially once you decide to bring one onto the team permanently. While you need to hire a trustworthy, compatible with your team, and competent lawyer, you should also find the right seniority level. Hiring a senior partner when you don’t need one can be costly, as can be hiring a young lawyer with experience in an industry that doesn’t overlap much with yours.

Lawyers are essential for the language of business. They should be required from day one, especially for those selling a product or service. Lawyers can ensure the copy aligns with industry laws, such as specific claims. for example. Brands need to determine their claims are accurate and won't result in a potential lawsuit from the public. A legal team ensures there's continuity as the business develops and keeps the company safe from trouble.

Find a lawyer when it's time to take your product to market. As a business, it's crucial to have a trusted lawyer selected before you need them. Dealing with your first legal matter as a business owner can be overwhelming and costly, so having a vetted lawyer on standby will save you time and set your business up for success. Don't wait until it's too late – find a lawyer before you need one.

Hire a lawyer early on to avoid mishaps and missteps in achieving your goals. Although many business owners think lawyers are an expense they can’t afford, it can be prudent to enlist the help of in-house counsel just after your company’s legal structure is in place. Your lawyer can help you strategize early on and avoid problems like lawsuits or government interference. Sometimes, preventive costs are worth the risk.

In 2012 I started selling discontinued lighting products on eBay on the side of my current warehouse job. I realized there was always a market for products selling online. I discovered a gap in the market and quickly lighting manufacturers were finding out about me and looked at this great opportunity for my new business to offload their stock which traditional brick and mortar stores wouldn’t touch. Within 2 years, the business had grown so quickly, with so many deals that needed to be officially authorized, tax laws to be understood and suppliers from all over the world to be negotiated with - having a top-notch lawyer to help coordinate this new growth was essential.

When your startup begins to scale and hire a new team. Scaling a business is not just about expanding a company’s size. It’s also about growing a company’s capacity to handle more work. You can grow scale in a variety of ways. You can diversify your customer base, increase the number of products or services you offer, or grow your team. Whenever your company begins to do more than it ever has before, it’s a good time to consider bringing in professional legal help. Scaling your team can be a stressful and overwhelming experience for any startup team. It’s a time of change, it’s a time of uncertainty, and it’s a time of new responsibilities. It is also a time when you need to be very careful to ensure that you do not expose your company to unnecessary legal risk.

When you are trying to expand your business, it can be very important to get a legal expert on board. There will be several aspects such as the legislative requirements, conditions, policies, obligations, etc. These are certain things that a lawyer would understand and help you achieve your goal legally. In the absence of such guidance, it is not uncommon for businesses to make a mistake, get sued and then collapse.

Hire a full-time lawyer when you find you’re consistently paying twice or more the cost of a full-time lawyer. Just because your current outside legal fees are high doesn’t mean you should invest in a full-time lawyer on retainer. Since legal fees will sometimes fall off, you want to make sure you’re consistently spending a high amount of funds on outside counsel before you can see that the investment is worthwhile.

Why wait until the last minute to deal with legal issues you know nothing about? The best choice is to benefit from hiring an experienced startup lawyer even before you begin. Reputable startup lawyers give critical legal guidance to assist entrepreneurs in avoiding legal hazards and improving their opportunities of becoming successful companies.

Yes, you should have a lawyer present at every startup. I have seen many startups who didn't have a lawyer or didn't have time to deal with an expensive lawyer, and they almost always regret it. Lawyers are expensive, but they're worth it. A startup can’t afford to make mistakes on issues like corporate structure, financing, or patents and trademarks. Even if you don’t need a lawyer right now, it's smart to start with a lawyer you can use for the future. The best telltale sign of when you should hire a lawyer is when you get an offer of investment or money.

You should hire a lawyer for your startup from the moment you commit to building a business. You might have excellent business acumen, but lawyers provide in-depth legal insights that even experienced business people may miss altogether. They can help you determine the right structure for your business to avoid extra taxes and liabilities, keeping your personal finances safe as you move forward. Don’t worry if you can’t afford an in-house lawyer, as you should outsource the work to a trusted firm. You won’t need to consider an in-house lawyer until the work you’re outsourcing reaches nearly double the annual salary you’d pay one. That way you know you’ll have more than enough work for them from month to month, and you can still outsource the extra work they can’t manage on their own.