Proper legal counsel can save your business a lot of money. That’s why it’s important to be proactive and hire a business lawyer that will help you when the time comes. Here are 5 times when your small business needs a lawyer.
Starting Up
When you start a new business, you want to ensure that the legal aspects are properly handled. A corporate lawyer can make you aware of all licenses and paperwork that must be completed. They can also help you make smart decisions from the start to prevent problems down the road. This can include setting up rental agreements for your commercial property, preventing impossible claims to reduce liability, and getting your patents and copyrights arranged for your business name and product or service.
Local Violations
Your business must adhere to a number of different codes and ordinances. Your lawyer can help you when you run into violations, and they can help you prevent violations before they happen. Especially when you’re considering expanding your products or services, you’ll want to make sure that your business is properly licensed to handle and/or transport any materials required. Even selling beyond the city limits can necessitate more licensing and agreements than you may be aware of.
Employees Suing for Discrimination
All employees have the right to a safe work place free from discrimination and harassment based on gender, sexuality, religion, race, and age. When you or one of your employees discriminates or harasses another employee, you are legally responsible. A lawyer can tell you what you can do to discourage harassment and how to handle it as soon as it happens. As the owner of the company, you need to take this accusations seriously or you may end up in even more legal trouble. You can also talk to a lawyer to ensure your hiring practices are fair to everyone.
Tax Problems
Taxes can be complicated for a household. They get even more complicated when you own a small business. Talk to a tax lawyer to learn how to do your taxes in a way that will help you pay as little as possible. You may not know everything you can claim as a write-off.
Sale of Your Company
There may come a time when you decide to sell your company. The sale of a company comes with a lot of details. Your lawyer can help you get the most for your company as possible. They can also help if you decide to acquire another company yourself.
In order to run a business properly, you need to have a corporate lawyer to turn to for all of your legal questions and legal woes. Legal problems can cost you dearly, so be sure to get to your lawyer immediately to minimize any damage as much as possible.