Five Questions to Ask before Hiring a Business Attorney

When you start looking for an Atlanta business attorney to represent you and your business, there are so many crucial things to consider. If you keep these important points in mind, you'll avoid having to pay for services you don't need and you'll be able to get to most out of your relationship with your attorney. Here are the five things you should ask before hiring your attorney:

1.       Ask the attorney how the billing works. This should be one of the very first questions you should ask when calling an attorney's office. Any reputable attorney will not hesitate to answer your questions about costs and billing procedures. If you experience hesitation from the other side, it's a good idea to turn around and find another attorney. You'll want to avoid attorneys who will charge you for sending you an email or talking to you on the phone.

2.       Ask the attorney how he or she will be able to continually respond to your needs over the period of a long term relationship. One of the biggest reasons business owners fire their attorneys and find another is because of communication issues. You want to make sure you're able to reach your attorney at any time you need. If the attorney doesn't have enough administrative support, you may find that it becomes impossible to get a hold of the attorney.

3.       On the other hand, you'll want to know how your attorney will proactively communicate with you. You shouldn't have to be the only one reaching out to your attorney. A quality attorney will consistently reach out to you, the client, to find out how things are going for you.

4.       Most attorneys will specialize in one specific field of law. You'll want to ask your attorney if he or she is able to answer questions concerning other portions of the law, or if you can only ask them questions about their specialization. If your attorney isn't able to answer certain questions about other matters, they should be able to direct you to a colleague who will be able to help.

5.       Ask what will happen to you and your business if your Atlanta business attorney dies or retires. This may seem like a harsh question, but a quality attorney will have a plan in place in case that situations happens.