Choosing a business lawyer and asking the right questions

Tick off this checklist when shopping around for the best deal for you and your business.

• Ask how long the lawyers/law firm have been in business and in this sector.
• Verify this with The Law Society by way of their website
• If a company/LLP check out Company’s House for the date of incorporation. 
• If not a company ask them how they have experienced personally the problems of you as a director may have suffered. Critique their response. If they are directors verify they are not disqualified
  
• Ask them for proof of their qualifications and academic achievements. Use these links to verify for yourselves.
• Ask them for proof of the business association memberships they claim to belong to, as these will often have a binding code of conduct and sanctions for transgressors.
• Check The Law Society website for pending complaints or disciplinary proceedings or restrictions affecting their ability to practice-hopefully not 
• Ask for contact details of client referees and testimonials.
• Ask them for a broker’s letter/certificate of their professional insurance-check this will be adequate for your needs.
• Ask them if they specialise solely on business law and do not practice, say divorce, also. Verify this for yourself from their website, website searches and marketing literature.
• Ask the lawyer what they know about you, your business and industry sector.
• Verify if the law firm has some quality mark which means some quality systems will be audited and checked independently 
• Get them to agree to a fixed fee ideally.
• Check their business terms (client charter) and review the terms of payment.
• Ask them if they accept payment by the Internet and by credit card for simplicity and possible low cost of credit.
• Ask yourself do they speak the language of business simply and clearly and are they a member of the Campaign For Plain English 

If you have done all of the above-well done and give yourself a pat on the back for carrying out some pretty thorough due diligence risk analysis which is what we at Business Lawyers Limited do on a regular basis.

If you would like information on the above with respect to Business Lawyers Limited please contact us on checklistrequest@business-lawyers.org.

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