As a business owner, you are usually stepping into the challenge of running your business. The last thing you need to worry about is legal issues. Many business people postpone addressing legal issues because they don’t know where to go, they don’t have the time, or they are often afraid of being expensive and time consuming.
Legal issues come in many forms.
· Despite many promises, the customer failed to pay for the account.・ I just received a letter from a government agency. · Realized that a former manager launched a competing business and stole one of the best customers and key employees. -You have been sued for $ 100,000. Someone told you that one of your standard-style contracts wouldn’t come up in court, and you’re worried about it.・ There is a dispute with the landlord. · There is a problem with a customer in the US or Europe. · Your business is defamed on the internet.・ I noticed that the warehouse manager is sexually harassing a female employee. Employees are damaging your business but threatening to sue you for dismissing him. You don’t know how to handle it.・ you are involved in a workplace safety insurance claim.
These examples are just the tip of the iceberg of the kind of legal issues that businessmen often encounter.
Seek legal assistance at the first sign of a problem
Suppose a competitor is spoofing your business in your name, costing your customers and sales, but having difficulty estimating the amount. Unless you act swiftly, it may be too late to seek an injunction from the court. If the contract appears to be billed to another party, the time limit begins at the time of the contract breach and usually expires after two years. It’s not a good idea to leave your claim to the end.
If you have a problem with an employee doing an unacceptable job, it is important to develop a legal strategy as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more costly your business can be.
The short point here is that it is important to seek advice as soon as you detect a problem and before anything is done to exacerbate the problem. Crisis management is always more expensive and time consuming than early response.
Prepare a team of lawyers to call when needed.
Every company needs an on-call team of lawyers. This is cheaper or more complicated than you might think. All you need is a trusted company, employment law, and עורך דין phone number and email address. Depending on the nature of your business, you may also need an intellectual property attorney dealing with trademarks, patents and copyrights. An accountant may be required because not all tax issues can be resolved.
Hiring a lawyer is uneconomical if the amount of legal dispute is very small, such as a customer claim or complaint of less than $ 1,000. Fortunately, there are other resources that can be useful. BBB has a dispute resolution process that allows BBB companies and their customers to resolve disputes through arbitration or mediation. You don’t need a lawyer and the only cost is a small administrative fee. See the BBB website for more information on this process.
If your case is in a small court ($ 10,000 or less), you may need a paralegal specializing in these types of cases. Paralegals are currently regulated by the Legal Association, but they are not lawyers and are not a substitute for experienced lawyers.
Learn what to expect in the event of a conflict.
As a business person, you have learned that success is often the result of building relationships. Relationships with lawyers are just as important as relationships with customers, suppliers, bankers and insurance brokers. A relationship with your lawyer, built on mutual trust and respect, will save you many sleepless nights over the years and will probably make or save you a lot of money.
There are several ways to find the right lawyer for your business.
Ask if you have someone to recommend to your colleagues or relatives. Once you get a nomination, use some of the research methods below to learn more about companies and lawyers. The internet is a very useful resource for finding a lawyer, but you need to be careful. All עורכי דין can be listed in various online legal directories. Anyone can have a flashy website. You need to move across the flash to find the substance.
When looking for a lawyer on the internet, look for someone who has experience in the area you need. The Google search name may not be the best choice. Some lawyers write extensively about the law. This is a useful indicator of your expertise and your position in the legal profession.
Some lawyers list the cases in which they were involved on their website.
