Going to see a lawyer can be a quite significant expense, so it is important to be prepared before you go so that you use the time efficiently. To get the most out of the appointment you need to be able to articulate exactly what it is that you are seeking from the lawyer in the meeting. Having a clear understanding of what it is that you are after will allow the lawyer to ask you the proper questions that will help you.
What outcome do you want?
You should spend time thinking about what you want to achieve by seeing the lawyer. You need to know what outcome you would be comfortable with. They can then suggest different options to achieve that outcome.
Write everything down
You may be a little overwhelmed during your first appointment so to avoid forgetting anything important you should write down a summary of your legal matter and what you want to achieve beforehand and take it to the appointment with you.
Prepare a List of Questions
It is also a good idea to prepare a list of questions to ask your lawyer at the appointment. You should prepare questions relating to your specific matter as well as asking the suggested general questions below:
- How much will this cost me?
- What is the timeframe for completion of the work?
- What further information do I need to provide to you so you can get started?
- What do you anticipate will be the outcome of this matter?
- What is the best way to contact you, phone/email?
- How often will you provide me with updates on the matter?
- Will anyone else be working on my matter?
Your lawyer will also ask you a lot of questions about your situation. Make sure that if you believe that something has been missed that is important that you raise it in the meeting (or tell them later). To do that properly you need to educate yourself on different legal aspects of your business, what they mean and how they might apply to you.
The Business Legal Lifecycle
he Business Legal Lifecycle Legal Risk Assessment is a tool that takes about 10 minutes to complete by answering 31 questions about your business. It provides a report that sets out the legal risks in your business and what you need to do to protect them, why you need to prevent those legal risks and a plan for the future of your business. Importantly you can take it to your lawyer to then do the work that they are good at, preventing those legal risks within your business and you get all of this without the cost of a lawyer preparing the report in the first place.
By working together with the Business Legal Lifecycle lawyers can help their clients to prevent legal risks within their business and prevent so many problems that commonly afflict small to medium sized businesses.
Get your Business Legal Lifecycle Legal Risk Assessment by clicking here now.
Still unsure check out the legal foundations for your business with our free “workbook” (to be written)
