All experts recommend hiring corporate lawyers right from the beginning. It’s better and cheaper to follow all rules than deal with the consequences of their violation.
At a certain point in development, each company faces the necessity of having its own lawyer or even a legal team. You can guarantee the proper functioning of all commercial and specific processes, but you need to be sure that all legal sides of your business are in perfect order as well.
Though hiring legal specialists seems rather complicated, it is an urgent question for the whole company and even employees. We have compiled a list of advice on how to find an excellent corporate lawyer to accompany your business, what to pay attention to, and what to expect from client/employer-lawyer collaboration.
A Corporate Lawyer’s Duties
The profession of a lawyer includes a lot of narrowly directed specialties connected with the business. At different moments, you may need legal advisers, lawyers for enterprises, tax lawyers, intellectual property lawyers, etc. A corporate lawyer can combine, to varying degrees, several duties.
Corporate lawyers represent one of the most complex legal specializations. They are engaged in legal support of all activities of a commercial company or government agency.
Firstly, they work with corporate law. It includes a wide range of issues related to securities, statutory documents, holding shareholders meetings.
Labor legislation is an integral part of their duties too. Corporate lawyers monitor labor contracts, orders, instructions, as well as analyze all documents in the field of labor relations.
As far as every company enters into contracts, lawyers work with a vast block of issues related to this area. In addition, during civil cases, a corporate lawyer is responsible for representing the company’s interests in court.
A corporate lawyer is involved in negotiations, especially with foreign partners. By the way, for this reason, lawyers who are fluent in English and other languages are very much appreciated.
Finally, these specialists have a large share of responsibility for relations with state authorities, the tax police, the antimonopoly service, and customs.
Thus, the primary duties of a legal specialist are as follows:
- legal review of documents and contracts;
- legal support in the course of negotiations;
- labor legislation and advising company employees;
- company’s transactions compliance;
- tax law compliance;
- protection against legal risks;
- court representation of a company during civil disputes
Requirements for Corporate Lawyers
When choosing a corporate lawyer, you should pay special attention to the list of requirements and skills necessary for your business. Various fields need various levels of qualification, education, and experience. However, there are some universal points, which distinguish a true specialist:
- working experience over three years;
- licenses of legal associations are welcomed;
- thorough knowledge of corporate and labor laws as well as other branches necessary for your business;
- the ability for constant self-development and self-education;
- communicative and negotiation skills;
- the combination of creative and analytical talent;
- the ability to work in a team.
As we have mentioned before, knowledge of some foreign languages (predominantly European and Asian) will become a huge advantage for every corporate lawyer regardless of his/her professional field.
Also, we highly recommend you to look for specialists with recommendations from previous positions. Legal and business communities are much narrower than it seems, so recommendations can help you know more about applicants` qualifications.
Pre-Search Considerations
A choice of a proper lawyer is a tricky job, which needs detailed preparations. Apart from the requirements for applicants, you should also consider some factors. They will help you strike a balance between adequate legal services and expenses on them.
Please mind that your business specialization should be in strict conformity with lawyers` skills. A restaurant network needs absolutely different support compared with pharmacy.
Also, hirers should clearly understand why they need lawyers. Small businesses will find it more beneficial to work with consulting agencies when you pay for one-time services. If you lead an international corporation, you’ll need a whole team of full-time lawyers. Or compare the labor law, which is a constant necessity, with a civil trial that occurs once in a blue moon (if it occurs at all).
Where to Find a Corporate Lawyer
Nowadays, there are several main and most efficient ways of searching for employees. The majority of them are universal for all professions. However, we will also mention some unique means applicable to lawyers only.
ACQUAINTANCE
The method is quite clear and wide-spread. If you run in business circles, don’t be afraid or awkward to ask for your colleagues` assistance. An experienced corporate lawyer is a rare bird, so it’s highly possible that other business people of your field have already applied for their services. Thus, you can get both contacts of a trusted specialist or information/recommendations on possible applicants.
Besides, if you find lawyers through an acquaintance, you can be sure that they possess the required knowledge and experience in your specific industry.
Such a way of search allows you to save time, filter inappropriate candidates at once, and get certain guarantees.
JOB SEARCH WEBSITES
Here is another traditional and trusted way of searching. Such job search sites like farfarjob.com, Indeed.com, and specialized legal tools like LawJobs.com have a tremendous database. Yeah, you’ll have to look through a lot of resumes, most of which will hardly satisfy your expectations. But, the number of suitable applicants is great, too. So, you get a chance to make a little competition and choose the best and the most beneficial specialist.
Some sites also provide paid services. They will help form a proper vacancy description and select the best resumes.
LEGAL AND CONSULTING AGENCIES
Here you have two options. You can either ask them to find an in-house lawyer or pay them for regular consultations. Both methods provide high guarantees of service quality, but the choice depends on your needs and budget. Small companies on a budget prefer periodic outside help when it’s needed. If your business requires non-stop legal support, it will be much more beneficial to hire a corporate lawyer in the staff.
LEGAL ASSOCIATIONS
Professional associations are open for business proposals and collaboration. You can choose between specialists or hire several lawyers from different legal branches. Besides, each member has been reviewed, got a license and experience.
INTERNSHIPS
Please pay attention that this method is suitable only concerning low-skill work. If you’re looking for a legal department assistant whose supposed job is paperwork or information gathering, it’s much better to try a student/inexperienced graduate. Thus, you’ll find a helpful employee for decent money and allow a young specialist to gain experience. However, when we speak about complicated legal support, this way of searching is not applicable!
Conclusion
As we see, a good corporate lawyer is one of the key specialists for the company. A lawyer is far more than a consultant who answers yes or no to all your legal questions. His job is to support on all stages and find way out from various situations. He helps develop business in the most profitable way, still abiding by the law.
All experts recommend hiring corporate lawyers right from the beginning. It’s better and cheaper to follow all rules than deal with the consequences of their violation.
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