what does a business attorney do for me

by Vivien Lebsack 10 min read

The key examples of business attorney services are listed below:

  1. Resolving Real Estate Disputes: when a business organization plans to lease a property then a business attorney help in negotiation and writing a contract.
  2. Resolving issues of Merger and Acquisition: When a company decides to acquire the competitor company, they get the services of a business attorney to advise and guide them throughout the acquisition process.

Business attorneys typically assist with matters, such as conflict resolution, corporate law issues, business formation, compliance, intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, and many other types of legal issues that come up when running a business.Dec 30, 2020

Full Answer

What is the role of a business attorney?

Why do attorneys help companies?

What Types of Cases do Business Attorneys Handle?

How to narrow down a search for an attorney?

Do business attorneys work for corporations?

Do business attorneys handle employment?

Is it better to hire a lawyer in the same state?

See 4 more

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Why is a lawyer needed in a business?

A Business Attorney can guide you on the applicable regulations, codes, and laws related to hiring employees or independent contractors. The right legal advice will prevent you from possible claims for discrimination, misclassification of employees, or braking state and federal laws.

Why should an entrepreneur consult with an attorney?

The greatest value an experienced business attorney can provide to your new venture is insight into the challenges that will inevitably arise, and how to structure your business and the associated corporate documents and contracts to minimize tax burden, while protecting the owners from personal liability and ensuring ...

Is a lawyer considered an entrepreneur?

Being a partner in a law firm and starting and running your own law firm are very entrepreneurial and business like endeavors. Partners with business in law firms are running businesses. They are working for businesses (the law firms), but running businesses all the same.

Can we call a practicing lawyer an entrepreneur?

"Lawyers turn out to be immensely successful entrepreneurs”. History says that this statement is pretty much true to an extent. Law graduates now operate in various fields, from ICT and mining to the airline industry.

Can a lawyer be a businessman?

An advocate has a law degree and has been permitted by the bar council of India to practice in a court of law. The Bar Council of India puts various restrictions on advocates such as an advocate cannot take up other employment such as running a business while serving as an advocate. According to Rule 47.

What Is a Business Lawyer?

A business lawyer is responsible for assisting corporations with matters they need. Their role is to ensure everything done at the company is legal...

What Does a Business Lawyer Do?

While it will vary from company to company, here are some common tasks you might be expected to perform as a company attorney. Starting businesses....

How Do I Become a Business Lawyer?

Becoming a lawyer is a challenging career path that requires hard work and many years of education. You’ll need to earn a bachelor’s degree, get ad...

What Skills Does a Business Lawyer Need?

Career counselors who can see beyond what their clients can’t, will find themselves rewarded in not only the success of their role but also emotion...

How much does a Business Lawyer make?

The median average pay for attorneys was $126,930 in 2020. The top 10% of lawyers earn around $208,000 per year, while those in the lower 10% make...

What is the job outlook for a Business Lawyer?

The growth outlook for lawyers is currently 4% for the 2019 to 2029 period, which is in line with the national average. Being a lawyer is a stable...

Where does Business Lawyer work?

Most Business Lawyers can be found in the office, though traveling to meet clients in various locations and places is common. You might be asked to...

What Does a Business Attorney Do? - Johnstonthomas

Hiring a business law firm in Santa Rosa can help you in eradicating a lot of corporate risks. You can rely on their expertise and experience. Connect with Johnston Thomas Law at 707-545-6542 for a consultation.

What Is a Business Lawyer: Everything You Need to Know - UpCounsel

Updated October 29, 2020: Knowing what is a business lawyer helps when it's time to hire one. This is an attorney who concentrates their practice on problems that affect companies, such as intellectual property, different types of business transactions, and taxation.

Small Business Attorneys & Lawyers Near You | Lawyers.com

Need Help With a Small Business Matter? Legal issues come up in all sorts of contexts when you own a small business. Whether it’s a question related to hiring and firing employees, entering into a lease, or something related to copyright or intellectual property issues, you’ll want a lawyer you can turn to for advice.

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Search the world's information, including webpages, images, videos and more. Google has many special features to help you find exactly what you're looking for.

What Is a Business Lawyer?

A business lawyer is responsible for assisting corporations with legal matters. Their role is to ensure everything done at the company is legal and above board. From mergers and acquisitions to incorporations and bankruptcies, every legal aspect related to the company's business activity will be under your purview.

What Skills Does a Business Lawyer Need?

Career counselors need empathy and kindness just as much as training and technical skill.

How Do I Become a Business Lawyer?

You’ll need to earn a bachelor’s degree, get admitted to law school, and pass the rigorous lawyer certification or “bar” exam for your state before becoming a licensed attorney.

How much does a Business Lawyer make?

The median average pay for attorneys was $126,930 in 2020. The top 10% of lawyers earn around $208,000 per year, while those in the lower 10% make $61,490. The location and size of the organization or company that you work for will make a large difference to your yearly income. And the longer you stay on at a company, the more you’re likely to make.

What is the growth outlook for lawyers?

The growth outlook for lawyers is currently 4% for the 2019 to 2029 period, which is in line with the national average. Being a lawyer is a stable job, but they do tend to work long hours, including weekends and holidays. And if you’re on retainer you can expect to be called up at any time to sort out any legal emergencies that may occur.

Choosing the Right Business Structure

We cannot emphasize enough the importance of choosing the right business structure for your business. Your business structure will have an impact on how much you pay in taxes, your ability to raise capital, and the level of risk to your personal assets.

Writing, Comprehension, and Summarization of Legal Contracts

Contract language can be complex. A contract contains a wide variety of legal terminology that can provide difficult to understand for the average person. Your attorney will help you navigate contracts. The professional will also help you draft clear and unambiguous contracts.

Protect Intellectual Property

If you have an intellectual property, your lawyer will help you determine effective ways to protect it. The professional will help you apply for a trademark, patent, or copyright protection.

Conflict Resolution

Despite precautions, a business can run into legal issues related to employee classification, discrimination, workplace harassment, and workplace safety. A business lawyer will educate you on applicable laws and help you put appropriate processes in place to avoid any potential mishaps.

Planning and Executing Mergers & Acquisitions Successfully

Companies merge with and acquire other businesses due for a variety of growth-based reasons.

Most Lawyers Are Not Business Attorneys

Most lawyers address criminal and family matters. Someone who does “non-business” matters is probably not the best fit for your business. Business owners need an attorney with the skills in contracts, organizations, real estate, taxes, personnel and collections.

1. Business Attorneys focus on Contracts

You will need a lawyer that speaks the language of business and can quickly understand your business. They should regularly prepare standard form contracts for you to use with customers, clients and suppliers. They should review contracts that other people will want you to sign.

2. Business Attorneys think about Organizations

You will need a lawyer that can consider the available business entities in light of your specific circumstances and plans. They will help you decide whether a corporation or limited liability company (LLC) is the better way to organize your business, and prepare the necessary paperwork.

3. Business Attorneys deal with Real Estate

Every business needs a place to work. Commercial leases are very complex and almost always favor the landlord. While leases may seem to be form documents, they are negotiable. Your attorney should have a standard “tenant’s addendum,” containing provisions that benefit you, that can be added to the printed form lease document.

4. Business Attorneys address Taxes, licenses and Regulations

Accountants prepare and file business tax returns. Attorneys register your business for federal and state tax identification numbers, and understand the tax consequences the business transactions.

5. Business Attorneys help you find and protect Intellectual property

If you are in a media, design or other creative-type business, it is certainly a “plus” if your lawyer can help you register your products and services for federal trademark and copyright protection. Generally, though, these tasks are performed by specialists who do nothing but “intellectual property” legal work.

6. Personnel and Employees

Unless you can get the work done all by yourself, you’re probably going to need employees. You need to understand the wage and hour laws, discrimination laws, worker’s compensation, federal and state tax withholding and remittance regulations.

What Does a Business Lawyer Do?

To put it simply, Portland business attorneys help business owners solve problems. Perhaps more importantly, business attorneys help business owners understand the problems they’re facing and which problems they might face in the future.

Should I hire a lawyer for my business?

As a business owner, if you ever catch yourself thinking “I don’t need a lawyer, I can handle this myself,” it’s probably a good time to speak with a business lawyer and find out for sure. Your time is better spent running your business than trying to resolve a legal situation on your own.

Do lawyers bill by the hour?

Some business lawyers may bill exclusively by the hour. Can you see the drawback here? The law firm is incentivized to spend more time on the case to maximize their revenue.

Do Business Lawyers Go to Court?

Yes– but only when we need to. Don’t get us wrong – it’s not that our business attorneys aren’t expert litigators who take great pride in representing our clients in court in Oregon and Washington. But frequently there’s a better solution to a dispute and save our clients’ valuable time and money.

How to Find the Right Small Business Lawyer?

Now that we’ve looked at the importance of hiring a business lawyer, let’s look at how to find the right one.

What Is the Cost of Hiring a Small Business Attorney?

Usually, small enterprise lawyers charge their services per hour. This could be anywhere between $140 to $325 per hour.

Do You Need an Attorney for Your Small Business?

As we mentioned earlier, hiring a small business attorney is critical since we do not know what legal obligations and challenges lie ahead of us.

What is a business lawyer?

A business lawyer—also called a corporate attorney, corporate lawyer or commercial lawyer—is a legal professional who focuses on issues that affect businesses, including taxation, business transactions and intellectual properties. These professionals might negotiate settlement terms, write legal documents or argue their clients' cases in courts.

What does a business lawyer do?

Lawyers help organizations or individuals throughout legal processes related to businesses. They help their clients file cases, prepare legal documents and oversee trial cases and hearings. Other duties include settling claims, sending correspondence and taking depositions.

Salary and job outlook

Business lawyers often offer legal services by the hour, with rates depending on the legal issue, type of law firm and region. The average base salary of a business lawyer is $139,825 per year. Chief legal officers typically earn higher salaries, while recent law graduates earn the lowest salaries.

Business lawyer job description example

Our private law practice seeks a reliable business lawyer for managing real estate and business transaction cases. They will be responsible for maintaining accurate and organized case files and working closely with our dedicated paralegals to satisfy court requirements for our growing list of valued clients.

How to become a business lawyer

To become a lawyer, you need to pass industry exams and meet the minimum educational requirements for the area you plan to practice law. Here are the typical requirements for becoming a business lawyer:

Related jobs

With a degree in business law and a license to practice law in your state, you can find jobs in related positions such as:

What can a business attorney do for you?

No matter if your business is brand new or has a long trajectory, an experienced business attorney can advise you on issues related to compliance as well as help you develop systems designed to minimize and monitor risk.

What can a business lawyer do?

If you own a business or are planning on starting one, having a business lawyer by your side can be one of your most powerful tools. No matter what type of business you have, the economic turmoil you might be facing, or the phase your business is in now, a business lawyer can help you through many of your business’ stages. From the first day of your business to the day you decide to sell, go public, or close its doors, here is a short list of items your business attorney can help you with.

What happens if a client fails to pay?

If a client fails to pay, a supplier does not deliver the merchandise as agreed, or contracts are breached in any way, your lawyer will negotiate on your behalf and, if necessary, will file a lawsuit to protect your rights.

What is the role of a business attorney?

The primary role of a business attorney involves providing advice and other legal services that affect various aspects of a business. In general, business attorneys ensure that companies are in compliance with various business regulations and that all operations in a company are aboveboard. Business attorneys typically assist with matters, such as ...

Why do attorneys help companies?

Additionally, your attorney can also explain why a particular business structure may work better for your specific company, which may lead to creating a more successful company as well as can help prevent future losses.

What Types of Cases do Business Attorneys Handle?

Generally speaking, business attorneys typically possess a broad range of skills and are thus equipped to handle various types of business-related matters. Some examples of common legal issues that business attorneys may encounter on a daily basis include:

How to narrow down a search for an attorney?

Thus, to narrow down a search, start looking for attorneys who specialize in the area of law that the issue falls under and determine whether their credentials (e.g., what law school they graduated from) matter.

Do business attorneys work for corporations?

On the other hand, business attorneys who work for large corporations may specialize in certain areas of the business. For instance, there may be an entire in-house team of legal professionals who only handle compliance matters, or the corporation may choose to only hire outside counsel for litigation purposes.

Do business attorneys handle employment?

One important thing to keep in mind about business attorneys is that they do not specialize in handling the same legal issues as employment lawyers. Remember, business attorneys are concerned with business operations and the overall structure of a business. Employment, lawyers, on the other hand, deal with issues like employment discrimination ...

Is it better to hire a lawyer in the same state?

This way they will not have to search for a new business lawyer if a dispute occurs and they need to appear in court. Also, depending on the issue, a local lawyer may be a better option if the matter involves the laws of a specific jurisdiction.

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Choosing The Right Business Structure

  • We cannot emphasize enough the importance of choosing the right business structure for your business. Your business structure will have an impact on how much you pay in taxes, your ability to raise capital, and the level of risk to your personal assets. Your business attorney will help you weigh the pros and cons of every type of business structure...
See more on johnstonthomas.com

Writing, Comprehension, and Summarization of Legal Contracts

  • Contract language can be complex. A contract contains a wide variety of legal terminology that can provide difficult to understand for the average person. Your attorney will help you navigate contracts. The professional will also help you draft clear and unambiguous contracts. When drafting a contract, your attorney will keep your best interests in mind.
See more on johnstonthomas.com

Protect Intellectual Property

  • If you have an intellectual property, your lawyer will help you determine effective ways to protect it. The professional will help you apply for a trademark, patent, or copyright protection. There are several compelling reasons to protect your IP. A protected IP can be used as a leverage to attract new customers. Protecting your IP will prevent other businesses from commercializing your ide…
See more on johnstonthomas.com

Conflict Resolution

  • Despite precautions, a business can run into legal issues related to employee classification, discrimination, workplace harassment, and workplace safety. A business lawyer will educate you on applicable laws and help you put appropriate processes in place to avoid any potential mishaps. When conflict arises, your attorney will negotiate with the other party on your behalf. T…
See more on johnstonthomas.com

Planning and Executing Mergers & Acquisitions Successfully

  • Companies merge with and acquire other businesses due for a variety of growth-based reasons. Mergers and acquisitions are complex and multifaceted. If you are contemplating a merger or acquisition deal, your attorney will help you understand how mergers and acquisition deals are completed. They will help you create value from your merger or acquisition so that everything is …
See more on johnstonthomas.com