Do you Really Need a Business Contracts Lawyer?
Is using an Business Contracts Attorney for a routine business contract something that has become obsolete with the birth of LegalZoom and other DIY sites? Chances are, you’ve already endured the bragging of co-workers and family members who’ve used these D.I.Y. self-directed legal document creation services and are now crowing about all the money they saved NOT consulting an Attorney. Do they have a point?
I hate to offer a legal answer that is more typical to a politician’s favorite response, but: It Depends… – It depends on what your end goal is. If your goal is to find the cheapest path to Purchase or Sell a Business, create an Estate Plan, create a Buy-Sell Agreement, Set-up a Corporation, Set-up an S-Corporation, Set-up a Limited Liability Company, Develop an Employee Contract, Develop a Construction Contract, or Set-up a Business Partnership Agreement, LegalZoom, or some other DIY site, is –admittedly, by far the least expensive choice.
However, if your objective is to develop an effective Business Contract that encompasses a thorough knowledge of the law and how to best use this law, attaining the services of a Business Contract Attorney is the next logical step. An informed Business Contract Attorney will develop and tweak existing legal frameworks or create new Business Contracts to keep your business in line with the governing rules and legislative standards applicable to your business and with your specific and unique business in mind.
Online reviews of LegalZoom and other DIY sites seem to echo this sentiment. In fairness, there are plenty of people satisfied and pleased with the services they received. However, the unhappy entries posted seem to support the above cautions. The recurring negative sentiments seem to boil down to the fact that the Business Contracts developed by LegalZoom and other DIY sites failed to fulfill their contractual purpose. Such words used to describe these boilerplate Business Contracts include worthless, ambiguous, not specific enough, didn’t address my personal situation, and in the end the person paid so much more, in court costs, redrafting of the Business Contract by an Attorney etc., than had this person gone to a a Business Contract Attorney to start with.
Business Contracts: What Are You Paying For?
So, what is the main difference between getting a boilerplate Business Contract from LegalZoom or a custom-drafted Business Contract from Business Contract Attorney? The pivotal contrast lies in the answer to a simple question: “What are you really paying for?” If you say the cheapest Business Contract available, you’re missing the intrinsic value of an informed and thoughtful Attorney. Cast in this light, the least expensive fill-in-the-blank ambiguous contract doesn’t come close to encompassing your business’ needs. Nor does it address specifically and thoroughly the legal risk and exposure your unique business is facing. On closer inspection, this boilerplate Business Contract does little more than broadly protect your business interests and largely shield your business from risk.
The True Cost of a Boiler-Plate Business Contract
The cheaper price tag that you pay to a D.I.Y. service such as LegalZoom begins to balloon when you tack on the excessive legal exposure and unnecessary risk you’re exposing you and your business to. Couple this vulnerability with the short and long-term consequences to you and your business of an ill-fitting, one-size-fits-all type of contract and you have a net legal cost and exposure equation that is alarming. Lawyers have file cabinets stuffed-full of examples, and this text is to encourage you to learn from the experiences of others. Add all the significant legal risks you’ve taken, both now and in the future, that this obscure and murky Business Contract exposes you to and that “good deal” mushrooms into complex legal quicksand with the possibility of ongoing legal exposure, large legal fees to correct and remedy the ambiguities, court costs, and the inevitable stress and strain this will have on you and your business. If you are reading this, most business lawyer will charge you nothing for to sit at their desk so you can share your business model with them and ask the questions and receive the answers that these D.I.Y. services fail to offer.
Good Business Contracts address Specific Details and Objectives
A well-structured and readable contract sets out clearly what the differing parties’ intentions are as well as the legal mechanics necessary to reach the parties’ objectives and to answer regulatory and legislative standards. It will include specific details and objectives, as well as the ramifications for not honoring the Business Contract. Very importantly, it closes off a myriad of possible areas of dispute by leaving as little as possible to chance, the parties reduce the risk of litigation.
Specifically-Drafted Contracts Fit You & Your Business
The Business Contract is one small part of the picture. A much bigger piece is having the knowledge and expertise as to which document should be used and which customizations should be incorporated into the document. This is where Business Contracts Attorney, Valerie Kramer, comes in. When conducting your business affairs it is critical to have the sage and experienced advice of a solid Business Contract Attorney.
Ms. Kramer can help you create a new document or individualize a favorite standard Business Contract to specifically fit you and your Business. Your business is unique and specialized and the Business Contracts drafted to protect your business should do just that, protect. These documents need to be clear, specific, thorough, and tailored to protect you and your business where you are most vulnerable. Valerie has a distinctive ability to quickly assess you and your business’ needs and then translate this knowledge into an effective, enforceable and concise Business Contract.
This is just a basic overview and is not legal advice specific to your situation. If you would like to speak with Valerie Kramer about your situation, please call (619) 259-5030.
Business Attorney Valerie Kramer understands that investing some time in getting your business contracts in order, handling common legal transactions, or negotiating a lease should be cost-effective.
We also have three Real Estate Attorneys who are able to help Property Owners, Buyers & Sellers, Real Estate Brokers, Commercial Tenants and others involved in everyday real estate transactions and disputes. Our clients get maximum value for every penny spent, without padded hours for unnecessary “additional services.”
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