When it comes to working with a business lawyer, many small and medium-sized businesses find themselves “out in the cold”. Most of the time, it does not make much logic for a small business to have an attorney on staff full-time. Attorneys are high-priced, and smaller businesses do not have enough official work to keep one busy full-time. The regrettable result of this, nevertheless, is that many smaller businesses do not get legal help when they essentially do need it-before making significant decisions that could have costly consequences.
Generally attorneys that work in private practice with small businesses work on a project basis-the client hires the legal representative to negotiate a deal, or to draft a contract, or to form an entity. Once the project is finished, the client does not call the attorney again until another project arises. It is bizarre for attorneys to become a fundamental part of the business decision-making process within the business. As a result, many times businesses are blindsided by lawful problems that could have been simply avoided with a little help and counsel from an attorney proverbial with their dealing and industry.
Small Businesses Can Benefit from a General Counsel like Steven Rindner
Many smaller businesses would profit greatly from forming an ‘outside general counsel’ (OGC) relationship with an experienced, skilled attorney like Steven Rindner. In much the same way that huge corporations utilize dozens of in-house attorneys to administer and provide input on all facets of the corporation’s operations, an outside general counsel can provide assistance and insight to managers and business owners seeking to avoid legal pitfalls and take benefit of opportunities. Instead of calling the attorney only when something goes off beam, the leadership team, business owner, and attorney meet recurrently to bounce ideas off each other and ensure that the plans for the business do not raise any lawful red flags.
Outside General Counsels Can Bring Specialists as Needed
Another advantage of working with an outside general counsel is that the attorney is acquainted with other attorneys in other disciplines. Few attorneys are general practitioners anymore-in this age of specialization; clients are hardly ever well served by an attorney who claims to provide everything to everyone. Instead, a client can save valuable resources and time by seeking competent referrals from the OGC like Steven Rindner when a specialized requirement arises.
Many business owners wince from on ongoing association with an attorney, concerned that such regular contact will be costly. Nevertheless, experience suggests that the reverse is true. On the contrary, business owners who wait until the last minute to call a legal representative often find that small problems that might have been handled easily at the onset explode into lengthy and expensive litigation-the bane of any small business. As in many areas of business and life, it is much easier to do the regular maintenance than it is to make expensive repairs. A good, knowledgeable outside general counsel can help a business control costs, stay on focus, and evade problems.