Does your lawyer move at the speed of your business
Even before the coronavirus pandemic occurred technology to allow businesses to operate remotely dramatically increased. The practice of law embraced those technologies making it easier for business lawyers to provide cost-effective and efficient services to their business clients. So the operative question is whether your business lawyer has embraced these technologies and is responsive to and keeping up with your business.
How technology has changed business law
When I was a very young attorney I had a case against an older and very experienced attorney. He claimed that his client did not have to pay my client back on a promissory note because of a certain case precedent. Unfortunately for him the case on which he built his entire defense had been overruled and was no longer good law. In just a few seconds using electronic research I was able to find that out. That attorney was still looking cases up the old way in books and was unfamiliar with and unaccustomed to electronic research. As a consequence of not embracing and using the new technology he was unaware of the change in the law.
When I informed him that the case on which he was relying was no longer good law he confessed that he did not know how to perform electronic research and surprisingly did not even use e-mail. The attorney was then forced to concede the case. Because that attorney refused to adopt new technologies he did not provide a quality service for his client who paid the price for his refusal to adapt.
When I informed him that the case on which he was relying was no longer good law he confessed that he did not know how to perform electronic research and surprisingly did not even use e-mail. The attorney was then forced to concede the case. Because that attorney refused to adopt new technologies he did not provide a quality service for his client who paid the price for his refusal to adapt.
What technology can I use with my business lawyer
Technology available to attorneys is the same as any other business. Business lawyers can conduct video consults with Skype or Zoom. They can also communicate efficiently by e-mail and use electronic discovery software to collect, sort, and produce documents in lawsuits without ever touching a paper document. That process is known a electronic discovery or e-Discovery.
My experience with that older attorney described above stuck with me. It forces me to stay on the cutting edge of technology. By so doing I can provide a cost-effective service to businesses and to keep up with the speed of business. If your business lawyer is not moving at the speed of your business then you should consider retaining a new business lawyer.
My experience with that older attorney described above stuck with me. It forces me to stay on the cutting edge of technology. By so doing I can provide a cost-effective service to businesses and to keep up with the speed of business. If your business lawyer is not moving at the speed of your business then you should consider retaining a new business lawyer.
Is my business too small to hire an attorney?
Absolutely not. Even small businesses of one or two or three partners can greatly benefit from the guidance and counsel that an experienced and results-driven attorney brings to the business. Oftentimes the money saved by avoiding consulting with an experienced business attorney is later subsumed by a dispute or litigation. The saying penny wise and pound foolish appropriately applies.
While it is true that attorneys cost money it is the expertise for which you are paying and by which your business be it large or small will benefit. Your business generates a profit by selling goods or services. Similarly lawyers and law firms sell their time and expertise. So you should not think that lawyers are too expensive for your business or that your business is too small to benefit from legal advice. On the contrary to grow and expand your business the relatively small amount spent in its early growth stages will yield greater returns for you later.
While it is true that attorneys cost money it is the expertise for which you are paying and by which your business be it large or small will benefit. Your business generates a profit by selling goods or services. Similarly lawyers and law firms sell their time and expertise. So you should not think that lawyers are too expensive for your business or that your business is too small to benefit from legal advice. On the contrary to grow and expand your business the relatively small amount spent in its early growth stages will yield greater returns for you later.
Written by David Steinfeld
David Steinfeld is one of the few Board Certified business law experts in Florida. He has been licensed for almost 25 years. He is AV-Preeminent rated, ranked as one of the Best Lawyers in America by U.S. News and World Report, and consistently named a Florida Super Lawyer and one of Florida’s Legal Elite. Dave has also received Martindale’s prestigious Judicial Edition Award for high reviews by Judges, its Platinum Client Champion Award and has a 10.0-Superb rating on AVVO as well as a 10.0 rating on Justia, lawyer reviews websites.
Check out business dispute lawyer David Steinfeld online for helpful videos and articles on Florida business law, real estate disputes, and electronic discovery solutions for your business. This article is provided for informational purposes only.
Check out business dispute lawyer David Steinfeld online for helpful videos and articles on Florida business law, real estate disputes, and electronic discovery solutions for your business. This article is provided for informational purposes only.
