On average, according to LegalMatch, a business lawyer can cost from $150 per hour to over $325 per hour if you want to be represented by a senior partner. Given these rates, many small businesses want to know if they can get free legal services or more affordable services.
While it’s not easy to find free legal services, you can find cheap legal help if you look in the right places. Courtesy of Pink Media, here’s a rundown highlighting some of the options small businesses can explore to get legal help without breaking the bank.
Attend Pro Bono Clinics and Free Legal Workshops
Through the American Bar Association, which licenses attorneys and regulates their work, you can get pro bono hours that lawyers can offer each year. Lawyers can satisfy qualification requirements in different ways, including participating in free legal workshops and clinics. Public organizations like nonprofits, libraries, and courts often offer free legal aid clinics. In these clinics, volunteer attorneys attend and provide basic advice.
While the lawyers will not represent you, they can answer basic questions in a short session, so find workshops offered by local law firms. Also, law schools offer clinics where students can offer basic guidance on different legal issues. You can find clinics that serve entrepreneurs.
Some of the advice you might need is when choosing your business entity or name. They can help you ensure the legality and protection of your business’s name. To get started with a business, incorporate your business or establish it as a limited liability company. This comes with different benefits, including limited liability, increased flexibility, and tax advantages.
Connect With Free Consultants
ContractsCounsel notes that many lawyers offer initial consultations for free to satisfy the bar’s requirements. This consultation gives you an opportunity to ask questions and discover if the lawyer is the right fit for you. During your consultation, you need to ask different questions, including their background, what their strategy for your case will be, and whether your case will potentially involve court appearances.
If the lawyer fails to answer any questions to your satisfaction, you can walk away. Sometimes, during the initial consultation, you can get sufficient information to handle the legal problem. However, this should give you a starting point, so you’ll need additional follow-up with the attorney.
Find a Lawyer Who Uses a Contingency Fee Structure
Many lawyers are for the idea of creative billing arrangements as they look to attract more business clients. Instead of charging an hourly rate, some of these lawyers use a contingency fee structure, which gives an alternative arrangement.
The contingency fee means your obligation is to pay the lawyer when they win the case. So, their money comes from any money you’re awarded. While this is not free legal advice, it gives you a risk-free option to get legal representation.
Online Legal Services
You will find several online legal services that give you legal services that you can use for legal assistance if you’re looking for a fixed rate. These can be the best option if you want to track down legal forms or get advice on the ideal way to structure your business or find local lawyers.
Through the best online legal services, you can get a fixed monthly rate for document review, custom legal forms, and business information. Some companies also offer phone calls where you can talk with a lawyer when you need guidance. Also, you could use the service if you’re looking for help with debt collection. These marketplaces are a good way to obtain low-cost legal help.
Getting Your Finances in Order
It’s also worth addressing the concerns that got you in this predicament in the first place. If your business is having financial troubles, the first step is to identify the problem. Examine your income and expenses to make sure you aren’t missing anything. If your recordkeeping could use some work, that’s a good place to start. A loan could also work wonders for your business and help get you out of trouble. However, that could be contingent on your credit score. So check your score and if it could use some attention, work to pay off some debts first to see if you can raise it.
Conclusion
Running a small business means you might not have the budget to hire the most expensive legal help. In this situation, you can find alternatives that will address your problems without breaking the bank. One of the options you could use includes online legal services and attending pro bono clinics.
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