Hartford Startup Attorneys & Lawyers

Why Hire a Startup Attorney?

Statistics suggest that most businesses fail after two years or less. When you started a business, you chose to invest money and a lot of your free time. If you don't do everything you can to give your company its best chance to succeed, you're just throwing away your money and wasting your time.

Hiring a top startup attorney will help your company. You can draw on the experience and wisdom of someone who has done this several times before. This person can advise you on several key issues such as:

• How to incorporate: The way you draw up the paperwork for your business is crucial. A single mistake can doom your company. A startup attorney can file the documents for you. They can also recommend whether you should set up your company as a single owner, a partnership, or a corporation.
• How to raise funds: You'll need money during the early years of your startup. One of the easiest ways to raise cash is by selling shares of your company to investors. The best attorneys can fill out the paperwork for such deals. Better yet, they can also introduce you to many people with the funding to buy shares.
• How to hire employees: You must follow strict guidelines when you hire workers. Even if you only have one or two people on staff, several hiring rules still apply. An attorney can teach you all the laws that you need to know.
• How to train employees: Once you have workers, they must behave appropriately with one another. Otherwise, you've created an unsafe work environment and are subject to a lawsuit. A top startup attorney can help you write good rules to make your office a friendly place to work.
• How to protect your intellectual property: You and your workers may come up with new inventions, ideas, or products. You must copyright or trademark them. Otherwise, a competitor can take them from you. Should they get a copyright or trademark, you'll have to pay them to use your own ideas. A startup attorney can protect you from this terrible situation.

How to Find the Best Startup Lawyer in Hartford, Connecticut

You should take a three-step approach to finding a top attorney in Hartford. The first step is to ask the people you know for recommendations. You never know who has worked with an attorney before. A recommendation from a friend or family member should carry the most weight when you decide.

The second step is to check for reviews on the internet. Plenty of sites allow users to grade their experiences with lawyers. You're looking for an attorney with high marks. And you should check the reviews, even if someone you trust suggested the attorney.

You should also pay special attention to reviews that mention startup businesses. Those are the ones that matter the most. After all, they were once in the same situation that you're in now.  

You also want to pick someone with a lot of reviews. The best attorneys get a lot of work, and that means that they have more reviews online. Someone with fewer reviews likely has less experience. You need to hire someone who is among the best attorneys and has a track record in helping startups.

Once you've picked a candidate, you should do a background check. You want to verify the person's status as an attorney. You should check the Connecticut Bar Association's website. There, you can do a search to see whether an attorney has a license to practice in the state.

You'll also want to find out if an attorney has had any past issues with clients. In Connecticut, an unhappy client must register a complaint with the bar association. The Statewide Grievance Committee (SWC) will research the matter. If they find an attorney at fault, the SWC will find or suspend the person. In extreme instances, they will take away the lawyer's license to practice law.

You should check with the committee to see if your attorney is in good standing. Someone with even one registered complaint isn't a lawyer you should hire. You need someone with a clean record.

Which Questions Should I Ask a Startup Attorney?

What are your qualifications as a startup attorney?

Have you passed the bar in Connecticut?

Has any client ever registered a complaint against you? If so, what was the reason?

What's your current workload?

Do you have associates, interns, and legal secretaries who will work on our business, too?

If so, which of them will act as the point person for our startup?

How will your firm handle communication with us? How regularly will you contact us?

Is your pricing affordable for a cash-strapped startup?

Do you have some sort of delayed payment plan or financing available for startups?

Have you helped a company incorporate in Connecticut before?

Have you handled a copyright or trademark claim before?

Your startup will face many problems during the early years. A startup lawyer can show you ways to overcome those issues. Hiring a top startup attorney is the best way to secure your company's future.