Legal Review

[Groovy Train]

Hello

I have very recently commenced low level trading for a new business and was wondering if the legal trade provide such a service as a general business review to include factors such as T&Cs review, legality of trade and level of risk attached etc

As the business, like most, has been set up on a tight budget, cheekily, i was wondering if the review would be something that could be done for a very small payment (ie free!) and subsequent work thereafter, would be chargeable (but cheap!!!)

Would be grateful for any pointers
Thanks

 

[The Resolver]

I am a solicitor who has retired from running a general legal practice to run a specialised practice in resolving company disputes outside of court both as negotiator and as mediator. I also have much experience in drafting T&Cs and providing legal compliance audits for e-business as well as providing virtual 'Head of Legal' services for companies. I can offer a free initial telephone chat but charge for actual work. However as I now work from home with minimal overheads my rates are highly competitive. Call me on 07885 728801.

 

[carl.atkinson]

This isn't the type of arrangement which will be very attractive to a firm of solicitors (you can imagine why), however I guess that it will turn upon the value of the potential work that you could refer to them in the future and what type of guarantee you could give them that they will receive that work from you.

One issue for you to consider would be that you proceeded with that arrangement you could be bound to give them future work even if your relationship with them was not what you had hoped. Is this really what you would want?

I act for some Clients on the basis of an annual retainer with the cost of legal work spread over monthly payments. Why don't you try to negotiate something similar? It spreads the cost, helps cash-flow, allows you to develop a relationship with your legal advisors and means that you could get pro-active legal advice.

 

[AllUpHere]

Groovy train. You will be hard pushed to find someone who knows what they are doing, and also finds your offer attractive. To me it says you are going to be a pain in the bum client, from start to finish.

If you want to attract help in this way, you are going to need to be a little more creative.

 

[Groovy Train]

Thanks for the feedback although i do take offence to the assumptions from alluphere.

In many service industries, businesses undertake a review, for free, prior to quoting fees to make right or improve a circumstance so, not being familiar with the legal profession i didn't see any harm in asking. I didn't realise that this would infer that i was an awkward client to deal with - maybe i have misunderstood the purpose of ukbf

 

[AllUpHere]

You took my response far too personally. All I meant was that professionals who are approached by someone wanting a free review, then the work done cheap (your words) are going to be more trouble than they are worth.

 

[Groovy Train]

Work done cheap means work quoted for would be affordable to a start-up business and would cover the necessary requirements to make sure a business doesn't set off on the wrong foot (although i guess lawyers earn their fees when businesses do not transact correctly so maybe it isn't in their best interest to help them set up properly (joke!))

Naively i was considering maybe that there was a legal firm out there who may specialise in helping start-ups cover off the basics for a 'reasonable' (subjective i know) fee. Perhaps a firm who would invest their time in helping a business build properly who would then benefit from when the business grows and requires additional legal advice, perhaps.

 

[Groovy Train]

oh, and to clarify, if your post wasn't aimed at me, personally, then who was it aimed at?!
(no real offence taken - after all, this is a relatively anonymous forum after all isn't it!)

 

[AllUpHere]

I think you know exactly what I mean't by 'taking it too personally'.

I'm not sure there are many professionals left who fall for doing work free or cheap because of a promise of profitable future work. That's why I tried to help by suggesting you may need to be a little more creative.