Two fundamental mistakes people and businesses make in hiring a commercial attorney

There are two fundamental mistakes people and businesses make in hiring a commercial attorney:

1. They assume that any attorney can handle a business matter. Just because a lawyer did a good job defending your nephew’s DUI does not mean he or she will do a good job on a commercial matter.

2. The assume they will get the best representation if they go to a 200 lawyer mega-firm. Large firms frequently use the legal problems of small and medium size businesses as training tools for new associates just out of law school. In addition, because of hourly billing quotas in large firms, bills are sometimes inflated under a concept called “value billing.”

People looking for a commercial attorney should look for a lawyer who has experience representing businesses similar to theirs. In addition, since commercial litigation is expensive in both money and time for businesses, a business person should look for a firm with lawyers who handle both transactional and litigation aspects of commercial disputes. Commercial lawyers should recognize that focus on the business concerns of a commercial client is the guiding principal in a successful commercial representation.