What are the most important questions to ask to a prospective startup lawyer?

Give a man a fish, he has a meal. Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime. Find a startup lawyer that is willing to teach you to fish. You can determine if you have a good startup lawyer by asking "Why?" often. Your lawyer should be willing to explain the legal issues that impact your operational decisions. Even though you will, to some extent, pay for such training in the form of billable hours, understanding the why of the law will ultimately save you money, as you will eventually be able to answer many basic legal questions on your own. Many lawyers think that their job is to say, “No.” Search until you find a businessman in lawyer’s clothing who will respond to your inquiries with replies such as: “Yes, here’s how we can do that.” In other words, find a lawyer who will take the time to understand the issues underlying your business and advise you how to best accomplish your objectives while minimizing your legal exposure. I write a bit more about how to find a great startup lawyer here: http://infochachkie.com/roping-in-the-legal-eagles/

There are three main points you want to ask a startup lawyer regarding business and funding. These include experience, practice areas, fees, and network/connections. First, and perhaps the most important point is experience. Ask about what kind of experience they have and what their practice focus on. You want to make sure that they are well versed in the area of expertise that you need. Don’t be afraid to ask questions such as: What are your primary responsibilities and what falls outside of the scope? How long have you been practicing? What would you rate your skill level with this particular issue? What type of companies do you typically work with? How often do you do work relating to startups and funding? Are you going to be my main point of contact? If so, how long should I expect your response time to be? Are you familiar with all of the incorporation procedures in that particular state? Do you have time to take on a new client? Do you have experience in dealing with employer liability laws if I decide to hire someone? Next, find out what type of fees are associated with the services that you need. There can never be too many questions associated with the price of their services, so it’s important to know as much as possible up front to avoid any surprises. Common questions should include: Are your rates hourly, contingent, capped, or deferred? Do you offer discounts for multiple hours per month and when should I expect an invoice? What is the preferred method of communication? Finally, ask about their network/connections.  It’s important to know if they have helped other startups succeed and how well rooted they are in the startup community. Ask questions like: Have you worked with businesses in my industry before? Have you helped startups secure funding? Are you familiar with fundraising events? Do you have connections to investors? I would also ask their opinion after you’ve explained your situation and what you’re looking for. Come right out and ask if they think they would be a good fit. Another good rule of thumb is whether your lawyer would be willing to take the time and break down complex legalese to you in plain english. This is almost always a good sign and shows that he/she would most likely go that extra mile to assist you and your business and ultimately gain your trust. Here's a helpful post on dealing with lawyers written by - http://lifehacker.com/how-to-talk-to-a-lawyer-and-when-you-need-one-1592509960 For more information on finding a startup lawyer, feel free visit us at http://lawtrades.com We know how hard it can be to find the right lawyer, let alone someone who is available and within your budget. Instead of wasting time playing phone tag or driving to a law office, just tell us what you need, and we’ll introduce you to a handful of qualified lawyers. Then, compare by price, review, and professional chemistry, and hire the best lawyer. We use software to cut traditional overhead for lawyers which, in turn saves startups thousands in legal fees. Don't hesitate to reach out if I can answer any further questions :)

There are two things I would ask a prospective startup lawyer: Can I have the names of your last three clients who have raised capital from angel investors or venture capital firms? Call all three. If the funding events were within the last 90 days and the clients recommend working with the startup lawyer you MAY be on the right track. Which angel investors or venture capital firms do you represent? This is a double edged sword. If the prospective startup lawyer represents one or more venture capital firms you can be pretty sure he's competent. The downside is that he will represent them over and over and represent you once. Think about it. I engaged for my first startup. They represented startups and venture capital firms relatively equally. They are the premiere startup law firm. But they are expensive and they don't have offices everywhere (i.e. Dallas). Wilson Sonsini represented my startup (pre-funding) for free, invested in my Series A and allowed me to bring my lawyer in house. I was really happy with their representation. The second startup lawyer I engaged was Ryan Roberts (Southlake Lawyer). He represented several of my companies as well as the companies of many of the startups I advise. He was inexpensive and relatively competent; however, the moment there was a conflict of interest (i.e. he couldn't represent both sides) he picked the institutional investor over me. I had to move ALL of my business to a new lawyer. It was a lot of work. The third startup lawyer I engaged (and still engage) is . He's got a startup focused practice and several associates to handle the workload. I recommend him to all of the company's I advise and I use him for all of my securities work. He works with investors, angels, venture capital firms and banks, but he also has an early stage fund to invest in startups. He is a big proponent, sponsor and supporter of the startup community.

's answer is a great one. A few more things that I would add: Do you offer anything in the way of fee deferral? If so, what are the details (e.g., will you need to take equity in our firm in exchange for a fee deferral?). What other specialities do you have in-house at your firm? For instance, is there someone on staff well-versed in intellectual property issues? How do you typically prefer to communicate with your clients? Do you do everything over the phone? Do you do a lot of communicating via email?