Small business lawyers?

[teko.livejournal.com]

I'm a self-employed graphic designer and have been extraordinarily lucky thus far to have not needed a lawyer for any client disputes. But before I actually need one, I figure I should find one before something dire should happen. Can anyone recommend an attorney who works with small businesses?

Comments

[secretlyironic.livejournal.com]

I can't, but the Mass Bar Association has a referral service for exactly this sort of thing:
http://www.massbar.org/for-the-public/need-a-lawyer

[eclectician.livejournal.com]

Also, the best piece of advice we got when starting up (from a lawyer friend of ours) was this:

you don't want a lawyer who works mostly with small businesses. You want a lawyer who has dealt with everything from a mom & pop corner store to doing the IPO for a biotech company, because they have the sort of perspective you on your own will not have, and because they tend to work in big firms and chances are, if they don't know the answer to your present dilemma, there will be an expert at their firm who does. These people don't come cheap. If your lawyer is cheap, you probably don't want to be working with them. Our lawyer and our accountant are expensive as hell, we think they're worth every penny. The peace of mind and quality of advice that money buys is more than worth it.

I'd be happy to refer you to the lawyer we work with, but I don't think he has experience dealing with your particular field. I'll ask if there's someone at his firm who does.