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One of the first hires that every successful businessman makes is a good lawyer. A good business man puts in long hours year round and is constantly thinking about the next sale, the next client or the next merger. Our lawyers, on the other hand, are quietly looking out for us the whole way, but that doesn't mean that they sometimes wish we knew more about business law basics so that we could avoid common pitfalls. Let's take a look at a far from complete list of things our lawyers wish we knew.
Don't assume
One of the biggest mistakes that modern business men and women make these days is that they think they know everything. They happily pay to keep their lawyer or sometimes lawyers on retainer only to attempt to handle situations by themselves. Yes, you may have read about a similar situation on the Internet or you saw something on Law & Order, but those solutions likely aren't going to apply to the situation you have found yourself in. As much as lawyers don't like being awakened at 3am with questions, it is better to use the legally trained professional you've hired to help you than to attempt to solve a situation yourself.
Do you want a lawyer or a yes man (or woman)?
We all know that most successful business professionals have business sized egos. While you should always expect your lawyer to respect you and treat you professionally, they aren't always going to agree with you or even side with you over a dispute or problem, and it is absurd to get angry or even fire your hired help if they disagree with you. For some important business leaders, the only person around them the whole day that has the courage to disagree with them is their lawyer. Remember, your lawyer isn't trying to show you up, they are trying to protect you. Try to check your ego before you engage them in a conversation.
Don't be afraid to admit you are in over your head
As you can see, most of the problems that come from the business-lawyer relationship have to do with ego. Often times, when a highly ranking business professional finds themselves in a negotiation or in a personal situation that is simply too much to handle, the first instinct isn't to pick up the phone and call your lawyer, it is, instead, to blindly stumble forward instead of admitting you need help. This is a combination of ego and intense insecurity that someone will judge you as being unworthy of the position you've obtained. Clients often forget that there are client-attorney privacy laws and that no one else has the right to know what the two of you speak about. You've hired an attorney; you pay your attorney, so use your attorney if you need to.
Perhaps the biggest problem in the client-attorney relationship is the perception that the attorney is somehow the enemy or is working against your best interests. As soon as that suspicion is overcome, a proper relationship can begin.
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