Tag: Business Law

Before You Hire a Lawyer, Answer these 4 Questions

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The life of a business owner or business executive is typically filled with big decisions. And no decisions loom larger than whom to work with. Working with the right people will propel your business forward, while making the wrong hire will negatively affect your company’s culture, efficiency and ultimately, your bottom line.

Hiring the right lawyer is just as important as hiring the right employees, and when you’re hiring a lawyer to represent your business interests, there’s a lot to consider.

As a General Counsel to multiple companies, I’ve hired a lot of lawyers.  I’ve made some great decisions, and some that I’d rather not think about too much… But here are four questions that I found helpful when I was hiring outside legal counsel for the companies I worked for.

1. How well does the lawyer communicate?

A lawyer’s communication skills, more than anything else, will positively or negatively impact your relationship.  If you and your lawyer can’t communicate well – for whatever reason, be it style or substance, your relationship will be a failure.  Whomever you select needs to have superior communication skills and understand the importance in building a solid client-attorney relationship.   And, they need to be able to communicate however you like to communicate – be it over the phone, in person, email or text – you’re the client. And, they need to be able to adapt to your style or the relationship will be a failure. Before you hire a lawyer, you’ll want to make sure your communication styles are a good fit.

2. What is the lawyer’s style?

Are they aggressive?  Deliberate?  Inquisitive?  What is their risk tolerance?  In order to make informed decisions, you need to hear and embrace opposing viewpoints. But, you won’t have a good relationship with a lawyer whose style differs greatly from your own – that will only lead to frustration and confusion.  In particular, finding a lawyer who understands your risk tolerance is a key to being on the same page, but don’t underestimate other “personality” driven factors as well.

3. What is their experience level?

Assuming you’ve found a lawyer you “click” with, now it’s time to get into substance.  Ask yourself if you need a generalist or a specialist?  Are you looking for a long-term partner that can understand and work with your business on a variety of issues, or a specialist that can help fix a significant, pressing issue that you’d already identified?  Both can be business-savvy partners. But, you’ll want to make sure the lawyer you hire has significant experience in the role you’re looking to fill.

4. What is the best type of service agreement and fee schedule for my company?

There’s a lot of options for procuring legal counsel, and there are no right or wrong answers here. Here are four common solutions.

  • Hourly rate – probably the most common attorney fee arrangement on the list. The lawyer will track his or her time in fractions of an hour (usually six minute increments) and bill accordingly. These kinds of arrangements may result in a mis-match of incentives, since your lawyer gets paid more the longer they take, which is why other fee arrangements are gaining popularity.
  • Flat retainer agreement – This payment structure is ideal for businesses that have on-going legal needs, and the retainer can cover almost all your legal needs, or only specific subjects, like employment law. Having a dedicated attorney on-call will help you reduce risk and stop legal disputes before they even begin. It is often the most cost-effective way to procure convenient, expert legal assistance.
  • Flat fees – this is more common with attorneys who handle large volumes of a specific kind of case. Flat fees may be offered for will preparations, tenant evictions, mortgage foreclosures and more – each individual matter is a fixed fee, no matter how long it takes. Flat legal fees can be an attractive solution, but keep in mind litigation will almost never fall into this category.
  • Risk Sharing– most people have heard of contingency fees in litigation, where a lawyer might get 30 percent of 40 percent of the recovery if the client wins, but nothing if the client loses. However, they are gaining in popularity for other kinds of matters as well.  For instance, many firms will handle a merger or an acquisition on a similar arrangement, taking a smaller fee if the deal fails to close, and a larger fee if the deal is successful.  These types of fees help to align the lawyer’s incentive with your own.

Once you decide on the best fit for your company, it’s critical to make sure to clarify expectations. Ultimately, the client is in charge and the client-attorney relationship works best when there is a clear understanding about services rendered and the associated costs.

To learn more about how to hire a lawyer, contact us here.

How to Hire a Lawyer – About the Author

Lawyer Rob Macklin

 

Rob is a business attorney with Epiphany Law. He has over 20 years of experience offering businesses top-notch legal service and practical, actionable advice. Rob has served as General Counsel to several successful companies, ranging from $5 million to $1 billion in global revenue. In addition, Rob took time from his legal career to serve with the US Navy as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, running intelligence operations for SEAL Team 8. As a trained lawyer, small business owner and Department of Defense certified interrogator, Rob’s diverse skill set can help you navigate any challenge your business may face.

Exit Planning: When to start?

Posted by Kevin Eismann on with 0 Comment

 

Legal matters, business strategy, and life perspectives from the mind of a non-attorney.

A few weeks ago, we sent out emails to several business owners, inviting them to attend a presentation on Exit Planning. We met our desired room capacity pretty quickly, but we did get a few responses like this:

  • “I’m not exiting my business for 3 or 4 years, I’ll attend the presentation then.”
  • “We aren’t exiting until next year. Will you be doing this again in 6 months?”

Two separate business owners made a conscious decision to delay attending this kind of presentation until their exit is at arm’s length.

As a person who is very educated on what Exit Planning is and how much work it takes, let’s just say those decisions scare the s*** out of me.

Yes, I know, there is a certain contingent of business owners who simply cannot – and will not – mentally or emotionally handle the task of planning for their exit. In fact, we even wrote a blog about it: Exit Planning: Why Do Business Owners Avoid It? Bottom line: It’s just too much for them, so they stick their heads in the sand.

Those responses we got – you know, a few weeks ago after the presentation – those felt different. To my mind, it feels like those business owners actually think it is OK to wait longer than they already have. Like, with the rational part of their brain.

They weren’t being emotional, afraid, or willfully negligent.

It seems like they were just living their reality.

If that is the case, I have failed you all miserably.

Why?

The truth is, executing an Exit Plan takes a hell of a lot longer than 6-12 months. If you wait until then to even start LEARNING about Exit Planning, you are way behind the 8 ball. You are asking for disaster. I’m not saying you are S.O.L, but I AM SAYING that you have effectively put the ball in someone else’s court and left value – i.e. MONEY – on the table.

Really?

Yep.

Okay… So how long DOES it take?

Internal Transition

First of all, did you know there are really only four (4) practical ways that you can transition a business internally?

  1. Intergenerational Transfer: The transfer of a business to direct heirs, usually children. About 50% of business owners want to exercise this option; only 30% do it successfully.
  2. Management Buyout: Owner sells all or part of the business to the company’s management team. Management uses the assets of the business to finance a significant portion of the purchase price.
  3. ESOP: Company uses borrowed funds to acquire shares from the owner and contributes the shares to a trust on behalf of the employees.
  4. Sale to Existing Partners.

Here’s the deal: If I’m going to be your Exit Planner, and you are considering an Internal Transition of any kind, I want our initial meeting to be at least 10 years prior to your exit.

You heard me. 10 years.

Why? 2 Reasons.

  1. In all likelihood, you are not just GIVING this thing away. And you want cash at closing, not a promise to pay.
  2. In all likelihood, the person(s) you are selling it to can’t afford to buy it, and wouldn’t be able to secure financing.

If you come meet with me 10 years in advance, we can create a pot of money for your successor(s). The concept is simple: Money gets bonus-ed into the pot if – and only if – they achieve predetermined objectives that help you grow the value of the business. Pick your scenario:

  • Give successor(s) $0.00, have a company worth $2,000,000. In 10 years, receive a 20 year note and a $150,000 first year payment.
  • Give successor(s) $1,000,000.00, have a company worth $3,000,000. In 10 years, receive $2,000,000 and a 10 year note for the balance.

I know which one I’d pick.

If you come meet with me 5 years in advance, we cannot do that.

If you come meet with me somewhere in between, the numbers might work. They might not. It’s anybody’s guess.

External Sale

If you’re planning to pursue a sale to a third party, I will be thrilled if you give me a 5 year runway to work with.

You see, Exit Planning is a lot like flipping a house:

If you give me 5 years, we can update everything: new hardwoods, appliances, siding, and roofing. We can check the plumbing and electrical. We can remodel the kitchen and master bedroom. Hell, we can even toss on an addition. And the best news: All of that will be done in 2-3 years, giving us the opportunity to truly pick our spot and capitalize on favorable market conditions when they are present.

If you give me 3 years, we can still make a ton of updates. The house will truly be in great shape for buyers. Only problem: you aren’t giving yourself any time to play the market. Once the house is ready, you’re going up for sale, whether it’s a buyer’s market or a seller’s market.

If you give me 1 year, we can update a handful of things and slap on a fresh coat of paint. That’s it. Smart buyers – yes most of them are smart – are going to try and poke holes to drive the price down.

I know what you’re thinking: “Yeah, remodeling makes everything look great, but it ain’t free either. Is it really worth the investment?”

  • For most of you it’s going to mean the difference between a business that sells and one that sits on the market for 2 years before getting liquidated because nobody wants it.
  • We track ROI for our clients. We’ve never had someone come out in the negative. We generally EXPECT our clients to earn at least 30% on their investments in Exit Planning by the time it’s all said and done.

Getting Started

We generally kick off the process with a complimentary “exploratory” meeting. You’ll have the opportunity to ask questions and help us understand your true desires.

Assuming all parties agree to move forward, we jump into “Benchmarking” your business.

To stick with the remodeling analogy, it’s the basic equivalent of obtaining a real estate appraisal – on steroids. Yes, we deliver you with an estimate of value based on your financials. We also take it 5 steps further. We give you insight that says, “Hey, someone is going to fall in love with this house and pay 20% more if you gut the basement clean, paint the stairwell olive green and put a giant picture of Aaron Rodgers in the family room.”

At that point, whether you hire us to gut the basement and paint the stairwell, contract it out to someone else, or ignore our advice is entirely your prerogative.