Legal advice is more important than you think for a growing business. While many people believe that it’s typically for dealing with lawsuits and copyright disputes, it’s also exceptionally important to seek out a lawyer for legal advice related to the formation and structure of your business.

But when’s the right time to look for a lawyer? Is it a good idea to search for one before you form your business, or is it something that you should consider a little later into your business’s lifespan? Here’s some advice to help you out.

Certain businesses need legal advice early on

Some companies are going to need legal advice before they even form as a company. For example, if you’re creating a cloud-based service where people can upload photos and other personal data, then there’s a good chance that you’ll need to understand data protection laws so that you know the consequences of a cybersecurity breach. This will encourage you to establish proper protections so that your data isn’t stolen, and it’ll provide peace of mind to all of your customers and clients.

Without the right professional advice from a legal expert, you may find that it’s hard to meet certain compliance requirements. So in this case, a lawyer isn’t really helping you in court, but rather preventing you from ever being in a situation where you might be sued or taken to court for data protection breaches.

Examining business contracts before they are signed

When you’re a small business, there’s a good chance that you’ll slowly start to work with other businesses and vendors. When this happens, you’ll likely be signing contracts whenever you partner with a new entity. This means you’ll have to understand a lot of legal jargon and really understand what you’re getting into before you sign.

Offices like Wegman Partners can help you examine business contracts before they are signed. They’ll help you identify problematic clauses and you’ll get a better understanding of how these contracts work. If there’s something that could be a potential issue for you in the future, then your legal advisors will point these out and save you trouble in the future.

Buying and selling businesses requires legal advice too

You should also consider legal advice if you ever decide to buy or sell a business. This is important because running a business tends to get more and more difficult over time, and some business owners would rather sell their company when it gets too much to handle instead of letting it die out. A successful business can fetch a good price, and you’ll have peace of mind knowing that it’ll be in good hands when you leave.

Selling a business can generate a good amount of profit, but you need to understand all of the terms and conditions around it. You may even need to draft your own contract, hence why it’s a good idea to speak with a legal professional to help you create it and also read through it so that there are no mistakes or outstanding issues.