
When is an attorney necessary? - chwolfe

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cwilbur
The basic answer, unfortunately, is that when it's apparent that you need an
attorney, you almost always needed to have one yesterday.

Anything you expect to be legally binding, or that might wind up being dealt
with in court someday -- such as incorporation, contracts, partnership
agreements -- should be looked over by a lawyer. You'll most likely save
yourself time and money in the long run if you meet a lawyer and develop a
relationship long before you think you need to -- because that way, when you
do need a lawyer, you'll know who to turn to and your lawyer will have some
idea of who you are.

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sethjohn
We have some founders, some ideas, and some demo products...hopefully we'll
start pitching in the next few weeks. Do we need a lawyer now? Or can we wait
until we get a term sheet and go from there?

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chwolfe
How long can you go without one and when must you have one?

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leisuresuit
haha... I think you just know in your gut when you need one.

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falsestprophet
in the case of MURDER

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sabat
Great topic. Does anyone have any recommendations for _affordable but
competent_ (heh) lawyers in the Bay Area?

Also, since forming a C Corp is considered to be the Right Thing to Do, what
about accounting? Can you just get QuickBooks and be ok, or do you really need
a CPA?

