
Ask HN: Consult a lawyer/accountant? - ryanmccullagh
All along the forums, and here on HN, the terminal advice is always, &quot;consult a lawyer&#x2F;accountant&quot;. This seems to be advice given, but what exactly does that mean? How does one &quot;consult&quot; a lawyer for their project? How does one learn how to contract a lawyer for consultations?<p>Why isn&#x27;t there a public resource that can put people in the right direction?
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Digory
> "contract a lawyer for consultations."

This is a strikingly formal mental idea of how professional relationships
begin. It's not quite so formal. You can ponder about "contracting a doctor
for consultations," but most people just say "go to the doctor."

When people say "consult with a lawyer," they typically mean you should ask a
lawyer for professional advice about this situation. If you don't have a
relationship already, you would typically call their office and set an initial
appointment of 30 to 60 minutes. If you know you have a problem, you should
expect to receive legal advice during that appointment, and to pay something
for it.

Yes, some lawyers offer free consultations -- typically lawyers who work on
contingent fees. They are paid out of a substantial recovery, and offer to
talk to people who are unsure their injury is worth pursuing legal action. If
your legal situation doesn't involve a lump sum recovery, you should expect to
pay for the time spent by the lawyer unless you have some other agreement
(flat fee, etc.)

Still, most of the lawyers I know are willing to write off some time so that
the potential client can decide whether to engage the lawyer for further
advice. It is perfectly acceptable to tell the receptionist or lawyer that
you're considering several people, and would like to talk about whether this
lawyer or firm has relevant experience. But understand you're unlikely to
receive much legal advice during that kind of meeting.

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dsr_
You can find lawyers in the phone book or with a search engine. They usually
take out advertisements indicating their specialty -- business law and/or
contracts is generally what you want. Call one up and ask for an appointment.

Typically, the initial interview is to find out if you've found an appropriate
lawyer and if they have the time to sell to you. If either of these things are
misaligned, the lawyer will almost certainly offer you a referral to another
lawyer who is more appropriate or available for you.

After a successful interview, you generally pay some money as a retainer. It
may or may not be applied to your billed hours.

A business lawyer's function is to tell you how to accomplish your goals
without violating laws, or that your goals are fundamentally illegal, or how
to accomplish a goal in a law-abiding fashion that will minimize legal risk.
If you are about to enter into a contract, a lawyer will review it for you and
point out areas of higher risk, and possibly suggest ways to mitigate those
risks. If you have a particular intention for the contract, the lawyer will
help your phrase it so that a court of law will understand what you are
intending.

Almost all of the above is true for accountants, as well, except that instead
of advising you on legal matters, they will advise you on accounting matters
(which have a strong overlap with legal matters). Accountants figure out which
paperwork you need to file, and can complete most of it for you.

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briandoll
Great lawyers who know this (startups, consultancies, M&A, compensation, etc.)
space well are few and far between, especially if you don't want to work with
a giant firm. A good specialist will take your call to discuss your situation
and present some options for you, though.

Call Gabe: [https://groundworklegal.com/](https://groundworklegal.com/)

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rajacombinator
You might actually have to pick up a phone and call someone. The horror!

~~~
ryanmccullagh
Hey, even though you might be trolling let me be clear. I’ve called an
accountant. But how am I supposed to know if he actually knows what he’s
doing?

~~~
rajacombinator
Call a couple. Ask some questions about their experience working with startups
/ dealing with your particular situation. Make a judgment call once you’ve
talked to a few. Or get a recommendation from someone you trust.

