New Venture Lab: Equipping Christian Entrepreneurs

Question

I am looking for an attorney in my area.  Specialty does not matter.  Do you have any recommendations?

Answer

My attitude on choosing lawyers is as follows:

1. Use a specialist that knows the area of law that you need advice in very well (so you are not paying them to learn and you are getting the best advice possible).  A lawyer's experience is more important than his billing rate, because a low-cost, inexperienced lawyer can easily end up costing you a lot more than an expensive, but highly-experienced lawyer.
2. Use a lawyer that is specifically licensed for the jurisdiction for which you need the legal advice (your need for advice may be general, but it could be more localized, e.g. real estate law is typically heavily governed by a particular state's property code, so you will want a lawyer that is licensed and experienced in the state in which the real estate deal is located).
3. Choose a lawyer that has character and values consistent with yours (I've had my fill of legal advice that was "legal", but not according to Biblical standards).
4. Negotiate a flat fee if possible for the work up-front to keep from getting surprised.  Ask the lawyer to give you frequent updates on the billing vs. the anticipated total fee.

Note that location is typically not on my list of key items when choosing a lawyer.