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Comment by jonas21 | Hacker News Reader

Sorry if this is a silly question, but what's the best way to go about finding a competent lawyer for one's company?

Let's suppose you don't have a particularly strong network to draw from for recommendations.

Googling or using Yelp don't seem like particularly good options. They mostly turn up personal injury and divorce lawyers.

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If you’re talking to investors at all, ask them for recommendations. That’s a good place to start.

I say this because investors sit on boards and work alongside these lawyers once they invest. They learn pretty quickly who is great and can often give very direct recommendations: a specific lawyer, not just a firm. At the startup stage you should choose the lawyer, not the firm.

FYI - at least one friend-of-a-friend large scale investor reached out after this article to note he'd almost hired this same person.

Don't assume someone coming in through a reference has had the level of due diligence you need. Always do your own due diligence. It catches things that will otherwise slip through because everyone assumes everyone else checked.

One thing to keep in mind is that any lawyers the investors recommend are likely to be loyal to the investors and not you.

Depends on what you need. Investment/M&A vs "I need to sue a nonpaying client" are quite different.

Standard lawyer answer: "It depends." :)

Your local attorney bar association can provide referrals.

Alternatively, if you have a large budget, any downtown law firm will be competent at handling business matters.

Referrals

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