An Ounce Of Prevention

Seek Legal Advice First: Benjamin Franklin said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. As attorneys, it always amazes us how often people seek our help after a problem arises, when they could have avoided the problem if they had consulted us first. This happens in business disputes, divorces, real estate matters and even personal injury cases. It is understandable that folks don’t like to spend money on legal fees, especially when they think they can handle the matter themselves. Unfortunately, it will likely be much more expensive when things don’t turn out how they planned.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?: When two or more people decide to go into business together, there is often lots of positive energy and everyone is excited about launching a new venture. It is not unusual for these entrepreneurs to skip formal contracts and, instead, agree to things on a handshake or loosely-worded agreements. Sadly, these startup businesses can lead to disputes or even failure. When that happens, there will be a lot of finger pointing and different recollections as to any agreements. It is advisable to seek legal counsel before starting a business. Sometimes the parties can use one attorney, while other situations may necessitate each party having their own attorney.

Landlords are notorious for doing things for themselves. They can be very resourceful in managing their property; making repairs; and even handling leasing contracts. However, we have had to help a number of landlords deal with major problems such as security deposits and property damage when the relationships with their tenants turned sour. Often times the problems could have been avoided or handled efficiently if the landlord had only sought our help before taking action or allowing the problem to escalate.

Divorce cases are another area where some people seem to think it will be better if they simply “keep the lawyers out of it”. This means they try to handle the matter themselves. Sometimes this works out, but often one or both parties don’t even know what their rights and responsibilities are. In our opinion, good legal counsel actually help resolve divorce cases efficiently in most cases. In any case, a party considering divorce is strongly advised to at least have an initial consultation with an attorney to get an overview of the process and possible outcomes. We even offer mediation to parties in a divorce, where we don’t represent either one, but simply help them through the legal process.

Peace of Mind: Having an attorney as a resource can provide significant peace of mind when you are facing legal situations. Once a relationship is established, typically after an in-person consultation, our clients often contact us by phone or email with quick questions about a matter. This allows us to guide them and does not have to incur significant time or fees.

If you have any questions on the above or any other legal matter, please contact us.

Sincerely,

Sam Crump
Attorney at Law

About Anthem Law
Business – Family Law – Wills/Trusts – Probate – Personal Injury – Bankruptcy
The information provided is intended to give general information only and not to provide advice on specific legal issues. If you need our assistance interpreting any information, please feel free to contact us.