IGX

I need someone to review a contract for me. What's the best way to determine if the guy I'm talking to actually knows what he's talking about or is a complete shithead.

Also, how much can I expect to spend for this?

Where to find a good attorney:

Old Mother wrote:I need someone to review a contract for me. What's the best way to determine if the guy I'm talking to actually knows what he's talking about or is a complete shithead.

Also, how much can I expect to spend for this?

As usual, it depends on what the contract is supposed to do. Some transactions are very simple and can be written just as you think they would. Others can get tricky depending on the good or service being sold. Some contracts can be oral, some must be written, and some need to verified and recorded. The big "gotcha" areas usually have to do with remedies in case of breach and what you have to do to make sure your security interest maintains superiority over subsequent interests (that may be created through future contracts).

I'm a mediocre attorney who does contracts. The key with most contract review is that you want to find someone who will give you practical advice and not a legal memorandum. It also matters a lot whether you are looking to find a "good attorney" or "an attorney who will give me the advice I need." You don't really need to go to a top law firm to get quality legal advice on most mundane contract issues. If this contract is life-and-death importance to you and/or deals with something that an attorney is likely to view as really complicated, then maybe you do need to find a top lawyer.

I find most of the outside counsel that I use through referrals. If I were to go to an area where I had zero contacts I'd probably look at one of the networks of independent local firms like Lex Mundi-- cheaper than a big firm, but you'll still probably pay more than if you can find a referral to someone really small.

What's the nature of the contract?

That will help determine what you need to look for in a lawyer and possibly how much.

If it's a simple residential real estate purchase agreement, that's easy.

If it's a 500+ page merger agreement, not so easy.

Ask your attorney if he has a business card. That should show you if he's credible or not.

Turdacious wrote:Where to find a good attorney:

If it was not for the Conan news, this would be the post of the day.

alright, good enough.

Thanks.