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Ask HN: What type of lawyer can review consultant agreements?

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Re: Ask HN: What type of lawyer can review consultant agreements?

#11

Post by behringer »

hackitup7 wrote: post #8
kube-system wrote: post #4

My favorite way to handle these types of situations is to contact any lawyer you trust and ask them to recommend someone. They will not only know the correct discipline for your particular scenario, but being in the industry, they’re a better judge of quality than just picking someone randomly out of a search engine. The first time I needed a lawyer to review business paperwork, I called a local personal injury lawye…

Totally agreed here, although it's a bit scary that this is the state of the art solution.

Oh there's lots of solutions to this problem. But this is the most honest.

Re: Ask HN: What type of lawyer can review consultant agreements?

#12

Post by [deleted] »

polygamous_bat wrote: post #9
kube-system wrote: post #4

My favorite way to handle these types of situations is to contact any lawyer you trust and ask them to recommend someone. They will not only know the correct discipline for your particular scenario, but being in the industry, they’re a better judge of quality than just picking someone randomly out of a search engine. The first time I needed a lawyer to review business paperwork, I called a local personal injury lawye…

Seems like a personal web of trust, but what happens when I don't know any lawyers at all? Full story: I am close to a contract dispute with my landlady (she refuses to keep the heat at the legal minimum level because it would be too expensive for her, and threatened to evict us when I mentioned the law) and anticipate needing legal help soon.

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What type of lawyer can review consultant agreements?

#14

Post by rmah »

This is contract law. Most general or transactional (aka business or corporate) law firms -- as opposed to criminal or family law -- will handle this sort of thing. Contracts are the bread and butter of lawyers. It's what they live for.

I would suggest a solo or small law firm as your business will be more important to them. And attention to the agreements you have questions about is actually what you're looking for. Larger firms will probably just hand you off to a paralegal with a quick review by an actual lawyer. And then charge you way more.

Re: Ask HN: What type of lawyer can review consultant agreements?

#15

Post by conductr »

polygamous_bat wrote: post #9
kube-system wrote: post #4

My favorite way to handle these types of situations is to contact any lawyer you trust and ask them to recommend someone. They will not only know the correct discipline for your particular scenario, but being in the industry, they’re a better judge of quality than just picking someone randomly out of a search engine. The first time I needed a lawyer to review business paperwork, I called a local personal injury lawye…

Seems like a personal web of trust, but what happens when I don't know any lawyers at all? Full story: I am close to a contract dispute with my landlady (she refuses to keep the heat at the legal minimum level because it would be too expensive for her, and threatened to evict us when I mentioned the law) and anticipate needing legal help soon.

You don’t really have to know any lawyers. You can find a lawyer who has a good reputation easily. They are always up for a chat and know the lawyer that’s would be useful for your situation. There’s a good amount of networking and referrals going on in the legal profession and is perfectly normal to just ask for help.

It’s like if your stomach hurt you might call a gastroenterologist but then he says sounds like something a dietician can help with and tells you someone they recommend. Same thing happens in the legal world.

Re: Ask HN: What type of lawyer can review consultant agreements?

#16

Post by tekkk »

I wouldn't be worried unless they explicitly try to own intellectual rights to stuff you make outside your work. They are just trying to cover their asses with as many clauses as possible but really, only time I'd see them being enforced if you jump right into a competitor and/or create your own competing product.

Re: Ask HN: What type of lawyer can review consultant agreements?

#17

Post by MollyRealized »

IANAL but I've been a legal assistant for 22 years.

I would find a labor & employment attorney, with the caveat that you want one that traditionally does work for tech labor and not tech employers.

With most legal specialties, you'll find that attorneys often gain experience defending one 'side' of the argument.

Re: Ask HN: What type of lawyer can review consultant agreements?

#18

Post by tomduncalf »

When I needed a US contract reviewing I found someone via Priori and was happy with the service I got. Could be worth a look if you don’t have any personal recommendations. I’d be happy to share the details of the person I used if you like but it was just a fairly simple one off contract review so don’t take it as a proper recommendation!

Re: Ask HN: What type of lawyer can review consultant agreements?

#19

Post by zugi »

tekkk wrote: post #16

I wouldn't be worried unless they explicitly try to own intellectual rights to stuff you make outside your work. They are just trying to cover their asses with as many clauses as possible but really, only time I'd see them being enforced if you jump right into a competitor and/or create your own competing product.

True, most of these are pretty readable by a lay person, but there may be clauses and phrases in there with distinct legal meaning (e.g. "work for hire") that you might miss if you just review it yourself.

Though I'm not saying you need a lawyer. I've signed plenty of these agreements and never hired a lawyer. Just know you're taking a risk in doing so.

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