Tag: commercial lawyers canberra

Top 10 Website Packages For Commercial Lawyers In 2022

Top 10 Website Packages For Commercial Lawyers In 2022

Posted on by Beverly J. Soares

As a commercial lawyer dealing with top-notch business enterprises, good websites give your clients a place to link with you online. Great commercial lawyer websites are easy to navigate, with services laid out. But the best law firm websites provide an effortless, client-centred experience while projecting a clear brand for your practice.

Below, we have looked at law firm website designs and compiled a list of the ones which clients find impressive. We hope this helps you get inspired with useful tactics to improve your website regardless of your law firm size and whether you are a lawyerof commercial law, family law, or real estate law legal practitioner.

1. ASA Law Group

 ASA Law Group, a worker’s compensation defence firm based in Oak Brook, Illinois, is top of the best law firm websites. Their website shows off their expertise and ability to meet clients’ needs by showcasing weekly telebriefing on their homepage. Moreover, ASA shows how they cater to the needs of business clients on their about page because they emphasize how they are a client-centred practice rather than a billable-centred one. This web idea is among the best a commercial lawyer can ever get,.commercial lawyer 

Top 10 Website Packages For Commercial Lawyers In 2022

2. Beacon Law

Many commercial lawyer websites fall into the trap of overcomplicating their website and making it confusing to the user. Beacon Law, which provides legal services to low-income individuals in Houston, Texas, manages to avoid this by having a clear and easy-to-find online intake form on its homepage. That makes the user experience much smoother for those looking to access legal services quickly.

3. Bend Law Group

All of the best law firm websites emphasize branding and getting their message across as soon as the visitor lands on the website. Bend Law Group spectacularly does this with an eye-catching homepage header which reads “Dream big. We got your back.”

On top of that, Bend has been mentioned in several impressive publications, and the firm also showcases its top SuperLawyer, Avvo, and Yelp ratings on its home page. Finally, the firm features its phone number, address, and email, so clients and potential clients can contact them quickly. What else does a commercial lawyer need if not a website that clients can talk to?

4. California Innocence Project

The California Innocence Project helps to free wrongfully convicted individuals in the city. The power of their website lies in its simplicity, and that’s good for every commercial lawyer. It knows its work will quickly inspire and resonate with its audience, so its website design prioritizes strong visuals and copy to clarify its mission. It is also quick to immediately answer questions about what innocent organizations are and why support is needed.

5. Cascade Legal Planning

Cascade Legal Planning, an estate planning firm, has a calming website highlighting the different services offered. And, it’s clear what the firm does because there are pages on wills, trusts, probate, and more that outline the design feaures for each service in a bulleted list. Moreover, this includes pricing, an essential piece of information that most commercial lawyer websites often neglect to include!

6. Fresh Legal

Fresh Legal makes our list of best law firm websites due to their excellent use of reassurance copy. As soon as a website visitor lands on their homepage, they’re prompted to schedule a free call. That is important because it eases any worries about the initial cost of legal services, on top of the difficulties a potential client with legal issues may face. As a commercial lawyer, you may take a hint from the fantastic creativity of this website.

7. Hamra Law Group

Hamra Law Group, a business and employment law firm, mixes up the traditional website design template by featuring images of the firm’s critical commercial lawyers in the firm, allowing prospective clients to put a face to a name right away. That is important because it could potentially increase a prospective client’s trust in the firm.

Also, the law firm highlights that initial consultation are free in multiple places, showcasing how it provides value to clients upfront. Furthermore, highlighting their free consultations also emphasizes that the firm is budget conscious and offers fair and transparent billing. With cost being a key consideration for many legal clients, this approach is on the money.

8. Hoglund, Chwialkowski & Mrozik, P.L.L.C.

Generally speaking, there is no set layout, colour, or design that all of the best law firm websites share. What they do have in common, however, is they address the needs of all prospective clients and website visitors.

Firstly, their clear homepage highlights their practice areas front and centre, letting clients know they’re in the right place. Then, their phone number is highlighted with a call-to-action (CTA) button in a bright colour, making them easy to contact, and the firm highlights that clients can get started for zero dollars, easing cost concerns. No doubt, this web layout is excellent for commercial lawyers.

9. K Bennett Law LLC

This website design makes it clear that the firm is there to support law firms right from the start. It creates a solid first impression; the clean, well-designed home page offers three different ways to get in contact, including a live chat or scheduling a consultation. The home page also details various services provided, highlighting that everything is 100% flat fee because this is important for cost-conscious new business owners with predictable budgets.

10. Kinchloe Law

Kinchloe Law, a firm that covers family, disability, and business law, has a website design that makes the user experience simple to navigate. They make it easy to get in contact with a banner, clear button, and option to start chatting right from their home page. Furthermore, founder Alycia Kinchloe showcases her expertise on the site with A House Divided, which brings out a great website idea for commercial lawyers.

Finally

Every commercial lawyer needs to functional website to succeed in this heated competition. as a legal practitioner, your website is your business window to the world. You will limit your customer base to your locality without a solid online presence. Amazingly, people finding a service near them first go to the internet to search. 

Related: Why Commercial Lawyers Can Stop Protecting Your Business

Why Commercial Lawyers Can Stop Protecting Your Business

Why Commercial Lawyers Can Stop Protecting Your Business

Posted on by Beverly J. Soares

Every business needs a legal practitioner to protect its name, customers, property and assets. Ask Elon Musk or other top-rated business moguls you can reach; they will tell you that a business cannot stand the heat of competition without solid protection of the law. 

Hence, the saying “Behind every successful business, there is a competent commercial lawyer” is something to underline at the back of your mind. Commercial lawyers are assets in their own right. Bringing them into your business will only make you wealthier and more confident in the face of oppressing competition. 

If you deeply understand what I am trying to explain above, you wouldn’t want your business to lose the commercial protection lawyers give freely. However, it is always easy to keep commercial lawyers working in the best interest of your business. But, just like every other employee, they leave if you put them in some tight corners or provide an uncomfortable working environment. 

According to research and relevant statistics, many young commercial lawyers quit their job after a few months, and that’s across the globe. Legal practitioners are humans. Plus, they know the right thing to do in every situation. So, when the conditions seem unbearable, they will leave. And that means your business becomes vulnerable until you get another one.

For non-lawyers, it is crazy to think about how many commercial lawyers leave the legal industry every year. Perhaps you are planning to become of the many business owners to receive a letter of resignation from duty. After a lawyer has suffered through and paid for three years of law school, writing and passing the bar exam, now he is thinking of walking away from life as a commercial lawyer. Then, of course, it happens. 

Why Commercial Lawyers Can Stop Protecting Your Business

This article may help you to know that most commercial lawyers might have thought about quitting for a reason best known to them. However, even if they decided to stay, they may no longer give their best to the job as the drive would have ultimately. 

There are specific reasons that commonly discourage commercial lawyers and persuade them to bounce. We will examine some of those causes in this write-up. 

What Are The Reasons Commercial Lawyers Can Quit Their Job?

1. Commercial Lawyers Work Demanding Hours

Let’s face it; commercial lawyers work a lot. Whether it is hard deadlines in court, demanding clients, a commitment to the work or pushy partners in a law firm. A law career is not always a 9 am to 5 pm endeavour. After years of missed dinner dates and cancelled vacations, the hourly toll of being a commercial lawyer can start to compile. 

This strain can continue until it gets to the point where no money is worth it. At that point, people tend to quit seeking a better work-life balance. Your commercial lawyer is also a human who has the right to life. He may leave when the job is too demanding. 

2. The Pressure

You have the constant pressure to prevail in an adversarial system along with the long working hours. Add to that that commercial lawyers often deal with severe, real-life problems. Commercial lawyers daily deal with issues involving emotional and vital aspects of peoples’ lives, like family, freedom and money.

Add the hours to the pressure, and you have a recipe for stress. Over time, this stress can become unbearable without appropriate coping mechanisms, leading commercial lawyers to leave working for the business or the profession for good.

Why Commercial Lawyers Can Stop Protecting Your Business

3. The Constant Arguing

Some work pressure is inevitable in the legal field, but much of it is created by constant arguing, especially between litigators. Beyond the innate arguing over precedent in court, there is the daily obligation of arguing over complex legal matters. These matters may include when to schedule depositions or how many legal document requests each side will make.

Some people love this situation. But many don’t. If your commercial lawyer is not in the “I love argument” calibre, the weight of arguments can rapidly become too much, and he may leave after a few months of working under pressure. 

 4. The Lack of Control

In many cases, the lack of control over their work and schedule as commercial lawyers is even worse than the long hours. When a lawyer is subject to the pressures of the courtroom, the partners or other senior lawyers he works for, and consistent client demands, the lack of control over their work can become highly frustrating. That is why many commercial lawyers leave. Some will opt out of working with companies and other large organizations to open their solo practices.

 5. Boredom at the work

Let’s face it; modern legal works are pretty dull. Suppose you went to law school with visions of frequently giving compelling opening and closing varieties of arguments in court and executing surgical cross-examinations regularly. In that case, the realities of modern legal practice might come as a surprise. Very few court cases end up in a trial, and many litigators have never tried a case.

Most legal work involves writing, and much of the time will be spent alone in a boring office, thinking and researching. Or, even worse, suffering through document review assignments. However, the law itself is pretty fascinating. Also, the day-to-day work can be very frustrating. 

On a final note 

Commercial lawyers also want to work in an enjoyable working environment. But, once the burden becomes unbearable, you can’t hold them to stay. After all, they understand the law. So, they know on which ground they can quit working without owing you anything. 

As a tip, if you are planning to hire and enjoy the service of a seasoned commercial lawyer, make sure you will consider the above-listed points and try as much as possible to avoid doing them.

Meanwhile, don’t think you can’t find a commercial lawyer who can handle your business’s legal demands. There are many of them out there. However, you will find a better fit for your firm if you ask the right questions when choosing a lawyer. 

Related: Top 10 Website Packages For Commercial Lawyers In 2022

Differences between A Freelance Commercial Lawyer And A Sole Practitioner

Differences between A Freelance Commercial Lawyer And A Sole Practitioner

Posted on by Beverly J. Soares

As the legal industry is changing, new ways to practice all aspects of the law are emerging, including the option of practising as a freelance commercial lawyer. Though some business owners still believe in the traditional way of practising business law, the massive influence of the internet is already promoting the freelancing service even in the law industry. 

According to reports, most young chaps in the business world patronize freelance best commercial lawyers. However, since the pandemic, the general business format has changed for good. The business world is now flexible. Hence, freelance commercial lawyers are winning the bout. 

While freelance commercial lawyers are becoming more popular across the globe, confusion still exists over what a freelance commercial lawyer is and does. The most common misconception we see? People equate freelance commercial lawyers with “cheaper versions” of sole practitioners. This misconception has arisen partly from some solo commercial lawyers offering their legal services to the public on freelance platforms (alongside photographers, graphic designers, etc.) at highly discounted rates, creating confusion in the field of freelance commercial lawyers.  

We have summarized below the three differences between freelance commercial lawyers and sole practitioners. This article is dedicated to exposing you to the difference so that you will have the proper knowledge to distinguish between the two without mincing choices. 

Significant Differences Between Freelance Commercial Lawyers And Sole Practitioners

1. The Client

The clientele is the most crucial distinction between a sole practitioner and a freelance commercial lawyer.

Freelancers only work for other commercial lawyers, law firms, or in-house legal departments (usually large corporations), unlike sole practitioners, whom the general public doesn’t like to retain. Also, the sole practitioners do not have the grounds to provide legal advice directly to non-lawyers or what they refer to as “end-clients”. Finally, while technically, they are all “sole practitioners” with their respective law communities (our governing bodies), this is due to the non-appearance of the ‘freelance commercial lawyers’ category on their annual reports, and “sole practitioner” seem to be always available to how they practice business law.

So, those commercial lawyers who offer their legal services on general freelance marketplace websites are usually sole practitioners looking for work from end clients (although not all). They often provide their services at a lower or discounted rate. They use freelance platforms simply as another way to generate business from the public. Freelance commercial lawyers do not look for work from the general public.

It is understandable why sole practitioners may be confused with freelance commercial lawyers. In other industries (where freelancing or the “gig” economy has been embraced), freelancers are generally self-employed individuals, such as graphic designers or writers, who work for several clients on a project basis, as opposed to just one company. Like most lawyers (except for in-house counsel), sole practitioners work for several end clients instead of just one.  However, freelance commercial lawyers “gig” for several law firms and lawyers, as opposed to practising as an associate or partner of one lawyer, law firm, or company. The difference is, as noted above that freelance commercial lawyers work for other lawyers rather than end clients.

2. The Nature of the Work 

A sole practitioner will (generally) see the file through from beginning to end (i.e. from drafting the statement of claim to conducting the trial), unlike a freelance commercial lawyer who may be called into work on only one aspect of the file (i.e. to provide high-level strategic advice, draft a pleading, review one contract, appear for one court appearance, etc.)

This distinction affects the length or duration of the work. For example, in civil litigation, files can last for years. A sole practitioner’s litigation files can be dormant for months and then blow up at a moment’s notice. Instead of juggling 100 files that may require attention at any moment, freelance commercial lawyers focus on one or two assignments or projects at a time with clear beginnings and ends. That means lawyer and law firm clients get 100% (or close to it) of our attention on their work projects. Lawyer clients are juggling the 100 files, and we assist when they catch on fire. 

Also, lawyer clients consistently give us exciting and challenging legal work. The instructions are prominent and well thought out. Having a commercial lawyer as a client means less emotional support and psychological hand-holding than sole practitioners may have to provide to their end clients.  Some of the lawyer clients have told us that they prefer providing emotional support and hand-holding and are not keen on the actual law. That is how, as freelance commercial lawyers, we can complement a solo practitioner’s or law firm lawyer’s practice. Clients outsource the work they do not like to us so that they can focus on their work. 

Differences between A Freelance Commercial Lawyer And A Sole Practitioner

3. Overhead and Trust Accounts

Most sole practitioners have an office, a legal assistant or law clerk, office equipment and furniture, etc. Freelance commercial lawyers have very little overhead. We can work from anywhere, although most of us work from home and often have paperless ‘offices’.  There are commercial lawyers and law firm clients everywhere, and you can communicate with them over Skype, phone, email, etc.

While some sole practitioners may also work from home and have paperless offices, one thing a sole practitioner does have (that freelancers do not) is a trust account. Solo practitioners will often take monetary retainers from their end clients, which must be kept in a trust account. Freelancers usually only bill our lawyer and law firm clients once the work is complete, eliminating the need for a trust account.

In Conclusion

It is never a bad idea to commit your business to the hands of freelance commercial lawyers. It’s all for the profits. While sole practitioners and freelance commercial lawyers have much in common, we practice law differently. Depending on their personality, a commercial lawyer may suit one type of practice more than a sole practitioner. Based on research, most business owners prefer the freelance way of life!

Everything You Need To Know About Freelance Commercial Lawyers

Everything You Need To Know About Freelance Commercial Lawyers

Posted on by Beverly J. Soares

Most businesses prefer working with commercial lawyers associated with registered law firms. The general belief is that freelance commercial lawyers are specifically suitable for startup businesses. However, of course, larger business enterprises need to work with a law firm as they are expected to be better in terms of human resources, expertise and capacity to handle larger law projects.

However, it is not a rule in business. Several freelance commercial lawyers can handle large companies and perform excellently in their duties. In addition, freelance commercial lawyers can be a better option for a business as they can work in the legal department of a large company as an in-house legal counsel, and they charge lower than a law firm. 

Should you hire a freelance commercial lawyer or patronize a law firm? That is the question we are about to answer in this article. As you read on, we will expose you to everything necessary to know about freelance commercial lawyers, their roles in the daily running of a business, when it’s essential to work with them, the risks and rewards associated with them and more. But first, let’s know the meaning.

Everything You Need To Know About Freelance Commercial Lawyers

Who Is A Freelance Commercial Lawyer?

A freelance commercial lawyer, sometimes called a commercial contract law, is a lawyer who does legal work but isn’t associated with a law firm. Freelance commercial lawyers are independent contractors. They work for themselves in their separate businesses and work through written agreements.

Some freelance commercial lawyers work for small businesses or the legal department of a larger company, or they work for law firms. Other characteristics of freelance commercial lawyers include the following:

  • They may work on temporary legal projects or a continuing basis.
  • They specialize in everything from bankruptcy to white-collar crime. Independent business people can work for clients, depending on how much time they want to give to their business.
  • They do all the typical legal tasks, including research; preparing pleadings, motions, discovery requests, and contracts; running depositions; helping prepare for trials: and appearing in court.
  • Some may even do paralegal work for tasks that don’t require a law license. 

Not all online lawyer sites are for matching clients and lawyers. For example, the Bar Association of some countries provides a database of legal professionals. The site allows you to search for a commercial law firm based on the location and the type of service they provide. You can then get in touch with the firms to discuss your needs for a commercial lawyer.

Can I Hire a Freelance Commercial Lawyer to Work Online?

Many freelancers work online these days. Technology, including video and secure document sharing, is not that difficult. Be sure the freelancer is licensed to work in your state and look into increased security (attorney-client privilege) for conversations and communications.

How are Freelance Commercial Lawyers Different From Law Firm Lawyers?

Law firms hire commercial attorneys full-time to work on projects, and they represent the firm in all their work. As a result, the business attorneys bring in business for the firm, but they get credit for these promotional activities in increased compensation and promotion.

Freelance commercial lawyers are not associated with just one firm. As a result, they may be more flexible with their time and work from home, online, or in your office.

When Should You Hire A Freelance Commercial Lawyer?

You can hire a freelance commercial lawyer anytime you need exceptional legal work done for your law firm or your legal department. For example, let’s say the legal department of your business typically works on contract matters. If your company has just been sued for wrongful termination and you don’t have a specialist on your legal staff, you could search for a freelance commercial lawyer to work for you on this case.

What are the Advantages and Disadvantages?

The advantage of hiring a freelance commercial lawyer is the particular expertise they can bring to a case. In the example above, getting someone to run a wrongful termination case from within your company can bring you the benefit of the person’s experience.

Another advantage is that hiring a freelance commercial lawyer gives you flexibility in your legal staff. For example, when you are busy, you can hire a contract lawyer, and then you can let them go when the work is done. You also don’t have to pay benefits to these workers since they are independent, not employees.

One disadvantage of hiring a freelance commercial lawyer is that this person doesn’t know your business. It takes time for someone to understand your processes and policies. In addition, you will have to give the person information about the project and your business. If you are in a time crunch, this could take more time than you have.

The other disadvantage is the opposite. You don’t know if the attorney will be suitable for this job. Many excellent freelancers are out there, and you don’t know whether they will work out until you hire the person. So be sure to check work references and resumes carefully.

How Much Do Freelance Commercial Lawyers Charge?

Most freelance commercial lawyers, like other lawyers, work on hourly rates, but it’s also possible to have the person work on a flat fee or retainer basis. The cost varies based on the work’s complexity and the lawyer’s experience.

How Can I Find the Best Freelance Commercial Lawyer?

Several online services have databases of freelance commercial lawyers. They can match your business with a freelancer using your criteria. Most also provide support services to freelancers, and they serve as billing and collections agents. However, the contract between you isn’t usually part of their services.

In Conclusion

Make sure your expectations are clear and complete when dealing with commercial lawyers. In legal matters, you don’t want any misunderstandings or assumptions. Not only that but don’t try to hire a contract lawyer for a complex assignment if you are short on time. Instead, hire for lower-level work like writing documents or doing research and do the high-level work yourself. If you are a law firm, consider how you will handle letting clients know that the freelance commercial lawyer is on board with this case.