the Price of Legal Services for Small Businesses

For $950, a general practice attorney prepared all of the documents necessary for us to incorporate a small auto repair business. The fee included an initial meeting with both of us that lasted about an hour, and then the preparation of the articles, state registration, filing, bylaws, and the other papers that we had to have to get our company officially started. The lawyer got everything done in about three weeks and he even delivered the documents to us and explained what they all meant and what we need to do in the future to keep the corporation active and in good standing with the state.

We were referred to the lawyer by a friend that had used him before for similar work, and we were satisfied with the price and the timing of the services. He seemed to be pretty experienced with corporations and took his time to make sure that we understood the laws and the process and the benefits of a corporation compared to a partnership or some other arrangement. He was professional and patient with our questions and helped us to make the right decisions, and the fee that he charged was fair for his time and the quality of the work that he did.

Just try to get a reference from someone who has worked with the lawyer before and make sure that the fee includes all of the costs that the state charges for filing and other activities. It should be a flat fee instead of hourly so that you don't have to always worry every time that you call the lawyer to ask a question.