I regularly see threads online from Internet marketers who are looking to hire an Internet attorney but don’t know where to start. Like the example linked to in the preceding sentence, too often the advice that is given is mixed and the person wanting to retain an Internet lawyer doesn’t have enough information to make an informed decision.

Please note that this is not a sales pitch for my services. My law practice is referral-only. Unless referred by an existing client, you’re not eligible for consideration to become a new client.

If you are looking for an Internet lawyer, here are five tips that will help you based upon real world experience and expertise — not speculation.

1. Most business lawyers can handle Internet legal matters but chances are you will be paying for their education because they won’t have the solution right away. If you want them to draft legal documents, they’ll probably be starting from scratch on that too so you’ll be paying extra for that.

2. A lawyer whose practice is primarily or exclusively Internet law will probably save you money regardless of what his billable hour rate is because he already has a head start on providing the solutions you want based on prior experience. Unlike the general business lawyer, there’s an excellent chance he’s already done for others what you need so there won’t be a lot of wheel reinvention occurring.

3. If you’ve got documents that need to be drafted that won’t involve multiple revisions or negotiations with another party, look for an Internet attorney who is willing to do the work on a flat fee basis instead of by the billable hour.

4. Any attorney who practices Internet law should have a practice that includes as clients Internet marketers you’ve heard of and understands Internet marketing terminology when you use it. For example, if his eyes glaze over when you refer to a Google Slap, PPC, or a squeeze page, find another lawyer. He doesn’t need to be an Internet marketing expert but if he doesn’t understand what you do, you’ll be paying extra for him to learn (assuming he puts in the time to do so).

5. Note that there are different types of Internet attorneys. Some handle transactions and help put together deals for you. Others handle lawsuits. The skill set for being a trial lawyer is very different from that needed to be a good transactional attorney. This means that you’ll need a good Internet transactional attorney for most of your online business. If you want to go to court (or get sued), you’ll need a good Internet trial lawyer. Be very skeptical of an attorney who claims he can do both for you.

About the Author

With an advanced international law degree from Georgetown University and more than 14 years of real world legal experience, Attorney Mike Young shows entrepreneurs how to protect and grow their businesses online. He's the author of "Internet Marketing Legal Secrets Revealed," "How to Create Your Own Internet Business Without a Lawyer for Under $175," and the creator of Website Legal Forms Generator^TM. Not just a lawyer who focuses exclusively on Internet and marketing law, Mike’s been working with computers for more than 27 years (his first computer was an Atari 400 with 8 KiB RAM) and started representing Internet businesses back in 1996.