I regularly see threads online from Internet marketers who are looking to find an Internet lawyer 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.
5 Tips To Help You Find An Internet Lawyer
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.
Business Attorneys
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.
Generalist Or Focused?
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.
Flat Fee Or Hourly Billing?
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.
Understands Internet Marketing
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).
Different Kinds Of Internet Lawyers
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.
