After hiring a competent lawyer to oversee your real estate legal issue, you will organize your first meeting. It is crucial to prepare adequately for this meeting to avoid wasting time and also speed up the settlement of the matter. Below is a guideline that will help you during your preparations.
Gathering information
During your first meeting, the commercial estate lawyer will ask for all the information pertaining to your business. They will ask for detailed background information pertaining to the business and your relationship to it. The lawyer will also want to find out if you have the legal authority to speak on behalf of the firm. You need to write down all this information in a logical manner before meeting the lawyer so that you do not leave out any relevant details.
Some lawyers will speed up the process of gathering information by sending you a questionnaire in advance. Ensure you fill out the form and submit it to the lawyer's office before the meeting. Remember to keep a copy for your own company records. Before delving into the real legal issue, the commercial estate lawyer will ask the details of all the other parties involved in the tussle. Do not withhold any information as they want to ascertain that there is no conflict of interest before they agree to represent you.
Bring all relevant documents
In any legal matter, written documentation is of utmost importance. Even if the lawyer does not ask you to bring any documents to the meeting, it is good to bring a copy of all the papers that are relevant to the legal matter you want solved. Take some time and formulate a list of documents that you may need and retrieve them before the meeting. For instance, if the legal tussle revolves around business premise ownership, bring a copy of the sale or mortgage agreement. For lease disputes, carry a copy of the lease agreement. Do not forget to bring original and copies of the correspondence you received from, or sent to the aggrieved party. Also, provide evidence of any payments made by carrying copies of bank statements, receipts, and checks. Organize all these in a logical manner before the meeting.
Prepare questions
Come up with a list of questions that you will ask the real estate lawyer during your first meeting. This is because the answers will help you to know the lawyer better and form a foundation for your professional relationship. Some questions you may ask include the number of contracts similar to yours the lawyer has handled, the paperwork pertaining to the case and how long it will take for it to be finalized, and how they will handle your situation. Also, remember to ask the approximate time it will take to resolve the matter and the estimated total legal fee you have to pay. Contact a firm, such as A R E Law, for more information.
Share3 May 2016
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