20 Times To Hire Professional Legal Help

Just when should you hire a lawyer? Well, there are quite a few different occasions. Legal professionals can help us navigate the complex world of law, which controls every element of society from getting a job to owning property. While it may be possible to handle all the paperwork ourselves in some cases, making sense of it is not always easy unless you have a law degree. To prevent careless errors that could cost you huge amounts of money, it’s important to know when you should hire a professional. Below are 20 examples of the best times to hire a pro. 

Filing a lawsuit

Filing a lawsuit is the most common reason for hiring professional legal help. There are many different reasons as to why you may want to file a lawsuit, but in most cases it’s due to a breach of contract or some kind of personal damage caused by someone else (such as an injury, property damage or financial damage) that you feel you deserve compensation for. It’s possible to sue without professional legal help, but most people don’t know how to do this or how to build a convincing case. A lawyer will know exactly how to make a claim and what type of evidence you need to collect to win your case. 

Defending yourself against a lawsuit

If you have been sued by someone else and you feel that it is not on reasonable terms, this could be another great time to hire professional legal help. Lawyers can help you build a strong defence to prove that you were not at fault. And even if you were at fault, a lawyer may still be able to negotiate a smaller claim payment. 

Defending yourself against a criminal conviction

Been accused of a crime you didn’t commit? Or simply want to reduce your penalty? Fighting a criminal conviction alone is possible, but you are unlikely to be successful in most cases. With the help of a defence lawyer, you can build a strong defence case. When facing large fines or jail time, it could be particularly important for affecting the outcome. 

Writing a will

A probate lawyer could be worth hiring when you write your will. While you can write a will yourself, it is less likely to hold up in court if it is not composed in a certain way. A probate lawyer will be able to make sure that your will is legally binding and that nothing can be misinterpreted. Probate lawyers can also help when it comes to choosing a power of attorney or reducing inheritance tax.

Getting a divorce

Getting a divorce without lawyers is certainly possible. However, most separations aren’t straightforward, and there could be challenges that make handling the divorce process without a lawyer very difficult. Even when a divorce is on amicable terms, it is worth hiring divorce lawyers to guide you through the process. Both spouses can each hire a lawyer, or they can both share a neutral attorney mediator. 

Fighting child custody

Want to fight for custody of a child? In this case, you’ll need to hire a lawyer. Custody battles can be messy and emotionally challenging. A lawyer can help guide you through the process and help you build a strong case so that you’re more likely to win custody. When it comes to contesting things like child support or child visitation rights, hiring a lawyer can also be worthwhile. 

Buying/selling a home

There’s a lot of paperwork involved when transferring ownership of a property. Buying/selling a home is already a stressful process without also having to handle all this paperwork oneself. This is why most people hire a solicitor known as a conveyancer when moving home. Many agents will tell you that you need a conveyancer and may refuse to take the sale to the next step if you do not have one.

Declaring yourself bankrupt

Thinking of filing for bankruptcy? Hiring a lawyer in this case is recommended. A lawyer can help you to put in place protection measures so that you won’t lose certain assets to debt collectors. This could include assets like your home, which can come under threat in certain cases. Debt lawyers may also be able to offer more general advice when it comes to dealing with debts in order to help you out. This could include reminding you of your rights when interacting with creditors and help you understand contracts with lenders. 

Chasing up debts

Owed a lot of debt by someone else? It could also benefit you to hire a lawyer in this situation to help you get some compensation if a debtor has continuously failed to pay you back. Hiring a lawyer can be particularly useful when trying to retrieve large debts from difficult clients (such as tenants who are several months behind on rent and are refusing to communicate with you). 

Immigrating to a new country

If you or a family member is planning on immigrating to a new country, you may want to consider hiring an immigration lawyer to guide you through the process. Claiming citizenship or even applying for a long-term visa may require a lot of paperwork, which a lawyer can help you with. Try to hire a lawyer who understands the immigration process of the country you’re applying to. 

Starting a business

There are many legal requirements to consider when starting a business including applying for certain licences and making sure you have certain insurance in place. These legal requirements can vary depending on the industry you are breaking into. A business lawyer can offer advice on all the things you need when starting a business, as well as helping you with things like choosing a company formation.

Writing a contract

When writing any type of important contract, it can be useful getting the help of legal writers to ensure that the contract is legally binding and loophole-proof. This includes contracts such as tenancy agreements, employee contracts and customer terms and conditions. Be very careful of writing contracts yourself as any incorrect choice of wording could potentially be used against you. 

Hiring your first employees

There are many different laws to consider when hiring employees. If you decide to become an employer, consider hiring a solicitor to guide you through the process so that you can ensure that everything is set up correctly. This could include making sure health and safety requirements are met and that you’re paying employees correctly. 

Managing difficult employees/clients

Businesses can prevent being the target of many types of lawsuits by identifying difficult employees and clients early and then hiring legal advice in order to deal with them. In many ways, it’s best to always have a lawyer on call when running a business – you never know when something may kick off. 

Interpreting tax law

Tax law can be very complicated. When it comes to working out where you should be paying taxes, it’s often useful to hire a tax lawyer who can help clear things up. This is particularly useful if you’ve got lots of income streams or if you’ve got income from other countries coming into your account (an international tax lawyer may be your best choice in this case). 

Applying for a trademark or patent

A trademark can protect elements of your company brand (such as your brand name or logo) so that no other company can use them. This can protect your brand from being stolen. Patents can meanwhile help to protect ideas and inventions from being stolen. Applying for a trademark or patent can be difficult, and many business owners find that it’s beneficial to hire a lawyer to help them with the process. 

Making a planning appeal

Tried to get planning permission for a construction development, but had your planning proposal rejected? In these cases, it’s possible to consider a planning appeal. For a planning appeal to be successful, you’ll want to hire a planning appeal solicitor. You can also hire lawyers when protesting against a local development proposal that has been accepted. 

Making an insurance dispute

You could also benefit from hiring a lawyer if you’ve tried to make an insurance claim and your claim has been rejected. For example, if your home was burgled and your home insurance provider isn’t paying out, a lawyer may be able to help fight your case and get you the compensation you deserve. Because insurance policy terms and conditions can often be quite complex, it’s worth hiring an insurance lawyer to help.

Negotiating royalty arrangements

If you are a musician, it could be worth hiring a specialist solicitor when negotiating royalty arrangements. The law surrounding royalties can seem complicated and it can be beneficial to hire a music lawyer to help decode it all. 

Understanding complex legal matters

There are many areas of law that can be complex. It is always worth hiring a solicitor if you are unsure about the legality of something and do not want to make the wrong move.