General Counsel Lawyers are the jack-of-all trades in the legal world. If there is a question regarding immigration policy, talk to the GC lawyer. If you have a tax problem, the GC lawyer is the go-to-guy. What if you need a new lease negotiated on your office building? That’s right, the one person that knows a little of everything is the GC lawyer.
Every business needs a lawyer but most business owners do not keep a staff of lawyers for their company needs. When beginning a new business, the budget is usually on a shoestring, frugal and skinny. However, there are many needs of a business owner that could use the benefit of an experienced counselor of law. Consider what your company would do in the following circumstances:
- An employee driving the company truck moves in reverse instead of forward and smashes through a plate glass window. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Who pays for the damages to the already broken sidewalk?
- The Immigration and Naturalization Service informs you that one of your employees is using forged documentation. Who really knows what the real papers look like? What is your liability now?
- Your newest and very young employee has been downloading personal material to your server, including illegal images that have now involved the police. Who is at fault? Is it the employee, or you for not securing your data?
- One of your employees was overheard discussing the health problems of a frequent customer. The customer was informed of this indiscretion and wants the employee fired. Now the customer wants to sue the business for violation of the HIPPA law. Are you also at fault? Did you have a written employee policy detailing confidentially and customer discussions?
- Have you drafted an employee rules and regulations policy in the event of a mishap, accident, or employee theft? Have you covered all of the possibilities that could happen, so that you have a written policy that is thorough?
- Do you have a 401(k) policy for your employees? If you are a midsize to large business, to be competitive in the business world, good employees expect more than a salary when they are hired. Experienced employees want a retirement account, medical benefits, bonuses, overtime, Flexible Spending Accounts, and even reimbursement for continuing education. This is a definite skill for a savvy attorney that is experienced in drafting employee compensation agreements and offering letters.
General Counsel Lawyers with Outside GC Lawyers can help you determine the best policies for your business needs. When you open a business, your first focus is how to make a profit, how to outfit the business, and recruiting an excellent team of employees. Time is valuable and elusive because there are so many preparations to make. Give yourself a chance to breathe by hiring outside counsel to work the details.
Outside counsel can do the diligent groundwork. They will do the research and draft the documents; you can comfortably read them knowing they are complete and thorough, protecting your business from haphazard events and unforeseen circumstances.
