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Ask HN How much do you spend on lawyers?
With a Bootstrapped company, every dollar counts, and it seems like legal fees are a never ending money pit.
Beyond the basic requirements of doing business, what do you pay lawyers to do, and how do you keep it affordable?
- cdvonstinkpot 13y agoI had to spend $300 for an hour of my attorney to have him review my ToS, and he found that I had copied/pasted a Creative Commons ToS from another country that was using phrases & terminology that wouldn't hold up in the US, and advised that I redo it all because it wouldn't hold up in court. So I was glad to have hired him to learn that. The company folded before I had to hire him to rewrite it though, otherwise I would've spent another $600 on another 2 hours of writing & revising a new ToS.
- rush-tea 13y agowhen you use a lawyer to draft your ToS, then if your company is sued because of ToS that the lawyer provide, is the lawyer for any lawsuit that comes with the ToS? and lets say if your company lost a lawsuit due to ToS, who will be liable for it? and who is going to pay the damage or settlement? I am thinking it's the lawyer who may have to pay because your company paid the lawyer to draft the ToS and he was not competent if such case happens. But I am not sure, hence the question. Thanks.
- tluyben2 13y agoI imagine you are talking about the US. Just to show the EU side of things. I have been in business (around 10 businesses; most of them sold) for over 20 years now, I have been threatened with lawsuits over 500 times in that time. But the legal system in the Netherlands works in such a way that you won't gain anything on either side, so threats almost never pan out to real cases. A few of them did and in total I spent a few E100 on them in 20 years. Here, even if your ToS or disclaimers and whatever suck, there is not really money to get. A lawsuit is lost money wise for both parties. Which I like. I can just say; bring it on, whatever they are saying. Which usually is a good deterrent. Thought I would say this here as the US seems quite the opposite. I cannot imagine the feeling defending yourself for $10k+ to some troll. Your hard work punished by some moron with deep pockets and no morals. Seems like a horrible way to be; I would always incorporate here and have a sibling company in the US, all contracts stating that Dutch law applies and that any suits have to be fought out in the court of Utrecht, NL.