Be proactive in managing the lawyer fees for your business to keep costs down. You are not likely to call an attorney because you have good news. If you need legal assistance in your business, do not make things worse by going into debt trying to pay for it.

In addition to the occasional bad news, you may also find yourself needing an attorney for simple day-to-day operations issues. Ask yourself the following questions as you attempt to keep business legal fees from burying you:

1. When is the best time to hire an attorney for my business?

2. Can I do something myself to keep costs down?

3. What are my rights if I feel a legal fee invoice is unreasonable?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Hire an attorney before you need one to keep legal billing down

Many businesses put off hiring an attorney until they absolutely have to have one. That may not be the most beneficial decision for your business. An attorney who is familiar with you and your business will be able to handle legal issues as they arise, possibly eliminating the need for costly litigation.

I recommend: Top Lawyers of America helps you find a local lawyer for your business needs. Select business in the legal issue box and select your state to find a match. AttorneyFind also helps narrow the search by practice area and state.

Ask what you can do to help with your case if you do not like a legal fee estimate

There are many things you can do to assist your attorney that will result in lower attorney billing at the end of the month. You just need to make it known that money is an issue and ask what you can do to keep costs down. One suggestion may be to try your hand at drafting commonly used documents and having the attorney review them for accuracy.

I recommend: .docstoc offers a variety of business based document templates for execution by you. Check out Nolo for forms that you can downloaded relatively inexpensively.

Do not hesitate to dispute a bill you feel goes above the attorney fee agreement you agreed to

An attorney should make you aware of any additional expenses and fees that go over what you agreed to, especially if you tell him or her that you have a limited budget. If you receive a bill that far exceeds your expectations, start at the beginning - contact the lawyer to discuss your concerns. If that does not help, you still have options to remedy the situation.

I recommend: Contact The Devil's Advocate to have them review your invoice. Ask a legal expert on Just Answer if you believe you have been unfairly over billed and qualified experts will let you know how much it will cost to get more information about legal fees and billing from them.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you find yourself calling your lawyer on a daily basis and the bill at the end of the month shocks you, consider keeping a firm on retainer to control legal fees and billing.