Like most small business owners, you decide to handle certain legal matters in-house. However, as your company grows, you will inevitably find yourself needing to hire legal counsel. If you need to hire a business lawyer, there are only three steps you need to take:
Finding the right candidate
Create a job description
Clearly outline responsibilities the candidate will be undertaking. You may want to search for someone who has experience in your field. You'll need someone with strong commercial awareness and commercial and corporate law knowledge.
The ideal candidate would be a qualified solicitor with post qualification experience (PQE). Soft skills such as communication, teamwork and organisation are also crucial in sound legal counsel as they will be a vital member of the team and have a leadership role in your company.
Interview
Plan out your interview questions, so you get the information you need. Ask how they have dealt with complex legal matters, motivations, and critical thinking skills. Working in a highly autonomous role and having excellent communication and negotiation skills are required. Ask the candidate how their past performance demonstrates these skills.
The ideal candidate will need to have strong communication and presentation skills. A significant part of their role will be explaining legal matters to the non-lawyer executive members of the business.
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Discuss the terms
When you have found the ideal candidate and they have accepted the offer. You have to make sure your employment contract is comprehensive and covers all aspects. So, what do you need to know?
First, make sure the contract covers all of the following:
- Compensation (salary, bonuses, stock options, benefits)
- Work schedule (hours, vacation time)
- Job description
- Job expectations (reporting lines, evaluation process)
- Employment status (permanent or temporary; full or part-time)
- Job title and official start date
There are many other key terms you will want to consider before sending this to the candidate. Consider adding restrictive covenants or a suitable notice period. These clauses are vital to protect both employee and employer.
Create a contract
Creating an employment agreement with Legislate is simple. Set the terms of the employment by answering some simple questions and inviting your employee when you are happy with the terms.
Once the employee has reviewed the preview and accepted the terms, they can sign. Legislate also supports witnessing should you require this.
For more information on how to create your agreements with Legislate, sign up, read our employment contract tutorial or book an introductory call with one of our team members.
The opinions on this page are for general information purposes only and do not constitute legal advice on which you should rely.