Hire a Business Attorney for new business?

[Samwise]

I'm preparing to start an online business and wondering if I will require a business attorney. I've read extensively and I have a fairly good idea of the incorporation process. Is it reasonable to go ahead with this myself using a service like LegalZoom?

Or as a first-timer, should I hire a business attorney?

If yes, any advice for how to find a good one? I live on a very small island and there's only one specialized business lawyer listed in the directories. Does it make sense to find someone to consult with by phone or email?

[mattinglot]

I've found it worth the extra money to have a lawyer do my incorporation. The time it would have taken me to piece all the information together and file everything correctly would have been exponentially longer than the time it takes a lawyer, and I would have a nagging doubt in the back of my mind constantly worrying that I did something incorrectly. The opportunity cost is just too high in my mind.

I got my incorporation through a lawyer, had all my i's and t's dotted, and used the time for far more productive means.

[Antiventurecapital]

Originally Posted by Samwise

I'm preparing to start an online business and wondering if I will require a business attorney. I've read extensively and I have a fairly good idea of the incorporation process. Is it reasonable to go ahead with this myself using a service like LegalZoom?

Or as a first-timer, should I hire a business attorney?

If yes, any advice for how to find a good one? I live on a very small island and there's only one specialized business lawyer listed in the directories. Does it make sense to find someone to consult with by phone or email?

Over the past 25 years I have set up over ten corporations in the USA and Canada. I have always done the work myself. These days you can d/l the forms off the Net and do it yourself in minutes. No need to blow $500 to $1000 on a lawyer to do something a 12 year old could do.