Boston Business Journal

Specifics count when it comes to courting lawyers

by Keith Regan
June 27, 2008

As the chief operating officer of a U.K.-based company trying to gain a foothold in the United States, Nikki Doggart knew she wanted to find a law firm that could help her steer Hotel Chocolat Inc. past all the hurdles it will face as it enters a new market.

“I was really focused on the extra value add a firm could bring to the relationship,” says Doggart, who runs the U.S. version of specialty chocolate retailer Hotel Chocolat from Boston. “I didn’t just want a firm or attorney who would do the various tasks exactly as I asked. I was looking for a partner that would invest time in helping us grow and expand.”

Doggart began her search by networking for recommendations, and after a set of brief screening interviews done by phone, engaged several firms in more in-depth meetings, seeking to find the right fit. In the end, she chose to work with Ruberto, Israel & Weiner PC in Boston and attorney Russ Stein, who has experience in the retail and restaurant industries — important considerations, because although Hotel Chocolat operates only online in the United States, the parent has expanded aggressively into real-world retail.

“They’ve picked up a lot of expertise and knowledge over the years that was very attractive to us as we look ahead,” Doggart says.

Many businesses, particularly those that have not yet grown to the point where they can justify hiring a full-time corporate counsel, find themselves in the market for a firm or attorney they can turn to for specific legal tasks as well as more general advice and consultation.

Boston-area businesses have a host of attorneys to select from, many with experience working with everything from fresh-out-the-garage tech startups to century-old family companies.

Considerations may range from expertise in the industry or niche a business operates in to the firm’s ability to be responsive and to handle the full range of legal services a company needs.

A good first interview meeting with a prospective corporate attorney can tell plenty about how the relationship will go over time, including how responsive the attorney leading the team will be.

“The old adage that you choose lawyers and not law firms is still true,” Kolb says. “That first meeting will give you insight into how that attorney will handle a client.”

A business should evaluate the interview to judge how engaged an attorney will be, whether they respond in a timely manner to the meeting request and whether they come prepared.

“Business clients want someone who has business savvy, someone who can not just tell them the pure legal answer but can also raise the business issues that a situation might bring,” Kolb adds. “They want practical advice they can understand and turn around and use.”

Whether a client gets that information in that form often depends on chemistry and how well the two parties click with one another, notes Gene Landy, who chairs the technology group at Ruberto, Israel & Weiner.

“Make sure you have enough conversation and interaction with them upfront to really feel comfortable that they are familiar with your world,” Landy says. “It’s important to find somebody who speaks your language because you can’t afford to have them come up to speed on your dime.”

A client should also feel that it can get access to attorneys to discuss bigger-picture issues as well. “A startup in particular may want to know they can take a breakfast or lunch meeting with their lawyer without the billing clock being turned on,” says Landy.

A business may want to consider size, especially if hiring a major law firm with Fortune 500 clients, he adds. “You may end up paying Fortune 500 rates.”

However, size may not matter as much as it appears at first.

“Once a firm is of a certain size, whether they have 200 attorneys or 2,000, they’re going to be able to serve most of a company’s legal needs,” Kolb says. “What you really need is a point person who can perform triage and can identify what a client’s needs are quickly because they know them.”