DELICIOUS
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REDDITThere are times when you can DIY your own legal issues, but they are few and far between. If you have few assets that only exist in your name, for instance, you might be able to use an online service to draft a will, leaving everything to a close living relative. Similarly, if you want to start a simple, small business and don’t plan on incorporating it, you could probably round up the forms and register them yourself without legal aid. But in most other situations, if you pause to wonder whether an attorney might be necessary, it probably is! But don’t panic. Despite what you may have heard, hiring a lawyer doesn’t have to be overly expensive and, indeed, might actually save you money in the end! Here’s how:
Settle Out of Court
If you are trying to settle a personal injury dispute, it can save you money to hire a lawyer. Lawyers are equipped to negotiate with large corporations, like those usually involved in personal injury claims. Negotiating outside of court can save you thousands of dollars in court fees and potentially net you better compensation than trying to work a deal with an insurance company, driver, doctor, etc., on your own.
Control of Labor Issues
While perhaps not relevant to everyone, for business owners, some of the biggest drains on their financial health are labor issues. Spending money upfront to understand and create policies around their workers can save companies substantial amounts of money that might otherwise be lost to or spent on incorrect tax filings, interest payments, salaries and more. Between the IRS and the Department of Labor, many laws must be followed to verify compliance and eliminate fines and/or legal charges (which would cost even more)!
Verify Contract Wording
Of course, consulting a lawyer is especially wise when dealing with contracts. Because contracts can have long-lasting and irrevocable conditions, making sure you are really saying what you mean helps guarantee you won’t be wasting money down the road because you accidentally left out an important legal phrase or added something you misunderstood, thus leaving you vulnerable to breaches and other contract errors.
Guarantee Visa Eligibility and Compliance
Finally, immigration has become a hotly debated topic over the past few years. Now, more than ever, hiring an immigration attorney is necessary to assure adherence to all the stipulations of the various visa types. Although hiring such a lawyer will be an additional expense for companies and/or many people already burdened with the stress and cost of leaving their home country, proactive professional advice can ultimately save money by preventing everyone involved the legal ramifications should they not fully understand all immigration rules and regulations and accidentally break one or more of them. F1 student eligibility for a green card, for example, has many conditions attached to it. Unknowingly committing a violation could result in a company being fined and/or a person being deported, possibly destroying his or her future ability to ensure a livelihood or render him or her unable to return to the United States in the future. In this way, paying for advice would be well worth the insurance it would provide.
