A recent Entrepreneur Magazine article discussed the six biggest spending missteps for startups (see the article here). Guess what was on the list? Expensive mistake #5: Skimping on attorneys. The article goes on to discuss some of legal disasters owners ran into because they did not consult competent legal counsel.
The best value a good business lawyer can give you is to lower the risk your business is exposed to on a daily basis. Attorneys have two roles to fill: 1) as a trusted counselor to keep you out of trouble and 2) as a vocal advocate to protect your interests when you do run into trouble. If you can find a lawyer you trust to handle both of those roles, you should use him or her as a valued partner in your business.