When is it a good idea to change your lawyer?

Question

The law firm we have been working with so far doesn't seem to have a lot of experience in working with other startups. It also seems like they require more time for solving our legal issues than we think might be necessary. Of course, since I'm not a lawyer, I'm not 100% sure what's the norm. So, when should we generally consider switching our lawyer regarding how time-consuming/costly that might be? Thanks!

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Answers: 2 public & 1 private

Steven weinrieb
Patent Attorney

You may want to ask your attorneys for references in re what other start-ups they have consulted for - then call the people that they refer you to and ask them what their opinions are of the law firm - if they refuse to provide the references, that would probably be a good indication that they do not in fact have the expertise that you are looking for. Similarly depending upon what the referenced start-ups have to say - if positive, stick with them - if not, then it's time to change attorneys and go with a firm that has more expertise. Every attorney is an "attorney" - that does not automatically mean that they truly have the necessary expertise that you require for your niche requirements, that is, start-ups and the like.

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