Whether as a private citizen or as a business owner who runs a wills lawyer business, there is always the possibility that someone may decide to take legal action against you. Conversely, you have the right to do likewise against someone else whom you feel has wronged you in some way. If we focus on the latter scenario of your business facing legal action, it can be a stressful situation for all concerned.
Obviously, as the business’s owner, you are at the forefront in terms of having to defend any legal action against your business, but for those whom you work with, including any employees, it can never be pleasant knowing that someone wishes to sue the company you work for.
This is magnified when you consider that some businesses have actually had to close down due to them losing legal cases where the level of compensation awarded was significant.
Now we are not trying to scare you and suggest that being sued is going to cause the closure of your wills lawyer business. Nevertheless, it does need to be kept in mind that any decision that goes against your company in a courtroom is bound to come with some cost attached. It could be financial, which is bad enough, but it could also lead to negative publicity, which is definitely damaging for any business, including yours.
Thankfully, the instances of wills lawyer businesses being taken to court are rare, but you should not assume it will never happen to you. As such, there are some steps you can take which can either prevent your wills lawyer business from having legal action taken against it or if it does happen, will at least mitigate the potential damage to your business should you lose the case.
#1: Ensure Your Business Has Access To The Best Legal Representation And Advice
It might seem strange to us to advise a lawyers business to seek a lawyer but as you well know, lawyers can have expertise in many specific areas. Undoubtedly your knowledge and experience of the law in relation to wills and estates is exceptional, but what about commercial, business, or contract law?
The person you want on your side is someone who knows these legal fields inside out and can advise you accordingly should you ever face a legal challenge. Better still, a commercial lawyer’s advice should be sufficient to ensure that the chances of being taken to court are minuscule given that you will be conducting your business affairs in a way that prevents it from happening.
#2: Take Preventative Measures
The saying ‘prevention is better than the cure’ most certainly applies when it comes to your business being taken to court. Whilst having competent commercial lawyers will play a role in that, there are other measures you can take to ensure you never see the inside of a courtroom.
These include effective recruitment, proper training for staff, making customer service a top priority for all who work for you, sorting problems that occur as quickly as possible, and seeking advice from other professionals when you have an issue that you are not sure how to handle.
#3: Have Sufficient Insurance Cover
Even if you follow the advice in sections #1 and #2, there is still the possibility that you will be taken to court by someone who is determined to do so, and it could be that you lose the case. This is where having insurance policies that cover you against some of the pitfalls of running a business can be hugely beneficial.
Insurance for scenarios such as negligence, public liability, professional indemnity, accidents at work and so on can all help reduce the financial impact on your business should the worst occur. These have been known to save businesses that otherwise would have gone under due to the high levels of compensation that they would otherwise have had to pay.