How do you hire a lawyer or an accountant?

I had this same question, and found OnStartups had a decent answer: http://answers.onstartups.com/questions/1618/how-do-you-find...

Basically, the advice is to go by referrals. Perhaps, some experienced hackers will give some good referrals here.

I went with one who is also on the board of a local networking group for digital/creative industries. I figured I can't really go wrong with somebody like that and so far I seem justified, she's invited me to local events I didn't know about and all her advice seems really sound.

On the other hand my coworker picked the guy two doors down because he's local. So he technically does have an accountant, but they've never met except to agree they'll do paperwork together once a year. Now ordinarily I'm all for picking the local provider, but I know which of these two I'd recommend.

The suggestion to get a referral is a good one. However, you may not have that option. So what do you do alternately? Let's consider the answer for an attorney.

First, define the legal work as much as possible by yourself. Think of this as "legal pseudo code" that will ultimately be put into the proper legal language. Do your homework: your problem is not new, and some googling will find existing solutions. So before you start making any calls, you should have a pretty good idea of what you need.

Now start searching law firms in your area (you definitely want them in the same state, as state laws vary). Check their existing clients (if they name any) and their practice area. Look for significant overlap; they should have done work for companies in the tech sector.

Then start making calls or sending emails. By this time, you'll probably be able to select the person you'll use as an "entry point" in each firm. Ask them for an initial interview; there should be no charge for this. Present your problem, and proposed solution. Ask: have they done something similar? If not, get a referral. Now you're suddenly on the inside track. Keep getting referrals and going on initial interviews. As you repeat the process, it will soon become obvious who the top candidates are.

Ask a lawyer/accountant you trust. I realize that this can present a bootstrapping problem.

EDIT: OK, that's a bit snarky. I've found that word of mouth is by far the best method to use; if you don't know anybody in the field, ask your friends/peers (I just happen to have friends who are lawyers, which helps streamline things). It's highly likely that you can get introduced to someone who can help you get a referral this way.

For lawyers: If you don't have the contacts for referrals, contact your local bar association, and they'll either help you find one or get you in touch with someone who can.

As for interviewing a lawyer: Interviews tell you diddly squat about a lawyer's legal skills. All you will learn is how well they interview.

Avoid lawyers who use "I" a lot; this indicates they don't work well in teams or collaborate well with clients. Avoid lawyers with corner offices (unless you have VC funding), b/c you'll just be a small fry to them; your work will be assigned to an associate.

Any lawyer can review web/software projects, but you may want to look for a lawyer with an IP or programming background. The legal advice won't change, but the dude will have a better understanding of how to structure his advice to minimize the changes you need to make.

Any lawyer can review a privacy policy/TOS. Unless it's one of your selling points, you don't need to pay a premium for a lawyer who has experience with this.

Referrals from other business owners is typically how i find any "professional" service. As far as lawyers - I'd recommend w/ someone specialized in whatever your particular need might be.

Finding a great accountant or an attorney is actually pretty hard and this is coming from a tax accountant. You'll find that finding a good professional is going to be difficult in the same ways.

- Questions Great questions to ask a tax or legal pro is to go for the throat. What specific experience does he have in your industry and to name a few clients. Most desirable professionals won't lie about their experience and if they do, checking references will make sure they stay honest. I believe everything you say, until I learn otherwise from checking. Having specific experience is key because it doesnt matter how many years of general experience they have unless they're able to understand your situation specifically. I've seen a number of "generalists" miss big obvious pain points on tax returns and legal issues.

- Potential Red Flags Inexperience and lack of professionalism. Tax accounting and law is fundamentally based upon experience (even the law that controls the two professions is based upon the concept of "precedence" or "experience"). No one learns how to be a great tax or legal pro. It takes years to develop the necessary acumen and understanding behind the madness. Also, lack of professionalism is when the pro doesn't have pride in his work and half-asses his work. You can generally sense this from their behavior but obviously you can always get tricked. But, usually the half-asses will make enough experiences that even you'll notice. The problem is that you usually notice when its too late haha.

- Certifications They're required by law to practice tax and law. But, other than their legal requirement its useless because it fails to tell you anything besides they've met the basic requires to cram words into their photodex brains with mass quantities of caffeine and adderral. Awesome example: Everyone looks for a "CPA" to become their accountant expecting an experience tax professional. Problem? Did you know that a CPA or an accountant's function breaks down into two major dichotomies? We're either auditors (fact checkers) or tax guys. Wanna guess what you're CPA is? CPAs are traditionally auditors by trade and they generally outnumber the tax guys. I cant tell you how many times I've met clients with crap ass CPAs because they never knew to CHECK WHAT THEIR EXPERIENCES WERE (see the first question). All they knew was that the CPA is certified and worked at some sexy big 4 (KPMG, PWC, EY or Deloitte). Big mistake.

- H&R Block Would you outsource your code to india? Enough said. I generally ask every client to bring their tax returns for the prior 3 years if I learn that they've been to HR Block. Ive found money left on the table 10 out of 10 times.

- Directories Yes they exist. No you won't use them. Ever.

- Specialization You're talking about a field that specializes in minutia. In tax and law, every small detail could make or break your specific situation. Ex. Sales tax. Professional software that is provided on tangible property (CD or some other tangible media) will be taxable. Generally professional services are not taxable but in this situation, your screwed.

- Lawyer Refer to the first question. Anyone can review these things but obviously experienced professionals could find potential issues that aren't obvious. But, if another site or program has a similar function then you can probably just copy their terms.

Sidenote: I'm really surprised at the number of questions the HN community has for accountants and lawyers. I think i'm going to start a podcast on my blog to answer these questions. Anyone interested (i've already bought a blue yeti and etc so its kinda late to ask but I love new tech toys haha)