“Here’s a stupid question…” – I hear this too often from my business clients. The Jacobson Law Firm has helped form hundreds of business entities and serves as Registered Agent for many of them. This means that I get to break the bad news when one of those businesses gets sued, but it also means I get to spend time getting to know about my clients’ businesses – what’s important to them and their employees, what they want out of being a business owner, how they care for their families, what sort of succession plans they’ve made. I love this part of the practice, because it tracks with our motto: “Helping People For Life”®.
One thing I never get tired of saying is that there are lots of ignorant questions when it comes to running a business and doing your estate planning, but there are no “stupid questions”. A lot of this stuff is non-intuitive, meaning there’s no reason the client should know the answer, so why not ask? I will also tell you that I would ALWAYS rather have a client call and say, “I’m considering doing x for my family/business – what do you think?”, than have one call and say, “I just did y – that’s okay, right?…”.
Having a law practice is about building relationships. If your lawyer makes you feel stupid for asking a question, get another lawyer. A good lawyer wants nothing more than to have clients understand what’s happening with their matter, be able to participate in decision-making, feel as though their concerns have been heard – and tell their family and friends, “I have a great lawyer – give him/her a call.”
As always, the above is legal information, not legal advice, and it’s based on Texas law because I’m a Texas lawyer. If you have questions about your business, contact an experienced business lawyer and ASK. And if you’re a small business owner, it’s doubly important that you have a lawyer who will integrate your business succession plan with your estate planning.
Dana D. Jacobson has been a licensed attorney in the State of Texas since 1985. The Jacobson Law Firm, P.C. is located in San Antonio, Texas. The firm concentrates its practice in the areas of business law, estate planning, probate and security clearance matters.