DO you need a lawyer to set up biz??

[fofazoju]

Do you really need a lawyer to start up photo biz? I visited a lawyer, and he said he will file the paperwork for me and it will take 2 visits - so $600 ($300/hour). I know you can file with the state (Im in VA) online, and I asked him if I can do it myself, to which he said "you can do it by yourself if you can figure it out".

I don't doubt his expertise but, having immigrated to the US without using an immigration lawyer, I am quite familiar at doing these tedious tasks on my own and understand that a lawyer isn't always necessary.

That being said, should I just bit the bullet and pay $600 for peace of mind that everything is legit????

Would love input

[BuddhaPi]

I filed my own papers, and continue to do so yearly, no lawyer needed, it's not that difficult, however I would suggest using some of that lawyer cash for a consult with an accountant, you want to choose the best options for you both from a legal standpoint and an accounting standpoint..

[fofazoju]

Thanks for the quick reply! I guess one is better than none

Yah he kinda turned me off a bit. And like I said, I immigrated here on my own and did fine; I actually read about a lot of lawyers actually MESSING up papers and just causing more hassle in the end. Ill prob file on my own, and then perhaps later consult one simply to see if I am on the right track. I don't need someone to hold my hand and fill out papers for me.

I will however use that money to consult a good accountant.

Thanks again! I wish more people gave input, but I guess for that it needs to be a thread about a newbie wanting to make money or something. Those are the ones that are the most popular

[Biomech]

I think it depends how much you will need to do, in the UK being a sole trader just means you register and do your own tax forms. As a limited company there's all sorts of taxes, PAYE, wages, dividends etc etc something wwwaaaayyyyy over my head. And don't forget, you'll be doing marketing, advertising, PR, photography, post production, logistics etc etc, the more other things you do, the less time there is to do the actual jobs you get booked for.

Fortunately, my girlfriend is a solicitor So she's my official Finance Director :P (and admin)

[mshockley]

Depending upon your State/Local requirements you should certainly be able to handle this yourself if your planning a simple Sole-Proprietorship. Often you can do this online, and you can file your Legal Trade Name locally (at least here in Iowa) . I would surf around your County website and gather some info. (again, this is just how I went about things)

[Niresangwa]

Originally Posted by mshockley

Depending upon your State/Local requirements you should certainly be able to handle this yourself if your planning a simple Sole-Proprietorship. Often you can do this online, and you can file your Legal Trade Name locally (at least here in Iowa) . I would surf around your County website and gather some info. (again, this is just how I went about things)

+1. Check with your local authorities whether you need something specific.

As for filing as an LLC, at least here in Wisconsin, I was able to do it online, it didn't take long at all. As I recall, I had it bought and paid for inside of 30 minutes, including looking up certain items. It was $130 to file. I would imagine that your own state, VA, has a similar procedure.

Hopefully that helps.