I am trying to advance my business and hire/contract a couple of new designers (pay per job, contracted type work). I have been advised by family members that I need to meet with an attorney to have some type of no-compete paperwork drawn up. Has anyone had any experiences with pre-paid legal? I saw an ad for $20/month for legal advice at any time, though I'm not sure by "legal advice" if that would include anything more than 'advice'. I am just branching out into the business world and lack experience in the legal part. What is a ball park for an attorney to set up a contract for something like this? Any advice? TIA

I hire over 40 graphic design contractors in my business. You have to be very careful that the contract terms are legal in your state. Just because as person signs it doesn't mean it will hold up in practice. E.g. a contract cannot prevent someone from earning a living, and unless it's carefully written, a non-compete can prevent someone from earning a living.

I asked for referrals, interviewed the lawyers, and hired a firm with experience in helping businesses like mine. IME you can't be too careful with legal issues. Ignorance doesn't hold up in court.

I pay between $400 and 450 an hour for legal advice.

^ thanks! That's good advice. I don't wish to prevent anyone from making a living. My business is very specific and I simply do not want to allow them to do the same thing on their own. It isn't anything major, but it works for me. I don't want to shoot myself in the foot, so to speak.

I don't know anything about business, but I would be very careful with any legal service that said they charge $20/mo. If it sounds too good to be true...

Good luck with your business expansion!

Originally Posted by KoKo01

My business is very specific and I simply do not want to allow them to do the same thing on their own.

Legally, you may not be able to prevent that. You can ask that they not steal your clients, but you can't ask them not to compete with you. At least that's my understanding.