As a business owner, it’s important to have adequate protection against the possibility of being sued, considering how expensive and tasking a lawsuit can be. Apart from being time-consuming and a huge stressor, lawsuits have been known to put businesses away, no matter how big or small.
Here are some helpful tips to help you protect your business and limit your risk of a lawsuit.
- Record Your Agreements in Writing
One thing you should never take for granted when running a business is keeping a record of every business-related transaction, including the phone conversations with clients, emails, price, delivery dates, etc. This will help to ensure that there is adequate information available in case conflict arises. Also, you can draw up formal contracts with a lawyer’s help for the purpose of retaining and stating clearly the rights of both you as a business owner and the client if there is a lawsuit.
- Maintain Integrity in Your Business Deals
There’s a saying that business is more about the people rather than profits, which is why businesses with bad reputation eventually shut down as there is no trust between the clients and the business itself. Therefore, as a business owner, you need to ensure that you bring integrity to all your dealings with everyone involved by keeping your promises and refraining from misrepresenting your business and abilities.
- Prioritize the Well Being of Your Human Resources
There’s a reason why companies these days have their own human resources department or an employment lawyer. Having a dedicated HR department or lawyer can help avoid misunderstandings regarding employment practices and ensure they are in complete compliance with the laid-out policies. As a business owner, familiarizing yourself with the various laws and requirements that apply to your business and adhering to them is very important.
- Hire an Experienced Attorney
Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to avoid certain situations, like having a lawsuit claim against your business, it still happens. This is why the presence of a good and reputable lawyer at hand will help you a great deal in staying compliant with the law and taking note of things that could end up spiraling into legal issues earlier on. If you’re worried about the cost of getting a lawyer for your business, you can always get a consulting arrangement and share the duties between you and the lawyer hired.
- Separate Personal and Business Liabilities
In the event of a lawsuit, the liability always falls on the business owner, especially if the business is being operated as a sole-proprietorship. In order to avoid this, you can always restructure your business into a limited liability company or corporation with the help of your legal advisor so that your own assets can be made separate from that of any liabilities related to your business.
- Get Adequate Business Insurance Coverage
A smart way to protect yourself from lawsuits is by getting adequate and business-specific insurance to cover you from certain damages or unexpected occurrences. However, you must be familiar with the diverse types of insurance to avoid unnecessary purchases of the ones that might not benefit you in the long run.
If you need assistance in selecting the right coverage for your business needs, contact the experts at the Reardon Agency today. We are here to help you with all your coverage requirements.
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