Many small businesses shy away from hiring lawyers due to budgetary concerns. But thanks to a trend in the Canadian legal community, attitudes may be changing.
According to CTV, more lawyers than ever are changing the way they do business in order to better meet the needs of small business owners. In Ontario, there is at least one small business organization that tackles this issue head on.
"Lawyers are problem solvers," said Steve Pellarin, in an interview with the news source, "small businesses only tend to see this after the fact." In order to solve this misconception, Pellarin founded the London Small Business Centre in London, Ontario. His company seeks to connect small business owners and legal professionals for rates as low as $20 for a half hour of advice, the news source reports.
In law firms like Cognition LLP, they cater to the needs of small business owners as well. CTV reports that the 24-lawyer firm can offer small businesses set prices for specific services, rather than an hourly rate of more than $200 to $225.
Small businesses in Canada are still feeling the effects of the G20 summit in Toronto. According to Canadian Business, small businesses were the targets of vandalism by many protesters. The news source reports that approximately 40 businesses were damaged on one downtown street alone.
