Personal Information Questionnaire - Hiring a Lawyer
Created by FindLaw's team of legal writers and editors | Last reviewed June 20, 2016
This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw’s team of legal writers and attorneys and in accordance with our editorial standards.
The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area.
Also available in PDF | MS Word
Litigation involving your business can be legally complicated, but it can also be time-consuming and time-intensive. In many cases, the first time commitment is finding an attorney. While you may already have an attorney who helped you set up your business, he or she might not be experienced in litigation. More often, you will have to find an attorney from scratch.
In any litigation, you will need the counsel and representation of a seasoned advocate to help you through the process and ensure an outcome that meets your needs. You will want to meet with any attorney you are considering hiring, to see if you and the attorney can work together. You will really be interviewing the attorney as if you were interviewing a job applicant.
In order to do the best possible job on your behalf, your attorney needs your input and cooperation. At your first meeting with your attorney, you should be prepared to provide the following information:
Information About You Name ________________________________________________________________ Name of Your Business __________________________________________________ Form of Your Business (corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, etc.) ________________________________________ Place of Doing Business _________________________________________________ Address, including County ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Length of Time at that Address _______ years Previous Address(es) (for last ten years) ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Your Work Telephone Numbers __________________ ____________________ Your Home Telephone Numbers __________________ ____________________ Facsimile Number __________________ E-mail Address __________________ Web page (if any) __________________ Former Name(s) __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ Related Business(es) __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ Your Position ______________________________ Other officers or officials of the business ______________________________ _______________________________ ______________________________ _______________________________ ______________________________ _______________________________ Other litigation you have been involved in ______________________________ _______________________________ ______________________________ _______________________________ ______________________________ _______________________________ Other litigation you are involved in ______________________________ _______________________________ ______________________________ _______________________________ ______________________________ _______________________________ Annual Sales or Income $_________________ What Does Your Business Make or Do? ___________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Information About Your Opponent Name _________________________________________________________________ Is Your Opponent a Business? ______________________________________________ Form of Your Opponent's Business (corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, etc.) ________________________________________ Place of Doing Business _________________________________________________ Address, Including County ___________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Length of Time at that Address _______ years Previous Address(es) (for last 10 years) ___________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Their Work Telephone Numbers __________________ ____________________ Their Home Telephone Numbers __________________ ____________________ Facsimile Number __________________ E-mail Address __________________ Web page (if any) __________________ Former Name(s __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ Related Business(es) __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ Your Contact Person at the Opponent ______________________________ Other Officers or Officials of the Business ______________________________ _______________________________ ______________________________ _______________________________ ______________________________ _______________________________ Are you aware of any litigation you opponent has been involved in? ______________________________ _______________________________ ______________________________ _______________________________ ______________________________ _______________________________ Annual Sales or Income $_________________ What does your opponent or your opponent's business make or do? ___________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Name of Your Opponent's Attorney: _________________________________________ Information About the Incident: Why is This Going to Court? Are you suing or being sued? _______________________________________________ If you are suing: Describe the incident that occurred that makes you want to sue your opponent: ___________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ How much are the damages you have suffered? $_____________________________ How much have you budgeted for this lawsuit? $_____________________________ Are there written documents that relate to any agreements you have with your opponent? _____________________________ Are you aware of any claims your opponent may have against you? If so, please explain them ___________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ If you are being sued: Describe the incident that occurred that resulted in you being sued: ___________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ How much are the damages that are being claimed? $____________________________ How much have you budgeted for this lawsuit? $_____________________________ Are there written documents that relate to any agreements you have with your opponent? _____________________________ Are you aware of any claims you may have against your opponent? If so, please explain them ___________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ |
Search for a Qualified Business Attorney in Your Neighborhood
As you can see, not all business attorneys are equally qualified for the different aspects of business law. After you've narrowed down your search, find a qualified business and commercial law attorney near you.
Next Steps
Contact a qualified business attorney to help you address potential challenges a business can face.