Criminal lawyers specialize in defending their clients, whether individuals or organizations, charged with a crime. This branch of law’s scope is extensive since it encompasses conduct that’s believed to be threatening, malicious, or endangering another entity’s property, health, and safety. As a business owner, it’s crucial that you have access to a criminal lawyer to protect your company as well as your employees should such a need arise.
Here are the situations when you should hire a criminal lawyer:
1. During Your Business’ Conception.
As mentioned above, you should already have a criminal lawyer on-call when you need them. It’s recommended to talk to one right at the start of your venture. This way, you can contact them in case you find yourself unwittingly backed into a corner concerning criminal law.
There have been cases where small business owners put off hiring experienced criminal lawyers in Parramatta and only contact them after being served with a summons and complaint. They end up spending more time and money on a case that could have been prevented if they consulted with a legal expert.
These are the key benefits of hiring a criminal lawyer for your business:
Gain a Legal Business Advisor – The most obvious advantage of working with a criminal defense attorney is that they provide you with legal information to help your business stay on the right side of the law, as well as succeed in your industry. Plus, they will continue to offer their professional support as your venture grows to new heights.
Educate Your Employees on Criminal Law – Another boon that comes with having a legal expert on your team is that they can give your employees more insight on what criminal law is and what actions constitute illegal activities. For instance, intentionally destroying work-issued computers or tables and chairs can be construed as property damage and can land them in trouble.
Tap into Their Social Connections – Criminal defense lawyers work with lots of people and know many professionals from various industries. As an emerging small business, you can take advantage of your attorney’s network and ask them to recommend your product or service to other clients or peers who need them.
2. Receiving Complaints of Violent Threats from Your Employees.
Avoid common startup legal issues by hiring the right legal representative. If your employees are being subjected to violent threats, you must immediately consult with a criminal lawyer on the steps that you can take to protect their well-being. Affray is a criminal offense that pertains to public order. A person commits this wrongdoing when they inflict violence upon another person, as well as use grave threats that instill apprehension on the victim’s safety.
You should also protect your employees from any form of sexual harassment or assault, regardless of their gender. Again, a criminal lawyer can educate your staff on what actions can be used against them in court if they’re charged with showing malicious intent towards their colleague. Moreover, a legal counsel can help you settle issues within the company if the two workers agree to it rather than having it go to court.
3. Ensuring that Your Employees Don’t Engage in Fraudulent Activities.
Employee fraud is also a significant problem in businesses, whether large conglomerates or small companies. A criminal lawyer can help you spot fraudulent activities happening right under your nose, as well as give their professional advice on what steps you can take to discipline misbehaving team members.
Some examples of corporate fraud are:
Personal Purchases – Employees that use company money to buy goods or services that only benefit them and not the business are committing fraud. This is because the cash was intended to grow your enterprise, not stock their pantry or provide them with the latest gadgets.
Ghost Employees – This one is typically done by those in the accounting and payroll department. It involves creating fake workers and paying them monthly salaries, which end up lining their pockets instead.
Skimming – With this type of fraud, incoming payments are intercepted before they can be noted down in an organization’s accounting records.
Unauthorized Use – This fraudulent activity involves abusing work privileges by using company-issued cars and laptops for personal use that don’t benefit the organization directly or indirectly.
Conclusion.
The support of a criminal lawyer is beneficial for any business. These legal professionals can help you get the right start as you build your empire. Moreover, they can impart their knowledge and expertise on criminal law to ensure that you and your employees are aware of actions that can be considered as criminal activities, as well as their repercussions.
