For the first time our firm has to hire a lawyer for a project. Any assistance in this area would be helpful. How do you know when you find a good lawyer? How do you avoid being overcharged etc.

I would try to talk with some other small business owners in the area and ask them who they use. You need to make sure that they are experienced in your particular industry. Obviously, each situation is different but I would recommend you stay away from some of the larger firms with larger overheads they tend to charge a lot more.

One of the most important things you can do is to be well prepared for any meeting with a lawyer to avoid idle chat and dollars. Use email instead of the phone because people tend to be more succinct and when you want them to do something give them something to react to rather than having them develop it from scratch. For example, if you need an agreement developed find one on the web or buy one make some changes to it then have the lawyer review it it will be alot less expensive.

I agree with Salisbuy it is amazing how much time you can waste on the phone

If you are going to a larger law firm recognize that there are different level lawyers some costing more than others a junior lawyer can be twice as cheap as a senior partner. When you meet with them for the first time (make sure this visit is for free because you are deciding whether or not you are going to hire them) ask them what level lawyer they will need to complete the task and their hourly rate

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Here is a great link to hiring a lawyer that I thought you may find helpful:

How to Hire the "Right Lawyers": Consumers' Rights in the Legal Marketplace: <a href="http://www.alexanderlaw.com/attorney-bios.html">By Richard Alexander</a> - personal injury attorney in san jose, sunnyvale and santa clara

Another website you should look at is the American Bar Association, they provide a lot of good tips and advice

One thing that I forgot to mention earlier is that you may want to consider having the lawyer on a retainer we do that at our firm. We have had some litigation in the past and it is helpful to have a lawyer that you know and trust.