FREE online courses on How To Start Your Own Dot Com Company - Ground Rules - Rule 15. Lawyers and accountants are a necessary evil

For most companies, the most fragile period is the early years. Good law and accounting firms helps companies stay out of trouble. So look for lawyers and accountants who understand Internet startups, with their need to run through cash and take risks. As a startup, you're in a sprint, and you don't want to get tripped and tossed out of the race just when you're about to turn your idea loose.

 In the legal arena, intellectual property is often a chief concern. Never hire programmers to write code without contracts. This is probably the biggest mistake. Without a contract intellectual-property rights belong to the creator. How much you pay -- $10 an hour, $75 an hour or $1 million for your Web site is irrelevant.