Hey Minkoff,
I understand that we're both developers of sorts. We need lawyers, no doubt.
I know this for a fact; a developer can have the best lawyer(s) and engineers/planners and develop a fantastic development. But, if that developer doesn't know how to market the project he will be bankrupt very quickly. Marketing is the essential key in every business. Marketing starts at the inception of the project and is part of every critical concept; without it the end results become futile.
Marketing "is" Sales; Sales "is" Life.
I have employed many, many lawyers in my time. I came to the conclusion after many years that they are no different than most; given the opportunity their natural instincts are to fight for what they believe is the right cause, sometimes and most often that is not always the best thing for their clients pocket book?
When I have clients that want to involve lawyers into our relationships I say to them this... "Let me give you a multiple choice question. You are going to send that "contract" (or such?) to your lawyer for his opinion and he is going to reply: A. Contract looks good, proceed, no charge for my services. OR B. We will need to make a few revisions and here is my bill for my services." So go ahead and give your lawyer his token. I would NEVER, nor legally could ever give a client RE advise to not seek legal council; in fact, it is my duty to make sure they understand their full legal commitments.
Point however is; There is no greater skill than to be able to understand the concepts of marketing. I'm an engineer; I've employed countless engineers, architects and lawyers over the years and I've made friends with many of them. Those that understand 'business' are the ones that I've chosen to make alliances of extended friendship with; good people regardless of their current professions.
As a mature developer, I also understand completely the art of contract law; especially as it applies to my Regions. I also offer the services of "Claims Consulting", as over the years I did employ a few of these people and learned a great deal from them. I take over my clients legal affairs and deal with their attorneys directly; something like a legal aid. My goal is to be as cost effective as possible and attain the desired results of my clients. I attend the job site meetings, I review the contracts, interview the contractors, suppliers, etc. I consult with the lawyers on how & why we should proceed in matters with the clients best interest. I have a couple of small files open right now; one involving my client a painting subtrade and a failing general contractor/developer in Canmore, AB; another a simple lien on a project in Calgary. My last 'big' claim was settled out of court after over a year of litigation; It involved a multi-million dollar subcontract with one of North Americas largest contractors and a huge developer. My invoice to my client for my year of services was $40,000. His lawyers invoices were over $250,000; we never did anything more than attend meetings and write letters. A loss of that lawsuit would have meant bankruptcy for my client. Lawyers you say?
My advise to anyone dealing with any professional is that they better understand the profession that they are dealing with; be clear and concise about how they instruct them OR they will suffer the consequences of being over charged or mis-guided. That goes for engineers, architects, lawyers and accountants. However, if you over look the importance of the marketing team and assisting them to their success, it will surely mean certain failure.