.. because an hour of such a lawyer's advice is far cheaper than cautious hedging from a lawyer whose hourly rate is less..

How true - how true.

The best way to find an attorney is to be lucky enough to know an "ethical" operating officer for a successful company well enough to ask them for a name of someone that can help you with "agreements". Execs high on the food chain only work with lawyers outside the hole in the wall nickle and dime fee gamers - many of them are also attornies - they know.

An "honest" attorney would be able to tell right off if you had the all clear - or tell you where the problems are - the likeyhood of action - the the cost of defending or ways to remedy those issues.

Attornies that teach law are a great source of "honest" legal assessment.

But if you get a "shirlock holmes" in a shiney office that can't answer your questions in your first one hour meeting - pay the guy and shop. The best advise for where to shop is usually higher on the food chain than the joints most of us consumers frequent.