Wants to "Own" Shakespeare Phrase for Merchandise

Dear Rich: I have a plan to use a "theme" idea involving stories that were told to me by friends of mine at a retreat. I would use these stories in a book and title it with a quote from a Shakespeare play that fits the subject matter very well. I recorded and transcribed the stories and prepared the book proposal. I received permissions from the original participants and have developed stories beyond original telling and will use pseudonyms for the participants. My questions: (1) Can I use the Shakespeare phrase as title of book, in logo and brand, on cards, plaques, and entire product line? I searched the trademark database for phrase and there were no results. I grabbed .com domain name with phrase and there were no other domains using the phrase. (2) What do I need to do to "OWN" that phrase so that I can feel free to license it to appropriate product partners, or to enter into strategic partnerships with various companies to create gift packets with book and products, like candy and greeting cards. I also want to take the idea on the road to gather more stories after my website will launch and then once the book is published as the part of the book tour. (3) Do you think that I need a lawyer to guide me through these early stages so that the correct and necessary legal infrastructure is set in place to allow for graceful launch of this commercial universe? If so, do you have any referrals? 
All that glistens is not gold. Your plan is admirable and ambitious but we're always a little wary of attempting to plan the launch of a commercial universe all at once. We think it's usually better to take it step by step and see what works and what doesn't. With that caveat in place, here are the answers to your questions.
Good enough to call your own.  The idea of "owning" a Shakespeare phrase for merchandise is possible but it requires money and diligence. As you're aware, "ownership" of the phrase would require that you acquire trademark rights. (And as with all intellectual property rights, your claim will only have value if you have the money to go after those who infringe your trademark.) For each class of merchandise, you will need to register a trademark claim (between $275 and $325 per class, depending on how you register). So, candy would be in one class, greeting cards another, etc. By the way, if you register the phrase for greeting cards, that would give you the right to use the phrase for a line of cards; it wouldn't guarantee your exclusive right to use the phrase as the card's message. You can get the trademark registrations only by using the mark on the goods in commerce -- that is, you'll need to be selling the goods to get the rights. However, you can reserve the mark by filing an intent-to-use application, provided you have a bona fide intent to use the marks on the goods. Also, you cannot get trademark rights for a single book, but you can get it for a series of books.
What's in a name? As for using Shakespeare quotes for a book title, no problem, though you might want to check this site to avoid any confusion.
Let's kill all the lawyers. As for your last question, the Dear Rich Staff cannot refer you to any attorneys although there are many online sources for locating attorneys (including our employer's legal directory). As for doing the legal work yourself, that's always possible. Publishing the book won't bring up many legal issues and it sounds as if you have the necessary releases. More can be found in our Getting Permission book. As for the licensing deals, those probably will involve a lawyer and we would recommend contacting one once you have a solid offer in hand.