Legal Basics
Whether you are starting or growing a small business, the right legal foundation can help you protect your hard work. Here are some tips to help minimize risk and plan for long-term success.
Hiring an Attorney
From the creation of a business through to its dissolution, important legal questions and legal risks will be faced by businesses. For some owners, finding an attorney to partner with will be an important first step. If you are looking to hire a lawyer, make sure to spend time finding a good fit. This presentation gives business owners a place to start when thinking about working with a lawyer.
Legal Essentials
Before starting your business, learn about legal essentials and how to minimize risk. This presentation gives an introduction to the legal risks that business owners face (Español).
Negotiating Your Lease
Before committing to a brick-and-mortar location, know what to look out for. Commercial leases do not carry the same legal statutory protections that residential leases carry. Consider getting professional help from a tenant representation broker and a lawyer to help find and negotiate your lease. Learn more about lease negotiations in the Commercial Lease Basics presentation (Español).
Understanding Intellectual Property
Your intellectual property can be one of the most valuable aspects of your business, and learning how to protect it is often an important part of growing your business. Unfortunately, these concepts are often misunderstood.
The Intellectual Property Basics for Small Businesses presentation (Español) gives a high-level overview of the different types of intellectual property protection. If you want to go into greater detail, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has many useful resources to help you understand the basics of trademarks and patents.
For copyright background information, the Understanding Copyrights: Protecting Your Work in the Age of AI presentation (Español) is a good place to start. The US Copyright Office also has many useful resources.
