Archive for January, 2010

Most of the corporate and large corporations have in house legal counsel to support them in different legal requirements. But in case of small business this might not happen because of several reasons like size of business, amount of capital invested etc. Thus, small business turns to law firms when any kind of legal assistance is required. There are many law firms that offer required legal support and advice to small business as and when required.

Things to consider while choosing law firm for small business:-At present there are series of law firms who offer their legal support and advise them from time to time. But the question is how to select one for small business? Below are few tips provided that can surely help you in selecting one that you are looking for your business.

Understand your business field:- Before you hire a firm, it is extremely important to understand your business field. Unlike corporate or large corporations the legal requirement of small business is limited to certain specific field. Thus, the first step involves in understanding your business field.

Narrow your search:- Based on your business field narrow your search and look for firms that deal with your field of business like employment, labor law, commercial collections, copyright, trademark etc. Look for firms who offer their legal service and support from small to medium sized business. This is because they can understand your problem better and provide you with accurate legal advice and support.

We all have the privilege to know our rights. Needless to say, that we can have the right to get a reliable lawyer to cater our legal issues. And to make things easier for us, it would be best to find a trusted law firm that can provide us with good quality services and unfailing attorneys to guide us in our judicial journey. For example, if you have issues on criminal defense, then you can always find a Grand Rapids Michigan lawyer online for you to see their specialty and profile. You must bear in mind that you must feel comfortable with your criminal defense attorney to guide and help you with your legal problems.  This is your way to disclose anything without any hesitation. And on the other hand, your hired lawyer could also look for the best possible solutions.

Moreover, transparency is the best thing that you and your attorney could give to keep on track with each other. Another good reason for this is for your criminal defense lawyer to be able to talk to you direct to the point. Another advantage is for you to be given representation of exceptional criminal defense. Just like any other client, you too should believe in the capability of these renowned and tough lawyers in Michigan. Besides, is it not enough for you to trust well established firm for over seventy five years of good quality service in serving all their clients? This is in fact the best decision you are about to realize.

“Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary” by the Editors of Nolo, Gerald N. Hill and Kathleen Thompson Hill is promoted as, “This is DICT1‘not’ your grandfather’s law dictionary.” This law dictionary is written in clear English and contains compete definitions of legal terms you need today. As an attorney, this book will not replace my “Black’s Law Dictionary” which is the standard for legal dictionaries, but this lighter, plain-English text is very convenient to have on hand. For most people, this text is all they would need when wondering about a legal term. To illustrate the differences in dictionaries, let’s look at the word “partner.” Most of us know what it means, and it is a common word that we use in business all the time. The definition in “Nolo’s” is: “One of the co-owners and investors in a partnership. Each partner claims a share of the the (sic) business’s income or losses on the partner’s individual tax return. General partners are responsible for the debts, contracts, and actions of all the partners in the business. Limited partners do not share responsibility for partnership debts and cannot share in management decisions.” (Note that I found a typo in the definition noted with the (sic)). “Black’s” provides much more under the listing of “partner.” “A member of partnership or firm; one who has united with others to form a partnership in business.” The there are definitions for each of the following: Dormant partners, full or general partner, junior partner, limited partner, liquidating partner, nominal partner, ostensible partner, quasi partner, secret partner, silent partner, special partner, and surviving partner. “Black’s” contains much more than “Nolo’s,” but that is what you expect, and for most people who are not attorneys, “Black’s” has much more than is needed, and is not as easy to understand as “Nolo’s.” The size and cost of the books is very different too. “Black’s is a very large and heavy book, and much more expensive. “Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary” is smaller, paperback, easier to grab off the shelf or take with you, and costs less.If you would like an easy to understand law dictionary, full of the most common terms non-lawyers will most likely need, this book will be a very good addition to your reference library.

If you own a small business and you wish to protect your assets, and stretch your tax dollar to the fullest then you might wish RUNSF5to consider incorporating your business. Maybe you don’t know a lot about how to incorporate your business, or why you should. Perhaps, you’d like to know the history behind the reasons people have incorporated their businesses in the past, or how that relates to the same needs, challenges, and issues of our present time and your particular business.

If so, there is a book that I would highly recommend, and one that I have in my own personal library. Interestingly enough, this book has been on my library shelf for 30-years. And when I was clearing out all the old books, donating some and giving others away, I decided to keep it. Not because I could use this same book today to incorporate a business, I can hire a lawyer to do that.

Rather, because I think the history, and arguments for and against incorporating a small business are discussed at length, and they still play today. The name of the book is;

“How to Incorporate; A Handbook for Entrepreneur and Professionals,” by Michael diamond and JL Williams, 1987.

Boy, have things changed since 1987, still much of the philosophy and definitions of course and all the history is the same, but the forms are much different and now there are LLCs which they didn’t have at all back then. This book is extremely interesting because it helps us understand the evolution of corporations in America both large and small. The flow of business law is quite interesting in that regard. Indeed, I hope you will please consider this.