Preparation for Legal Advice
Dr. Dorothy Perrin Moore

In these days of litigation and advanced search engines, now operated routinely by corporate sponsors to tap in to consumer opinion and product responsiveness, it becomes even more important for the small business owner and entrepreneur to know where to gather the needed information to conduct business in the most efficient way.

Two recent articles have a special meaning to those who share information on the internet and in other ways about their business.

First, I recommend that you become familiar with an article posted in the Small Business Advancement National Center (SBANC) Newsletter Issue 569-2009, entitled “Understanding How Lawyers Operate and Reducing Your Legal Costs.” Under the leadership of Dr. Don Bradley III, the Executive Director of SBANC, information is provided on how lawyers charge for their services and the importance of doing your homework in advance. The recommendations apply to those who serve on boards, whether public or private and manage or own their own companies. While the article suggests that many sites offer advice, a sampling is provided of sites considered to provide excellent preliminary information. The author of the column is careful to caution that these sites are not meant to replace the experienced legal council you will need in conducting business.

Sites listed in the SBANC Newsletter are:

American Law Source Online is a compilation of links to online sources of legal information for the United States.

Findlaw includes basic legal information concerning contracts, employment, and patents.

Internet Legal Resource Group links to over 4,000 Web sites and is an excellent source of legal forms.

American Patent and Trademark Law Center provides access to basic patent and trademark information.

Legal Information Institute provides access to constitutions, codes, court opinions, statutes, enterprise law, ect.

Nolo provides free information and an incredible list of legal workbooks and manuals to assist you.

More Business offers excellent articles offering advice concerning legal, marketing, and technology issues.

The resource book used by SBANC for this newsletter article is posted as: J.D. Ryan and Gail P. Hiduke. Small Business An Entrepreneur's Business Plan: Understanding How Lawyers Operate and Reducing Your Legal Cost, Dryden Press Series in Management, Pages 264-265, 8th Edition.

For those who post material on the internet I also recommend reading “Bloggers, Beware: What You Write Can Get You Sued,” by M.P McQueen, Wall Street Journal, Thursday, May 21, 2009, D1, D2. You will find this article at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124287328648142113.html