Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Bookmark sites for easy access to legal headlines

You can register with news feeds and select an area of news that provides law information about important events and rulings that could affect your own cases. Watch for news that covers both defense and prosecution proceedings and tactics used in prominent lawsuits to keep a handle on the current legal environment.

I recommend: FindLaw is one of the most in-depth publications that covers all aspects of the judicial system with daily news headlines and commentary that can help you put the news in perspective. Law.com provides you with headline news and other articles that can help you keep up with all the trends that are affecting the profession.

Find coverage of recent rulings and justice reports

Read reports and publications that cater to the industry you serve. Look for detailed information about Supreme Court rulings and successful judicial appeals. Find a site that covers your area of expertise, whether it's proprietary, corporate or criminal law.

I recommend: The lexisONE Community from LexisNexis gathers news from around the country and presents it in a format that gives you access to a wide variety of industry news that you need. Go to Breaking Legal News for the latest coverage of issues that may be important for your firm and your career.

Join law groups to receive members-only publications

Associating with other attorneys can provide you with access to other interpretations of recent rulings and issues that affect the law. Subscribe to the membership publications that employ the services of legal experts who can provide analysis and commentary on the news and issues that result from the current events.

I recommend: As a member of the American Bar Association, you have access to a wide variety of news sources, including Lawlink, and member information. Stay abreast of trends through the research papers and resources available through the Association of Corporate Counsel.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Monitor government news sources to receive legal information about new statutes as they become law.

Guide to Legal Essentials for a Small Business

How to keep your business on the up-and-up

By W. Eric Martin, Keyboard pounder & synonym selecter, TwoWriters.net

Don't neglect this paperwork. Jump through all the hoops placed in front of you in order to:

1. Build a sound presence within your home town.
2. Stay in good graces with the IRS.
3. Protect yourself from trademark, labor, and other lawsuits.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Hire a lawyer

While you can try to handle all the legal mumbo-jumbo yourself, it's easy to overlook something that a more experienced eye will notice instantly.

I recommend: Search the American Bar Association online lawyer directory or Lawyers.com to find an attorney or visit LegalMatch if you need someone immediately. Make sure that the individual has experience with the legal needs of small businesses before hiring.

Choose a business structure

Operating as a sole proprietorship, a partnership, a limited liability company, or a corporation will affect your tax rate and how easy it is to start and stop your business, to borrow money, to avoid losing personal assets if you're sued, and much more.

I recommend: Learn the basics of how business structures differ, then investigate which one will work best for your particular situation. Should you decide to forego an attorney and file an LLC or incorporate on your own, check out bizfilings.com.

Take a name

If you're a sole proprietor, you'll need to register a fictitious business name, also known as a DBA ('doing business as') unless you use your name as the name of your business.

I recommend: Complete and file your DBA statement online at LegalZoom.

Get licensed

Not every business owner needs a license to set up shop, but woe to you if you do need a license and are caught operating without one.

I recommend: The Council on Licensure, Enforcement, and Regulation (CLEAR) maintains an online database of professional organizations that provide licenses to businesses such as contracting, dentistry, and acupuncture.

Protect your intellectual property

If you create something new that becomes successful, you can be sure that others will copy your work and try to beat you in the market. You can make it more difficult for knock-off products to appear by protecting your creations.

I recommend: Copyright literary or artistic works that you sell, patent new business techniques or products, and trademark your business name and slogans.

Prepare for employees

Unless you're running a sole proprietorship in which you do all the work with no employees, you must apply for an Employee Identification Number (EIN) for tax purposes.

I recommend: Here's one time the IRS makes it easy for you, allowing you to file Form SS-4 online.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Adjust your business structure if you take on a partner. Sign a partnership agreement; don't rely on a handshake for legal protection.
• •  Make sure your employees know the laws they're operating under whenever possible. Ignorance of the law provides no protection in court.
• •  Consider the risks that your customers might take when using your products and take steps to protect yourself from lawsuits that could arise from possible misuse. (For instance, warnings that 'This coffee is extremely hot' are designed to keep customers from suing take-out restaurants if they burn themselves.)

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Identify and apply to a law school accredited by the American Bar Association

It's important to find a law school that is the best match for you. Some schools offer a more clinical approach, allowing for experiential learning. Other schools offer specializations in particular areas of law.

I recommend: Search for law schools by going to HG.org Worldwide Legal Directories, which provides links to categories, such as "Top US Law Schools," "Law Schools Online," or "Low Cost Law Schools." You may also want to check the Law School Admission Council, Official Guide to ABA Approved Law Schools. This interactive link allows you to narrow your search according to various factors.

Pass the bar to demonstrate your knowledge of statutes and other aspects of the legal system

The bar exam is a rite of passage for anyone wishing to practice law; however, passing it isn't a guarantee. Many law students take courses and spend months training to pass the bar.

I recommend: Consider enrolling in a home study course to prepare for the bar exam, such as the Study Group Personal Bar Review. Ameribar is another home study course that provides preparation for the bar exam in several jurisdictions. They also offer focused one-on-one tutoring sessions. You can review and order products from their website.

Apply for internships or a clerkship where you can put the legal information you've attained to use

The only way you'll become comfortable with the judicial system is to apply the skills you've learned throughout your training. One great way to accomplish this is through a school's clinical program. Some schools also require a certain number of pro-bono hours, which may apply towards the clinical program.

I recommend: Check the list of paid Washington D.C. Internships posted by the University of California San Diego Career Services. You'll find links to various organizations in the areas of law and legislation as well as social justice and civil rights. Look for international internships at the American Bar Association's International Internship Program Law Firm Profile Listing.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Take opportunities to network frequently, establishing strong relationships throughout your training. Frequently, these personal contacts lead to your first job.
• •  Participate in select extracurricular activities to enhance your overall profile and obtain more law information. Activities might include the serving as a writer or editor on your school's law review or taking part in clubs dedicated to particular legal fields, such as environmental law or corporate law.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Litigation

Litigation refers to a legal proceeding that is started by one individual who seeks court intervention to protect his or her rights.

I recommend: Lectric Law Library defines litigation in everyday terms. Find out how the litigation process gets started and why some states are taking steps to make litigation more efficient.

Plaintiff

One of the most commonly used terms in the legal field is the word 'plaintiff.' A plaintiff is the individual who begins a legal controversy.

I recommend: Duhaime discusses who is considered a plaintiff in the legal world.

Defendant

The second most important party to a lawsuit is the defendant, the person against whom the plaintiff files a lawsuit.

I recommend: Investor Glossary discusses the role of the defendant in civil and criminal lawsuits.

Trial process

Trial process refers to the hearing that takes place when parties to a civil lawsuit are unable to solve their dispute without court intervention. In criminal lawsuits, it refers to the hearing before a judge and jury in which the state presents evidence of criminal conduct by the defendant.

I recommend: Read the web page of the Circuit Court of Cook County for an in-depth discussion of the trial process. Learn who participates in civil and criminal lawsuits, the legal terms describing these participants and the various stages of a trial from start to finish.

Contract

A contract is an agreement between two parties in which each has certain rights and regulations usually spelled out in a written instrument.

I recommend: Business Dictionary explains the general use of the term contract and some key elements of a contractual agreement. It also provides links to pages discussing the most commonly used contracts.

Torts

The term torts encompasses all of the civil wrongs that individuals can commit against other individuals or their property.

I recommend: Let Personal Injury explain the general legal concept of torts. You'll also find out the legal implications for intentional torts in some states and the purpose of tort laws.