On March 14, I presented a workshop on the legal issues that are most relevant to freelancers and small businesses.  This has been a very popular offering in the past.  Yesterday’s audience included event planners, marketing professionals, website developers, and a range of new entrepreneurs.

The evening began with a discussion of the benefits of gaining limited liability through a business entity. This was followed by the relative pros, cons and costs of the business structures mostly commonly used by new businesses and freelancers.  The focus then turned to the types of legal issues likely to come up during the course of business, such as client non-payment, how to avoid them and how to address some of these issues on our own before turning to a lawyer. The evening wrapped up with review of the role of agreements in  avoiding disputes. This included looking at a range of legal and practical provisions that you should include in all your agreements.

As always, the event could not have been a success without the engagement of the talented entrepreneurs who attended and were willing to share their own experiences and advice.