Service professionals are special.
The Legal Department knows it’s challenging to be a licensed, regulated, or educated service professional who is also a small business owner. There are industry regulations plus business ownership requirements. We help you manage all your legal obligations. You can see more information for your specific profession under Who We Advise in our menu above.
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You should focus on specific areas in your business to create legal infrastructure and make it strong:
Entity Structure
The type, organization, structure, and governance of your business is the most basic aspect of your foundation.
Regulatory Compliance
Many service professionals are governed by specialized rules and regulations in addition to general regulations.
Client Relationships
Having direct, honest relationships with your clients is the key to repeat business, referrals, and long-term success.
Vendor Relationships
When you’re the client, understanding the agreement and how the relationship should work is critical.
Worker Relationships
Relationships with an employee or independent contractor need to be defined to protect your business and clients.
Owner Relationships
Without structure or guidelines to establish expectations and accountability, business partners can pose a high risk.
Trademarks
An important part of protecting your brand is making sure you trademark rights are in place.
Copyrights
Copyrights capture a broad range of things you create for your business or for your clients.
Working with The Legal Department
We serve as your legal department whenever you need us. If you need us on a regular basis, we’re here. If you need us only occasionally, we’re here for those times, too. The importance of our relationship is that we get to know you and your business so we can help you figure out what you need to be successful. Whether it is reviewing a contract, negotiating a business deal, or getting you set up for a big change, we can provide long-term or short-term legal guidance and advice to our clients. We have three different fee models – all of which are fixed flat fees:
Paid Consultation
We offer a one-hour paid consultation for those times when you need some legal information. This is usually best suited for circumstances where you would like to know the rules and there are not a lot of moving parts to the situation. Sometimes, just pointing you in the right direction can help you make better business decisions.
Legal Project
When you are facing a situation or are wanting to take a step forward in your business, you may have a specific project for which you need legal assistance. These projects have a fixed fee that is determined by the scope and specific timeframe. Examples of these projects include:
Buying a Business
Starting a Business
Lease Reviews
Employee Agreements
Trademark Registration
Regulatory Compliance
Selling a Business
Ownership Agreements
Contract Review & Drafting
Independent Contractors
Service Agreements
Business Audits
Annual Membership
We offer a limited number of annual memberships to existing clients who want us to be accessible whenever they need us. The membership is best suited for clients who realize they don’t know what they don’t know and may not have the right questions to ask. We know the questions you should be asking, and the annual membership gives us the time to work through them with you. For more information about our memberships, keep reading below.
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How Do We Charge?
We have a business model that uses flat fees for our services. Our fees are based on complexity of the legal issues and they are all set out on a schedule that we share with you in our introductory meeting. We are always transparent and explain how our fees work. You know upfront what the total cost will be and can make an informed decision about what is best for your business. No matter what, we don’t do any hourly billing.
Flat fees allow us to work together without worrying about time limits. Our flat fees include all communications with you – emails, calls, and meetings. We don’t charge extra to communicate with you. In fact, we encourage a lot of communication because we need it to do a great job. If you have any questions about how our flat fees work, we’d be happy to discuss them with you in a complementary 30-minute introductory meeting.
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When Do You Need The Legal Department?
We have noticed that there are two kinds of small business owners and they come to see us at different points in their business development. The ones we call “Grounders” come to us when they’re planning and need to gather information for their next action. The ones we call “Flyers” come to us after they’ve taken an action and need to clean up or shore up what they’ve already done.
Which One Are You?
The Legal Department serves both.
Whichever type you are, we don’t judge. We have seen many successful small business owners of both types. Neither is better than the other. Both need legal infrastructure and both need a good relationship with a small business attorney.
For Grounders: We have many resources for you to learn and plan. See our Resources tab on our menu above.
For Flyers: Go ahead and schedule an introductory meeting with us. We can tell you what comes next.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know when I need to talk to a business attorney?
As a small business owner, it can only be beneficial to you to have an established relationship with a business attorney. Whether you are starting a business, buying a business, growing an existing business, or transitioning your business to someone else, it’s essential to have an experienced and knowledgeable attorney to go to for advice and guidance.
I know I need help but I don’t know where to start. How do I tell you what I need?
You don’t know what you don’t know. We hear this all the time! We know dealing with legal issues can be difficult and intimidating. That’s why you hire us – our goal is to explain and give you more information than you probably want to know. We’re not here to judge, we’re here to help! You may suspect you need one thing but it turns out you need another. We can help you determine the right steps to take. We just take it one piece at a time and fix things as we go. We make it a plan you can manage.
Why Should You Build Infrastructure?
You already know that you have some holes in your business. You know you didn’t put everything in place as you went along. So now you’re worried about what you didn’t do. You’re not alone. Most businesses need to button up some areas. The most successful businesses realize this and deal with it. Having a strong business foundation means your business can support growth. It allows you to avoid problems. And for those problems that are unavoidable, it can help you manage an easier resolution.
What if I don’t need an attorney all the time?
Most people think of attorneys as those who go to court – but that’s not us. We’re business attorneys who help you avoid problems. Our goal is to keep you out of the court room by putting proper protections in place for your business. We do this on a project-by-project basis, so you only pay us when you need us. Big corporations spend thousands of dollars on legal fees. Even if a deal goes bad, they can absorb the losses. Small businesses don’t always have the resources to withstand a bad move. We provide you with the necessary legal advice so that you can be protected.
Is everything I tell you confidential? What if you have other clients in my industry?
As attorneys, we have an ethical duty of confidentiality. We cannot disclose anything you tell us without your permission. Chances are, we do have other clients in your industry. But we treat each of our clients individually because no two businesses are the same. Of course, we don’t share your ideas or best practices with anyone else. Even our advice to clients in the same industry ends up being quite different because of the goals and direction each is trying to achieve. So your secrets are safe with us!
“Laurie Lee has provided invaluable legal guidance and support, allowing my business to grow! As a small business owner, I appreciate the fee-based structure as it removes the cost uncertainty of various projects.”
“The Legal Dept is truly one of a kind, incredibly professional service and quality work with timely responses and a genuine desire to help small businesses and individuals.”
“We are very fortunate to have her as our attorney. She had counseled us on important corporate initiatives and had provided thorough guidance on all aspects of company formation, partnership agreements and other areas.”
Annual Membership with The Legal Department
You face uncertainty every day: What should I do? How do I handle this? What’s the best way forward? What am I missing? Is there risk here that I don’t need to take? You want to make better business decisions, reduce unnecessary bad risks and avoid catastrophic problems. We give you a place to come find answers and talk over options.
Each year we open a limited number of annual memberships for current clients who want the kind of guidance, education, and communication we can offer on a regular basis. The annual memberships are available at different levels, each with its own benefits and services. Clients with annual memberships have the ability to access an attorney when they need it, even if it’s just for a quick question.
That’s why you come to us as your Legal Department.
We Are Experienced. We Serve Small Businesses in Florida.
The Legal Department is a law firm that has assisted hundreds of small service-based businesses throughout Florida. We are experienced and are familiar with the needs of small businesses.
Every aspect of The Legal Department is designed so that we can work as a trusted advisor to business owners, giving them the attention and knowledge they need to grow and protect their businesses. We focus on moving a business forward, allowing them to embrace their opportunities while also protecting against liabilities.
At The Legal Department, we don’t do hourly billing. All our services are provided on a flat fee basis, which allows us to be transparent with our clients so they know the costs before they hire us. Our mission is to allow small service-based business owners to get the legal advice they need in a way that is simple, dependable and effective.
We offer a wide range of services to help support small businesses looking to do things the right way. Examples of the legal areas we assist with include, Business Formations, Ownership Agreements, Vendor Agreements, Service Agreements, Employee Agreements, Trademarks, Copyrights, and Regulatory Compliance.
