When I first learned about Priori Legal a few months ago, I couldn’t wait to work on a project for a service dedicated to helping small businesses navigate the often-complex process of finding an excellent, affordable lawyer. While I am very interested in corporate law, what has always fascinated me most has been the intersection between business and the business of law. As a 2L at Yale Law School, my classes discuss billion dollar, precedent-changing corporate law cases, but I am often left wondering what all of this means for small and medium sized businesses and how they manage to navigate such complex and constantly-changing rules, especially since even the largest companies with huge numbers of lawyers on their payroll have trouble doing so!
Over the past two months, I have interviewed small businesses in the Connecticut area - from photographers to catering services to antique shops to restaurants - to learn about the legal issues they face and their experiences with finding and hiring lawyers. While certainly not an exhaustive survey of small businesses, my conversations have yielded fascinating anecdotes from business owners themselves, helping us understand firsthand the types of legal problems lawyers working with these business owners must be prepared to solve and how small business owners perceive the legal services market.
In my blog posts, I will be sharing interesting anecdotes, general trends, and various legal issues that could arise in similar businesses, all stemming from real small business owners and their experiences. Not only do I hope that this blog will help keep small businesses alert to potential legal issues, but I also hope that the stories will help show small business owners how lawyers can easily help them navigate these potentially complex problems.