Introduction to Business Law

July 19, 2012 1 Comment

Day one: Introduction to Business Law.

I’m excited to say after only two short hours I already feel empowered. Here’s a quick breakdown of what we covered, my homework and what our next business law tutor session will be about.

Business Law applies to many areas covered in the Doctor of Jurisprudence. It includes but is not limited to: Contracts, Business Formation, Intellectual Property , Antitrust, Secured Transactions, International Law, Product Liability, Income Tax, Benefits, Labor Law, Employment Law, Bankruptcy, Risk Mitigation, etc. It is an extension of law that evaluates subjects that impact the operation of a business.

Legal vocabulary is loaded with jargon. What this translates to is acute attention to detail because a harmless oversight can be costly. One word can completely change the context of a sentence which can lend itself to liability. I learned the only 100% valid answer to any legal question is, “It depends.”

Isn’t that convenient?

When an individual chooses to represent himself lawyers refer to it as, “Pro Se legal representation.” Pro Se is a growing trend, but is not recommended. Lawyers hold the golden key to information and can outmaneuver their opponent in litigation. Remember the saying, “A person who represents himself has a fool for a client.”

Here are online resources to check out if you’d like to educate yourself:

State Supreme Court
Law Review Articles (varies from college to college)
State Bar Associations
Federal Laws can be found @ The Library of Congress.
Westlaw
FindLaw
Lexis Nexis Law

Business Law books to read:

Strategy to engage the Lawyer community in my geographical area:

Get paralegal certification
Attend online classes offered at local community college
Take extra interest in the class and befriend the professor
Utilize the ASU Law School Library
Reach out to Arizona Bar Association to see if there are any crossover opportunities that exist
Attend industry meetups, mixers and happy hour
Network online and in person with small law firms

Next tutor session is scheduled and we plan on covering the following:

Civil Procedure Jurisdiction
Two types: Person vs Subject
Contract Principles

I’m a firm believer in open source. I figure if I plan on paying thousands of dollars in tutoring I might as well make this information available to every entrepreneur that might need it. Please comment below and let me know if you found this blog post helpful.

Considering this is my first official post on business law I thought it was fitting to write my first legal disclaimer at the bottom.

DISCLAIMER: I am not an attorney, nor do I play one on TV or on Nima.Co. The information provided herein is not legal advice and is only based on my own experiences, research, tutoring which includes counsel I have been given by an attorney. None of the above should be considered a substitute for your due diligence with your legal counsel who will guide you and your company (or website) in how to abide by your state and federal laws. The views expressed on this site are mine alone and do not reflect the views of GoDaddy.com, LLC. or affiliates.

By Nima Jacob Nojoumi

Die hard entrepreneur, startup adviser, world traveler, blogger, inbound marketing addict and evangelist of the American Dream. Helping people is my passion, business is my vehicle.