Recently, I wrote two blog posts about the actions some business people were taking to shield themselves from negative reviews from their customers. One tactic was to have customers sign contracts that allowed the business to penalize anyone that left a negative review on social media. The other approach was to legally try to discredit Yelp. Though neither of these ploys has been particularly effective, I can understand why businesses might be tempted to take action to protect themselves.
Posts filed under Running Your Business
Microsoft Office Online or Google Docs...Which Is Best For You Legally?
These days we essentially have a choice between Microsoft Office and Google Docs when it comes to meeting our back office needs. Though each has its benefits (according to Sarah Austin, Google is better for collaboration while Microsoft is better for those who use spreadsheets on a regular basis), legally they are quite different.
How To Save Your Company From A Legal Ditch
When I saw Adam Callinan's article about the 3 legal issues that can kill a small business, I was curious to see how the substance of his piece matches up to my recommendations to you these past few months. I'm happy to report that, for the most part, Mr. Callinan and I are on the same page when it comes to the legal risks that entrepreneurs should prioritize:
How Your Friend Might Be The Biggest Threat To Your Business
As the infographic below shows, many employees walk away with passwords, logins, access to your confidential information. All the steps you took to protect your proprietary information... it's all for naught. What about compliance with your social media policy that is designed to protect your reputation and ensure that your company does not break any laws? Well, that doesn't really mean much if your former employee still has complete access to your social media accounts right?
3 Ways To Legally Protect Yourself During Business Negotiations
My way of thinking about business people and lawyers was validated by Adriana Gardella’s piece about how the owners from the She Owns It business group view the role of attorneys in negotiating with larger companies. While one business owner (Ms. Lord) said she “prefers to use her lawyer as little as possible on deals”, another (Ms. Blumin) noted that she could not take this approach because the larger companies she works with always have attorneys who step in and change the terms of the already agreed upon term sheet.
Can Your Business Pass this Legal Checkup?
As an attorney that specializes in finance and contracts, I hardly ever offer litigation-based solutions. Understanding my possible blind spot, I was happy to get a fresh take on the most important small business legal issues from Aileron.
