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www.Lawyers.com
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Nationwide, Criminal/DUI, Work Comp Accident/Injury, Malpractice, SSD.
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California State Bar Certified Attorney Referral Services - CA
www.Law4USA.org
Injury, Bankruptcy, Divorce, SSD, Criminal, Malpractice, Custody...
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Law.JustAnswer.com
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A national association of environmental, civil rights, mental health, women's, children's and consumer advocacy organizations.
www.afj.org
Mission is to to enable a person able to use a PC to do much of the legwork and save on attorney hours so as to be able to afford a reasonable defense and not lose by default for lack of funds.
www.legalhelp.org
Organization dedicated to the cooperation, education and exchange of legal professionals between the US and Asia.
www.apli.org
AFDA is the only association devoted exclusively to the interests of federal criminal defense attorneys. The organization has been formed with a commitment to provide attorneys with the educational resources and support to effectively represent ...
www.afda.org
It is the world's largest trial bar, ATLA promotes justice and fairness for injured persons, safeguards victims' rights--particularly the right to trial by jury--and strengthens the civil justice system through education and disclosure of inform...
www.atlanet.org
Legal defense and assistance for churches and Christians regarding religious issues.
www.christianlaw.org
Professional association of defense attorneys, lawyers, litigators, insurance defense attorneys and in-house counsel.
www.dri.org
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www.Lawyers.com (Paid)
A nonprofit educational association whose mission is to inform all Americans about their rights, powers and responsibilties when serving as trial jurors.
www.fija.org
Group committed to providing its membership with the latest information about the legal profession, legislative reform and events shaping its future.
firms.findlaw.com
National association representing the interest of over 25,000 Hispanic American attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students in the United States and Puerto Rico.
www.hnba.com
Organization existing to defend and protect the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children.
www.hslda.org
A national legal society that was organized in 1943 by a small group of Army attorneys in Washington, DC, dedicated to military and veteran law.
www.floodcompany.com
Group dedicated to aviation safety, the just administration of the law and continuing legal education.
www.lpba.org
Works to protect and promote fundamental human rights.
www.lchr.org
An association that shapes, promotes, trains and develops future generations of lawyers to provide legal assistance for low-income and other undeserved people and communities.
www.napil.org
Promoting cooperation, coordination, and communication among the states' chief legal officers.
www.naag.org
Group advances the mission of the nation's criminal defense lawyers to ensure justice and due process for people accused of crime.
www.criminaljustice.org
The organization's mission is to provide strong, committed judicial leadership to improve the administration of justice and to ensure fairness, gender equality and diversity in American courts.
www.nawj.org
Independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to the improvement of justice by providing leadership and service to the state courts.
www.ncsc.dni.us
The Association was formed in 1950 as the "National Association of County and Prosecuting Attorneys" in response to the growth of crime and the increasing demand for community protection.
www.ndaa.org
A new, dynamic, full-service organization of attorneys from every state in the Union committed to the principles enunciated by our Nation's forefathers.
www.nla.org
The NOBC is a non-profit organization whose members enforce ethical rules which regulate the professional conduct of lawyers.
www.nobc.org
Provider of leadership in legal advocacy on behalf of America's public schools and offers continuing legal education and specialized publications.
www.nsba.org
Links to programs, course handbooks, customized training services and more.
www.pli.edu
Group advocates, facilitates, encourages and provides coordination for the development of programs incorporating mediation as the preferred means of dispute resolution.
www.promediation.com
Large technology law network with links to conferences, news, jobs and information technology resource centers.
cla.org
A national public interest law firm that marshals the skills and resources of trial lawyers to create a more just society.
www.tlpj.org
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Aggressive Criminal Defense. Former Prosecutor Equals Huge Advantage!
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Guide to Do-it-Yourself Legal Help
Lawyers are vital, but expensive. Self-help options abound for everyday legal matters.The range of legal issues facing entrepreneurs is immense. They include:
- Naming a business
- Obtaining licenses and permits
- Complying with tax laws
- Understanding wage and benefit laws
- Workplace safety
- Environmental compliance and dozens more
Make no mistake. Paid, professional legal advice is critical in many circumstances, such as choosing the right legal structure for a business and writing complex contracts. If you are stumped, find a lawyer (the resources below can help) and get the legal answers you need.
But there are some excellent Web-based do-it-yourself legal solutions for small business that offer free or low-cost help for solving everyday legal matters – or at least learning enough about them to work more efficiently with a lawyer.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Get expert legal guidance online
A great free site is FindLaw for Small Business from Thomson Corporation. FindLaw offers plain-English legal info in six main areas: 1) Starting a business, 2) Incorporation and legal structures, 3) Employment and HR, 4) Intellectual property, 5) Finances and taxes, 6) Forms and contracts. In each section you'll find a breakdown of topics with helpful advice and legal FAQs.
I recommend:
FindLaw for Small Business offers a wide range of help. In the FindLaw employment section you can quickly learn the legal requirements on family medical leave, jury duty, paternity leave and other matters. Forms and contracts is packed with real-life examples and templates that you can download free and adapt to your own business, including debt collection letters, employment forms and incorporation documents. FindLaw can also help you find a suitable lawyer by state and type of practice.
Legal help from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB)
The NFIB Legal Foundation offers excellent legal help tools for small business, available free online.
I recommend:
Helpful tools available at NFIBlegal.com include the Small Business Guide to Document Retention, Model Employee Handbook for Small Business, Small Business Guide to Handling OSHA Inspections and others.
Free legal advice and information from the SBA
The U.S. Small Business Administration Web site has helpful advice on business law, tax and many other legal topics. Business.gov – the official business link to the U.S. government – also helps small business owners identify and solve legal and regulatory questions.
I recommend:
The SBA Web site on business law has helpful advice on dozens of legal topics. Also visit sba.gov and look in "Starting Your Business," "Financing Your Business" and "Managing Your Business."
Legal help for state, local and federal laws and regulations
Business.gov was designed by the federal government to be the 'ultimate' portal for business to legal and regulatory issues stemming from government agencies. For a site run by the government, it is surprisingly well done.
I recommend:
Business.gov covers all federal agencies and has handy sections for tapping info in your region or industry. Click Region and then your state for information on state and local tax and legal requirements such as sales taxes, permits and licenses.
Go to the legal self-help leader
Nolo is the leading publisher of do-it-yourself legal solutions for small business.
I recommend:
Nolo's specialized legal books for small business have proven extremely popular and cover just about any topic you might need, from incorporation, to taxes to small claims court. Look in Business & Human Resources for a list of titles as well as business forms and featured articles on legal topics. There's a helpful glossary of terms under Tools & Resources.
Enlist free help for your business from a legal advocate
The National Ombudsman is available to help small business owners when they experience excessive enforcement actions, such as repetitive audits or investigations, excessive fines, penalties, threats, retaliation or other unfair enforcement action by a federal agency.
I recommend:
Visit the National Ombudsman Web site for details.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide- Not enough small businesses are aware of the SBA's National Ombudsman program. If you have a problem with excessive federal enforcement, get in touch and they'll help troubleshoot on your behalf.
- The self-help forms section at Findlaw.com also includes real-life examples of contracts that make interesting reading.
- Order Nolo legal self-help books at a discount from Amazon.com. Many of the books come with CDs that include helpful legal documents and templates that can save you money.
