1 / 14

Stephanie L. Stenberg Rhoades McKee PC 161 Ottawa N.W., Suite 600 Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Stephanie focuses her practice in business law, tax law and estate planning. Chair of the Business and Taxation Section of the Grand Rapids Bar Association Currently pursuing a Masters of Laws (LL.M.) degree in Taxation at Thomas M. Cooley Law School.

frisco
Download Presentation

Stephanie L. Stenberg Rhoades McKee PC 161 Ottawa N.W., Suite 600 Grand Rapids, MI 49503

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Stephanie focuses her practice in business law, tax law and estate planning. • Chair of the Business and Taxation Section of the Grand Rapids Bar Association • Currently pursuing a Masters of Laws (LL.M.) degree in Taxation at Thomas M. Cooley Law School. • Member of the Grand Rapids Bar Association, the Michigan Bar Association, the Grand Rapids Young Professionals, aimWest, the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts (UICA), Downtown Alliance, West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology and InForum. • Graduated from Residential College at the University of Michigan in 2002. She received her J.D. in 2006 from Wayne State University. Stephanie L. Stenberg Rhoades McKee PC 161 Ottawa N.W., Suite 600 Grand Rapids, MI 49503 Direct: 616.233.5236 slstenberg@rhoadesmckee.com www.linkedin.com/stephaniestenberg

  2. Where Business Meets Technology:Business Law Bootcamp for BarCampBarCampGRAugust 21-22, 2009

  3. “Starting Your Business” • Business Plan-Resources, Goals, Steps • Financing • SBTDC and Other Resources (Ryerson Library) • Incentives • The Importance of Having a Professional Team • Attorneys • Accountants • Bankers

  4. Choice of Entity • “Doing business as” (DBA) issues • Business Entity Options • Special Intellectual Property Issues • What Does Forming an Entity Involve? • Talk to members of your professional team: • Accountant • Attorney

  5. The Contract Relationship • Offer, Acceptance, and Consideration • Written vs. Oral • What’s In Your Contract? • Suing Companies around the world or where you only know them virtually; important contract provisions to protect yourself • What Happens When The Contract Is Breached? • Damages • Equitable Relief and Injunctions

  6. How are You Compensated? • Freelance (aka Independent Contractor) vs. Employee • Control/Exclusivity • Worker’s Compensation • Self-Employment Tax v Withholding • Benefits • Economic Reality Test

  7. Your Work: Who Owns It? • Employee v. Independent Contractor • Protecting Online Images of Your Work • Freelancing/Submitting Your Work • Query Letter/Nondisclosure and Confidentiality Agreement • Limited v Unlimited Editions • Fair Use

  8. Nondisclosure, Noncompete & Nonsolicitation Agreements • When you generally sign these Agreements • Analyze the Scope of the Agreement: • Customers • Geography • Time Period • If you breach the Agreement: Injunctive Relief • Most Effective Approach: Analyze on the front end, it’s generally much cheaper than waiting to see what happens when you breach the agreement(s)

  9. Being “The Boss” • Hiring • Employees • Subcontractors • Contracts • Working with Other Companies on a Regular Basis to Bid Projects- protecting yourself

  10. Two Types of Law Practice:Litigation (as seen on TV) vs.Transactional Law (not on TV for a reason) • When you need a litigator versus a transactional attorney • How much do attorneys charge? • Hourly, Per Project, Flat Fee, Contingency and Retainers • Finding a Lawyer: • Grand Rapids Bar Association www.grbar.org • Word of mouth • Evidence: “paper your file” • ADR/Arbitration/Mediation

  11. It All Comes Back to Your Team • You are in business because you are an expert in your field • Your time is likely worth more if you spend it working on your business than if you try to master accounting, law, real estate, insurance, and all other fields that take time away from your specialty. • Having a Team of Professionals to Help You • Manage Your Business Allows You to • Focus on What You Do Best

  12. Questions & Answers

  13. Stephanie L. Stenberg 616.233.5236 slstenberg@rhoadesmckee.com

More Related