Legal Basics. Legal literacy for small business owners, solopreneurs, and first-time founders
Contracts, IP, liability, business structure, and the legal moves that don't require a $400/hr lawyer for every decision. Built for people who want to understand before they call.
Featured guides
Latest releases on practical legal literacy.
Immigration Basics for Individuals: Visas, Green Cards, Citizenship, and the Documentation Reality
The US immigration system is famously complex, and most people meet it through scattered forms and conflicting advice. This guide lays out…
Tax & IRS Manual for Individuals: Common Deductions, Audit Defense, and When to Hire a CPA
Most tax guidance is written for businesses; this manual is for everyone else. It explains common deductions for W-2 and 1099 income,…
Marriage Operations + Pre-Marital: Pre-Nups, Money, Communication, and the Marriage Operations Most Couples Run on Default
Marriage is a legal and financial partnership as much as a romantic one, and most couples never read the terms. This guide…
Unmarried Couples: Cohabitation & Legal Protection: Agreements, Property, Documents, and the Legal Protections Marriage Gives Automatically That You Don't Have
Marriage carries legal protections that living together does not — and many couples discover the gap at the worst possible moment. This…
Estate Planning Beyond the Will: Trusts, Beneficiaries, Healthcare Directives, and the Documents Most Adults Don't Have That Actually Matter
A will is the beginning of an estate plan, not the end of one. This guide explains what wills can and cannot…
Divorce Basics: The Money, Custody, and Paperwork Reality: A Plain-English Manual for the Decisions That Matter
Divorce asks you to make lasting decisions about money, children, and property at the hardest possible time. This plain-English manual explains how…
From the field notes
Writing, commentary, and behind-the-scenes.
Register Your Business Name as a Trademark Before You Need To
Why Most Small Businesses Wait Too Long Most small businesses treat trademark registration as something to handle later, after things are more established — and…
Read more →Always Get IP Assignment in Writing From Contractors
The Ownership Gap Most Small Businesses Don’t Know Exists You paid for the work, so you own it — that assumption feels obvious, but under…
Read more →Small Business Insurance: What You Need and What You Are Probably Missing
Why Most Small Business Insurance Portfolios Have It Backwards Small business owners tend to over-insure the things they can see and under-insure the things that…
Read more →Freelancer Contracts: The Clauses That Actually Protect You
A freelance contract is not a formality you complete before the real work starts — it is the architecture that determines what happens when something…
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