stephanie l. stenberg [email protected]
TRANSCRIPT
Stephanie L. Stenberg
Stephanie L. Stenberg
Rhoades McKee PC161 Ottawa N.W., Suite 600
Grand Rapids, MI 49503Direct: 616.233.5236
www.linkedin.com/stephaniestenberg
• 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
Where Business Meets Technology:
Business Law Bootcamp for BarCamp
BarCampGRAugust 21-22, 2009
Stephanie L. Stenberg
“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
Stephanie L. Stenberg
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
Stephanie L. Stenberg
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
Stephanie L. Stenberg
How are You Compensated?
• Freelance (aka Independent Contractor) vs.
Employee
• Control/Exclusivity
• Worker’s Compensation
• Self-Employment Tax v Withholding
• Benefits
• Economic Reality Test
Stephanie L. Stenberg
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
Stephanie L. Stenberg
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)
Stephanie L. Stenberg
Being “The Boss”
• Hiring
• Employees
• Subcontractors
• Contracts
• Working with Other Companies on a Regular Basis to Bid Projects- protecting yourself
Stephanie L. Stenberg
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
Stephanie L. Stenberg
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
