By Francine Friedman Griesing | Founder & Managing Member | Griesing Law, LLC

Business owners are responsible for protecting themselves against the risks that can negatively jeopardize their business and ownership interests. One of the most common issues that arises with entrepreneurs is having a relationship with a business partner or partners go sour. In my career, I have represented several business owners who have been pushed out of businesses they founded or have seen a significant decline in what their business is worth due to poor relationships with their business partners. I have also served as a neutral arbitrator or mediator in far too many cases where a successful business imploded when the partnership relationship when awry. By the time they seek help, the damage may be so great that it can’t be undone. So how do business owners get to this point and what can you do to avoid it?

By Lee Holcomb | Founder | Lawyer Yoga & Lifestyle Lawyer

 Throughout the course of our lives, we spend the majority of the time immersed in self-centered thoughts. Why did that person do this to me? Where am I going to go on vacation? Why don’t I have a better job? What would make me feel better? And most of these thoughts don’t make us feel better or bring us happiness. But honestly, it’s not the thoughts themselves that are the problem; it’s our desperate clinging to them and our resistance to what’s happening in the present moment that causes pain. Luckily, you don’t have to stop or get rid of your thoughts. Merely learning how you can become aware of the thoughts that are running your life can diminish their power. 

By Kei S. Tolliver|  Founder | Kei S. Tolliver Law, LLC

After nearly two decades in the start-up space, I finally pulled the trigger and started my own solo law practice 4 years ago. Having been closely involved in start-ups, I knew the fundamental process of starting a business. However, what I didn’t know and had never experienced firsthand were the well documented challenges female founders face. Moreover, as I started to assist my own start-up clients, I’ve come to realize how real these challenges are and how educating myself on these challenges can help me (and other female founders) tackle them. 

By Andrea Ewart |  CEO and Founder | DevelopTradeLaw, LLC

In today’s digital economy, it is possible to participate in international trade without ever leaving our desks. This reality is particularly true for attorneys and clients who frequently do business internationally, and  presents several opportunities and challenges. Attorneys need to be prepared to support clients as well as to address their own needs in this era of doing business without borders.

By Cheryl A. Brunetti |  Executive Chairwoman | RVM Enterprises, Inc.

Competency is a longstanding ethical obligation for attorneys, but what it means to be “competent” continues to evolve.  Its evolution is due to the growing prevalence of technology that impacts the legal industry – from discovery to day-to-day case management.  The result is that lawyers now know where to look to find the answers, either by improving their own understanding of the technology or by enlisting the proper resources.