Small businesses can be prone to lawsuits. This is often due in part to business owners either being unaware of best legal practices or not being equipped to handle certain situations. In other words, many lawsuits are preventable.

How Lawsuits Affect Small Businesses

What’s the worst that could happen if your small business is faced with a lawsuit? For many business owners, the worst case is a domino effect of incidents resulting in bankruptcy. The costs associated with defending a lawsuit often surpass the resources of most small businesses. Even if you manage to keep your head above water throughout a lawsuit, word can spread of your situation which could damage your reputation and further effect your bottom line. Often, this type of scenario can be prevented by taking the extra precautions necessary to protect your small business.

Put Your Employees First

There are a great number of state and federal laws centered around employees. From the hiring process to harassment, discrimination, and violations of personal privacy, things can easily go sour if you’re not careful. In fact, many lawsuits against small businesses are initiated by its own employees after they feel they’ve been wronged.

If it’s within the budget of a small business, an effective way to maintain peace in the workplace might include the hiring of a human resource specialist that employees can turn to. Human resource specialists can thoroughly inform all new hires of company policies, including the procedure for handling complaints. A qualified business attorney can draft your legal and employment documents to address every potential outcome and help protect your business from the inside out.

Prevent Electronic-Based Threats to Your Security

The rapid evolution of technology over the decades has made life easier in many ways, but it has also given hackers a larger playground for stealing funds and vital data which could directly and indirectly affect anyone even remotely involved with a small business. Security threats can be reduced by:

● Keeping a backup of important files on a hard storage device like a flash drive or external hard drive.

● Restrict access to main computers.

● Invest in the latest, high-quality security protection software.

● Make an effort to maintain the confidentiality of customers, clients, and employees.

Protect Your Intellectual Property

In order to deter anyone from wrongfully using the great ideas of a small business – whether it be the name or logo of the business, product designs, slogans, etc., it’s practically essential to acquire the appropriate patents, trademarks and copyrights. The attorneys at Heller Law are available to discuss intellectual property matters with small business owners.

Have a Lawyer on Hand

Small business’s should not wait until they are in a bind to find a lawyer they can trust. There’s often a better chance of effectively handling most situations if a small business gets acquainted with an attorney beforehand so the business has someone who already knows them and understands their business in their court. Small businesses can have a trusted attorney “on speed dial” to advise them in the event of a legal emergency.

Where Can I Find a Lawyer For My Small Business in Tampa?

As a small business owner, you need an attorney you can trust who will advise you on your legal business matters as if it were their own business at stake. See if the expert business litigation attorneys at Heller Law can protect your small business! We are entrepreneurs ourselves and understand the unique struggles that small business owners face. Call today at (727) 828-6071 to schedule a consultation.