BusinessLaw.gov is an online resource guide designed to provide legal and regulatory information to America's small businesses. Because laws and regulations affect every aspect of business strategy, topics covered on the site range from the most basic and crucial, such as choosing a business structure, to the most complex and specialized such as e-commerce and exporting.

One of the main reasons small businesses fail is because they don't seek legal help at critical development stages. BusinessLaw.gov assumes that every business stage is a critical one. Our goal is to provide basic, easy-to-find-and-read information on legal issues so that businesses can identify potential problems early and take preventative action.

The site does not provide legal advice nor does it provide exhaustive coverage of any particular topic. It does, however, provide information on how to determine whether it is safe to act as your own attorney, and when its not, how hire a qualified attorney and get the most for the time and money spent in the process.

Because it acts as a gateway to federal, state and local information, entrepreneurs can use BusinessLaw.gov to scan checklists to quickly define their problems and find solutions on topics ranging from federal advertising laws to local zoning codes. In addition to self-help articles, interactive guides, and the ability to complete transactions on line such as applying for a Federal EIN, the site also connects users with sources of in-person help from government officials and business counselors in their local area.

The creation of BusinessLaw.gov is in keeping with the President's mandate that Government web sites be cross-agency and citizen-centered. The site is championed by SBA E-Government officials, and managed by the Office of General Counsel with support from the Office of Field Operations and the Office of the Chief Information Officer.

Content is being built by a nationwide virtual team of SBA field lawyers and staff members with assistance from other agencies including the BCIS (INS), DOE, DOL, DOT, EPA, GSA, IRS, and OSHA, which have been developing regulatory compliance assistance tools as part of the Business Compliance One Stop Project, a Presidential E-government initiative managed by SBA.

Input and assistance has also provided by organizations such as SCORE and Small Business Development Centers, whose members use BusinessLaw.gov as a counseling tool with their clients; state agencies such as the Georgia, Illinois and Commonwealth of Massachusetts Departments of Revenue; and law schools associated with universities such UCLA, Whittier and Temple, the Universities of Washington, Kansas and the District of Columbia, and Cornell Law Library.

Credit:
BusinessLaw.gov
These new interactive tools and web services were developed as part of the Business Compliance One Stop - the Administration's cross-agency initiative to reduce the regulatory burden on businesses.

http://www.businesslaw.gov/content_page.cfm?contentid=21240

Related Information:

NBA Benefit Provider - U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

NBA Benefit Provider - SCORE Association "Counselors to America's Small Business"

NBA Benefit Provider - Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC)