As small business lawyers, we believe that educating business owners empowers them.

During your free consultation, we hope to achieve three goals:

1) learn about your business or nonprofit, your goals, and any issues you’re currently facing;

2) help you understand how we would approach working with you;

3) explain our fees and help you decide which fee structure fits your needs.

Ultimately, the purpose of free consultations is for both of us to assess mutual fit.   We are not a fit for everyone and that’s okay.  Our ideal client is looking for a long-term relationship with a lawyer who knows their business or nonprofit and serves them as a strategic partner in sound decision making.  Your success is our success.  If that sounds like a fit for you, please book a free consult!

There are three reasons why we’re determined to disrupt the traditional law firm model:

1. We hope our new model will build trust and break down barriers that keep you from building a long-term working relationship with a business attorney who knows your business as well as you do.

2. Business owners need a business or corporate lawyer. You wouldn’t go to a pediatrician if you needed heart surgery.  Don’t rely on just any lawyer to help you run your small business.  Read more about our services here to learn why our specialized knowledge and experience in business law, corporate law, and employment law matter for you.

3. We are determined to re-invent how we show up for small business. When 56% of small business owners say they call an attorney only as a last resort, that is a failure of our profession to serve your work.  We’ve spent over two years researching and developing new business models to serve you better.  Check out our flat fees, our subscription plans, and our Small Business Sentry $98/ month offering for microbusinesses!

The traditional model that relies on high hourly rates and advanced payment created a dysfunctional relationship between you, the business owner or nonprofit leader, and us, the corporate attorneys.  You hesitate to call or email because you can’t predict or budget for next month’s bill.  As a result, you never call unless the SHTF.  By then, it is often too late.

We want you to call every time you have a hard decision to make, whenever something goes sideways in your business, or you’re working on a 3-year strategic plan.  Let us steer you AROUND the icebergs!  We want to know your business or nonprofit as well as you do.

As part of this new business model, we are building out an ecosystem of services – business law and corporate law, but beyond law too — to support small business owners.  Stay tuned for more information in coming months!

The “Business Law Question of the Month” is for general information and to educate business owners on questions that we frequently hear, along with our thoughts on how to approach the issue.  Of course, it is not actionable legal advice.

With this in mind, if you want to submit a question for us to consider using (email it to hello[at]dunlaplawplc.com), you may do so with the following instructions and caveats (we’re corporate lawyers, there are ALWAYS caveats):

1. Don’t give us any identifying information.

2. Describe the facts using fake names like “Person A” or “Business A”. We have a duty to our clients to share ALL relevant information with them.  If you happen to give us identifiable, information relevant to a client, then we MUST share the information with that client.  THIS COULD HARM YOU.

3. Time frames are important but don’t give us specific dates. Instead tell us time frames such as “14 months later…”

4. If you want legal advice that you can act on, then become a client! Start with BOOKING A FREE CONSULT

A 2021 survey of 10,000 small business owners asked this question, and others.  You can find the survey results here.