| Law 4 Small Business, P.C. (L4SB)

Larry Donahue is an attorney and founder of Law 4 Small Business, P.C. He is licensed to practice law in Illinois, New Mexico and the US Patent and Trademark Office.

What are the Pros/Cons to adding additional Class Codes to my Trademark Application?

June 23, 2020 / by Larry Donahue / / 0 comments

Trademarks are associated with a product or service, and products and services are distinguished by “Class Codes” which designate high-level categories that a particular product or service falls into. There are 45 classes, or categories, that cover all goods and services. Classes 1-34 are for goods, classes 35-45 are for services. Each class can cover […]

What is an Advocate?

June 22, 2020 / by Larry Donahue / Business Law, Business Tips, Employee Management, Human Resources, Lawsuit, Resolving Disputes, Small Business, Strategic Planning / 0 comments

An Advocate is someone who works on behalf of another person. People in need of advocates are usually members of a population that may have significant challenges or roadblocks to resources, understanding or navigation within the legal system. Common Types of Populations That Benefit from Advocate Help: Children Abuse victims Poor Disabled Victims of crimes […]

Employees Lying on LinkedIn. Should Employers Care?

June 18, 2020 / by Larry Donahue / Business Tips, Human Resources, Marketing, Resolving Disputes, Small Business, Strategic Planning / 0 comments

More and more often I find myself sitting, mouth agape, absolutely mesmerized by what I find when looking at the LinkedIn profiles of people I am familiar with. Specifically, their self-stated and fully fictitious resumes, experience, and education. Social media, by its nature, is deceptive. (Have you looked at the pictures on Instagram and Facebook […]

Pay-if-paid vs. Pay-when-paid in Construction Contracts

June 16, 2020 / by Larry Donahue / Business Law, Business Tips, Contracts, Lawsuit, Small Business, Strategic Planning / 0 comments

What every subcontractor really needs to understand. One little word in a contract can make a big difference. Take for example the word “if” and the word “when”. If you are a subcontractor, your ability to get paid and when that payment will happen is dependent on whether the word “if” or the word “when” […]

How to Handle a Reference Call On The Employee You Fired.

June 9, 2020 / by Larry Donahue / Business Law, Business Tips, Employee Management, Employment Law, Human Resources, Lawsuit, Resolving Disputes, Small Business, Toxic Employee Consultation / 0 comments

Consider the notion that no good deed or lapse in professionalism usually goes unpunished. Is there anything more dreaded for a business owner or manager than to have to put up with and eventually terminate a bad employee? Maybe. How about the uncomfortable reference check or inquiry regarding your old problematic employee? The situation gets […]

What Is an Annual Report and Why Is It Important?

June 4, 2020 / by Larry Donahue / Anonymous LLC, Business Tips, Certificates, Corporations, Florida, Illinois, LLC, Locations, Move Your LLC, New Mexico, Other Corporate Entities, Partnership, Small Business, Strategic Planning, Texas / 0 comments

Some states call it an Annual Report. Other states refer to it as an Annual Registration or Statement of Information. At the end of the day, they are all essentially the same thing. An Annual Report, or whatever your state wants to call it, is information that business entities (Limited Liability Companies, Corporations, Non-Profits, and Partnerships) […]

COVID-19: Does Your Business Need a Waiver or Release for Customers and/or Employees?

May 8, 2020 / by Larry Donahue / Contracts, COVID-19, Employment Law, Human Resources, Lawsuit / 0 comments

Last Updated: No update. New article. The short answer is … it’s doubtful a waiver or release will protect your business from liability, unless you’re creating/following guidelines, enforcing guidelines, documenting incidents, and maintaining an incident log to prove you were following and enforcing guidelines. The longer answer is … We’re getting this question a lot, […]

Why Shouldn’t a US-Citizen “Open Up a Bank Account” for a Foreign National?

April 28, 2020 / by Larry Donahue / / 0 comments

US Federal Law requires that banks “know their customer,” which are called “KYC laws” in the business. To learn more, google “bank KYC laws”. These laws have been around a long time, but were greatly expanded and standardized, after 911 as part of the US’ “war on terrorism.” These laws constrain the banks themselves, with […]

Can a Foreign National (non-US-Citizen) Open Up a US-Based Bank Account?

April 28, 2020 / by Larry Donahue / / 0 comments

The quick answer is “yes,” but US federal law requires that banks “know who they are banking with.” Banks have varying policies on what that means, but in general, most banks want you to come into a branch located in the US to open up a US-based bank account. Some banks (such as BBVA Compass […]

The Requirements Needed to Not Pay Back PPP Funds

April 16, 2020 / by Larry Donahue / COVID-19 / 27 comments

*** Revised 5/1/2020: Provided an exact definition, based on the SBA’s definition, for “Full-Time Equivalent Employees”. The Paycheck Protection Program (or PPP) is an SBA loan that helps businesses maintain their workforce during the COVID-19 crisis. It is a low-interest loan, with a term of up to 10 years, no personal guarantee or collateral required, […]

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