308Course · Practitioner

Legal for the Operator

The law an operator must know, and the law an operator must call counsel about.

The Course

Every operator must know the law well enough to read a contract, choose an entity, and know when to call counsel. This course teaches that working literacy.

You will finish able to read a mid-length commercial contract and mark the three provisions that matter most.

Outcomes
  • 01

    Read a commercial contract.

  • 02

    Understand entity choice and its consequences.

  • 03

    Know when to call a lawyer.

Prerequisites
  • None.
Pacing

1 week · ~3 hours.

  • IModule · ~1 hour.

    Entities

    The container your business lives in.

    The entity is the container. Choosing it wrong is expensive to undo.

    What You Will Be Able To Do
    • Compare LLC, S-corp, C-corp.
    • State fiduciary duty in plain language.
    • Choose an entity defensibly.
    Why here

    Entity choice compounds for the life of the business.

    1. 01LLC, S-corp, C-corpArticle12m
    2. 02Fiduciary dutyArticle12m
  • IIModule · ~1 hour.

    Contracts

    The document that outlives the handshake.

    Contracts outlive the handshake. Read them.

    What You Will Be Able To Do
    • Read a commercial contract.
    • Identify the three critical provisions.
    • Redline defensibly.
    Why here

    The contract is the document that governs the relationship when trust fails.

    1. 01Reading a commercial contractInteractive20m
    2. 02The three provisions that matter mostArticle12m
  • IIIModule · ~1 hour.

    Intellectual property

    What you own, and how you protect it.

    IP is the asset your firm builds without noticing. Protect it accordingly.

    What You Will Be Able To Do
    • Distinguish the four instruments.
    • Choose the right protection.
    • Register when necessary.
    Why here

    IP compounds silently and disappears loudly if unprotected.

    1. 01Trademarks, copyrights, patents, trade secretsArticle12m
A Note from the Faculty

The point is not to become your own lawyer. The point is to be a competent client of one.