How Not To Get Sued

With all the things small business owners have to juggle, defending themselves in a lawsuit is definitely an unwelcome addition to the mix. The best defense is definitely a good offense—avoiding situations that can spark litigation. The Foundation for Fair Civil Justice has created five free online courses that can help you do just that.

Each interactive course presents business situations you may encounter, and asks you to select the best course of action—meaning the course of action least likely to generate cause for litigation. There is a legal principle highlighted at the top of each question, and the situational question is related to that principle. When you submit a response, you’ll immediately see if you are correct. If you select an incorrect answer, the feedback pop-up will indicate why the selection is not the correct choice.

Included in each topic is a downloadable list of legal principles related to the topics that you can save and use for reference. The interactive courses are relatively basic, but can be helpful if you’re not very familiar with the legal area, or just want a quick refresher.

The five topics are:

• Recruiting and Hiring
• Employee Performance Terminations
• Employee Layoffs
• Contract Negotiations and Drafting
• Clear and Effective Writing