Lawyers Without Borders, Small Business Lawyers – The Associated Press article Small business lawyers may be small, but they are among the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. workforce.
They account for more than half of all lawyers, and they represent some of the fastest growing industries.
The Associated States Business Council, a trade association for the industry, estimates there are about 12,000 attorneys with a specialty in small business.
“The way that we see it, in the next five to 10 years we’re going to have about 3 million lawyers who have a particular interest in small businesses,” said Brian B. Bierman, vice president of research at the association.
He said lawyers with business management or legal practice backgrounds could help with a number of small businesses.
Small business law can be complex, and it is often difficult to find someone who understands the industry’s nuances and is comfortable working with an experienced lawyer.
Biersman said some people can be more effective with an attorney they trust.
“You have to have an understanding of the client, and then you have to be able to communicate effectively with the lawyer about the issues that you have with the client,” he said.
Small business law is often a hot topic in politics, particularly in California, where Democratic Gov.
Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has made defending the state’s small business industry a priority.
Newsom’s administration has proposed a bill that would create a nonprofit law firm in the state to provide legal representation to small businesses, as well as other sectors.
The law firm would also provide a platform for small businesses to hire, and the state would create an oversight committee to advise the governor on small business issues.
“This is a good model for the state of California to use for the next generation of small business law, and to be in a position where we can be very successful in helping small businesses that are struggling,” Biermann said.
The Associated States Bar Association, a national organization representing the bar association’s nearly 50,000 members, is working on a proposal to create an advisory committee to the governor that would advise the attorney general on small businesses and the legal profession.
That group, which would include both lawyers and non-lawyers, would also be tasked with advising the governor, the association said in a release.
The new panel would advise on small-business issues such as access to credit, business taxes and consumer issues, among other matters, according to the association’s release.
Bierman said the association is also working with the Small Business Administration to develop a national small business model that would include a national registry for small business owners.
That would provide access to the small business business data, the law firm said.
“We’re very interested in that, and we’ve been working on it for a couple of years, and now we have this new proposal, which we’re calling the Small-Business Registry,” Biersmann said, referring to the National Small Business Registry.
“We’ve been very excited to see that proposal get some traction and be a good tool for the government.”ABC News’ Tom Bowers contributed to this report.