Covers legal aspects of starting a business, including how to: raise start-up money, decide between an LLC or other business structure, get licenses and permits, choose the right insurance, negotiate contracts and leases, avoid problems if you're buying a franchise, hire and manage employees and independent contractors, and limit your liability and protect your personal assets.
Nolo has been a publisher of plain-English legal books, software, and forms for nearly 30 years. Everything published is regularly revised and updated by a staff of lawyer-editors. Their business encyclopedia contains information on business plans, financing, obtaining a business license, and more.
Basic federal tax information for small business owners and those looking to start a business. Includes information on identifying your businesses' structure, employer identification numbers, business taxes, and more.
Founded in 1981 with Wharton, Penn Law’s Entrepreneurship Legal Clinic (ELC) provides pro bono transactional legal services to Philadelphia area entrepreneurs and businesses.
The Detkin Intellectual Property & Technology Legal Clinic (DIPTC) provides pro bono transactional patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, and privacy counsel to individuals, and non-profit and for-profit ventures in science, technology, business, and the arts.
The Entrepreneurial Law Clinic provides legal advice for Philadelphia start-ups by matching students with a select number of innovative start-up company clients.
A clinical law program that provides pro bono legal services to Philadelphia-area enterprises, non-profit organizations, entrepreneurs, and small businesses.
Ballard Academy for Student Entrepreneurs (BASE) offers participants practical legal advice for developing a new venture, a value-added team of experienced and accessible lawyers, and an education on how to avoid mistakes and how to solve problems when they arise.
COpilot provides legal resources to establish your growing business, including downloadable templates, such as a Certificate of Incorporation for Delaware.
The firm's Resources, Access & Mentoring Program (RAMP) brings together entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, institutions of higher education, and commercial partners to help start businesses and commercialize technologies.
Term Sheet Generators
Law firms including those below provide tools to create drafts of startup and venture financing documents based on responses to interactive questions.
Legal Guide for Starting and Running a Small Business by 
