NFIB

More than 140 small business owners attended the "Ten Ways to Stay out of Court" seminars held in South Carolina in February and March. The tour made eight stops around the state: Greenville, Spartanburg, Aiken, Columbia, Lexington, Beaufort, Charleston and Myrtle Beach. Elizabeth Milito, senior executive counsel; and Dan Bosch, programs manager from the Small Business Legal Center, gave the presentations.

The seminars gave small business owners simple advice on avoiding lawsuits. The U.S. tort system costs businesses more than $260 billion a year -- and small businesses bear a significant share of that.

Milito and Bosch discussed the most common trouble areas for business owners including insurance, employment law fundamentals, independent contractor issues, workers' compensation and document retention.

"I should have attended this seminar 15 years ago," said NFIB member Frank Pace of Interstate Garage Company in Greenville.

Many attendees were surprised by the information presented. "I found the 'What Can I Ask in an Interview' portion to be extremely helpful," said NFIB member Shirley Harris of Harris Integrated Solutions in West Columbia. "I didn't know I was opening myself up to litigation so easily."

The Small Business Legal Center has an employment law hotline for NFIB members. The hotline allows NFIB members to call a toll-free number once a month and get free legal information on basic employment law issues. To access the hotline, call 866-678-NFIB and have your NFIB member ID ready. The Small Business Legal Center also offers several free publications to NFIB members. Evelyn Perry of Carolina Sound Communications in Charleston said, "'The Model Employee Handbook' saved me money and time. I love it."

If you'd like information about our Area Action Councils, please call 803-254-1476 or e-mail Katie.Jones@NFIB.org. If you would like more information about the Small Business Legal Center, please e-mail Dan.Bosch@NFIB.org.

Dan Bosch answers an HR question for NFIB member Chris Davis.	A group of small business owners gathers in Greenville for the first "Ten Ways to Stay out of Court" seminar.