NFIB Small Business Legal Center Celebrates 20 Years

Date: December 01, 2020

Doesn’t shy away from a fight, Legal Center addresses small businesses’ most pressing challenges

The NFIB Small Business Legal Center, the nation’s leading small business advocate in the courts, celebrates its 20-year anniversary this year. The NFIB Legal Center serves as the voice for small businesses in the nation’s federal and state courts and a valuable legal resource for all small business owners.

“Small business is our only client. And Main Street’s priorities are our priorities,” said Karen Harned, Executive Director of NFIB’s Small Business Legal Center. “The NFIB Small Business Legal Center has made a true difference for small business owners across the nation regarding issues that impact their business, overturning burdensome regulations and fighting to curb frivolous lawsuits.”

The Voice For Small Businesses In The Nation’s Federal And State Courts

In state and federal courts, the Small Business Legal Center advocates in precedent-setting cases that impact small businesses’ ability to sustain and grow their businesses.

Harned says of the Legal Center’s work in the courts, “Small businesses are the engine of the economy. The Legal Center has fiercely protected small business owners’ constitutional rights, including their property rights and commercial free speech rights. Additionally, the Legal Center has fought illegal, unreasonable government regulations and combatted costly abuses to our civil justice system. We do not shy away from an important fight on behalf of small businesses.”

Since its founding, the Legal Center has been involved in over 550 of cases nationwide. NFIB was the lead plaintiff in NFIB v. Sebelius, the landmark United States Supreme Court case where NFIB argued the Affordable Care Act individual mandate was unconstitutional.

NFIB member Kenny Crenshaw, founder and owner of Herbi-Systems Inc., commented on the Legal Center’s work, “I have seen the work that the NFIB Small Business Legal Center has done to help minimize government regulations and the burdens it places on small business owners. They have helped so many small businesses across the nation and most of them don’t even know they’re being helped.”

A Valuable Legal Resource For All Small Business Owners

The NFIB Small Business Legal Center also serves as an essential legal resource for small business owners, providing wide-ranging educational programming and resources that are easily accessible and helpful to busy small business owners. Examples include guides to creating an employee policy handbook, tip sheets for navigating complex federal agency guidance, and easy-to-understand summaries of laws that apply to them.

In 2020, the Legal Center addressed many small business owners most pressing concerns, answering tens of thousands of COVID-19 related questions and hosting dozens of webinars that guide small business owners, step-by-step, through the information they need to help their businesses survive and recover.

“The NFIB Small Business Legal Center has always had my back, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said NFIB member Mike Gilmartin, owner of Commercial Creamery Co. “As a small business owner navigating the pandemic along with running my business, the Legal Center’s webinar series on the Paycheck Protection Program was extremely helpful in understanding the process. They were available to answer any owner’s questions regarding their individual business and application, a reason to join NFIB alone.”

NFIB member David Katseff, owner of MasterCast shared a similar experience with the Legal Center, “In the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I saw NFIB was offering information on their website for small business owners and it was even better for me when they started doing informational webinars. They were able to address the problems and concerns of small business owners each week and provide great insight into what’s happening and what was new regarding applying for the Paycheck Protection Program and the forgiveness process. I sent at least a dozen emails to NFIB with a specific question relevant to me and I got an answer every time.”

What’s Ahead

“The past 20 years has proven how important it is for small businesses to have an advocate in the courts to help protect their freedom to own and operate their business,” says Harned. “Small business owners are resilient; they are never afraid of a challenge and we’re so happy that we’ve been able to partner with them and help them as they face legal and regulatory hurdles that threaten their business. We look forward to continuing that partnership for many years to come.

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