Class recorded March 7, 2023.

Every business needs an initial investment to get off the ground, and established businesses often require investment in order to expand. Learn how to apply for and obtain small business loans, plus learn about vital alternative funding sources for startups.

Class covers:

• How to sell your business to investors
• Crafting a business pitch
• Best practices for loan applicants
• Other funding options, like friends and family, and crowdfunding

Course Materials: If you would like to receive a copy of the course materials for any of the classes, including any PowerPoint used, please register at the Register Now! button for the class, provided below.

Video Recordings: We recognize that not everyone can attend in person classes, so even if you can't make it in, please watch any of these recordings and remember that we are still here to help! Call us at (213) 785-2513, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or chat with us online to get help finding information and resources on any legal (or not-quite-legal) question. Access to the video recordings is free.

Dated Material: Please note that the law changes. The original recording date for each class is provided on the display page. To be certain that you receive up-to-date information, please attend the in-person class, or contact us for help researching or updating your specific legal issue.

Registration fees: FREE - sponsored by the Friends of the Los Angeles County Law Library through the generous support of Pacific Western Bank.

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice:
LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service. The information presented in this program is not legal advice and is provided solely as an educational service to our patrons. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.

Class recorded October 6, 2020

New and growing businesses must enter into a variety of contracts, with landlords, suppliers, and clients, to name a few. Learn how to read common “boilerplate” contractual language and negotiate contractual terms to your advantage.

Class covers:

• Contract law basics
• Essential terms of a commercial lease: what is negotiable and what is non-negotiable
• Essential terms of a contract for goods or services
• “Typical” contracts negotiated by business people
• Caveat emptor: how to avoid problematic contracts

Presented by Gina Pak:
Gina Pak is the COO and Co-founder of Lawgood, a legal tech company that is helping business owners with their everyday legal contracts through a combination of real lawyers and artificial intelligence. Prior to Lawgood, Gina was as a corporate lawyer at large firms in New York and Los Angeles working with Fortune 500 companies. She was also a law professor at Peking University. Gina graduated from Columbia Law School.

No legal advice:
LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service. The Law Library is pleased to offer our patrons the opportunity to obtain assistance from third party legal service providers at this and other events within the Library. However, the Library does not control and is not responsible for the content or scope of any assistance given by those providers.

Class recorded May 16, 2023

In the day-to-day of managing a business, it can be easy to lose sight of the big financial picture. In this class, learn to set realistic goals, budget effectively, save and invest properly, and manage financial risks and returns for you and your business.

Class covers:

• Setting realistic financial and personal goals
• Developing a plan to reach your goals
• Learning to adjust your spending and maximize your income
• Planning for risk with insurance
• Minimizing tax liability

Course Materials: If you would like to receive a copy of the course materials for any of the classes, including any PowerPoint used, please register at the Register Now! button for the class, provided below.

Video Recordings: We recognize that not everyone can attend in person classes, so even if you can't make it in, please watch any of these recordings and remember that we are still here to help! Call us at (213) 785-2513, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or chat with us online to get help finding information and resources on any legal (or not-quite-legal) question. Access to the video recordings is free.

Dated Material: Please note that the law changes. The original recording date for each class is provided on the display page. To be certain that you receive up-to-date information, please attend the in-person class, or contact us for help researching or updating your specific legal issue.

Registration fees: FREE - sponsored by the Friends of the Los Angeles County Law Library through the generous support of Pacific Western Bank.

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice:
LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service. The information presented in this program is not legal advice and is provided solely as an educational service to our patrons. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.

Friday, October 23, 2020, 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

--- ZOOM INFORMATION ---

Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://zoom.us/j/98474988582

Or iPhone one-tap :

US: +14086380968,,98474988582# or +16699006833,,98474988582#

Or Telephone:

Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):

US: +1 408 638 0968 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 646 876 9923

Webinar ID: 984 7498 8582
International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/aYV36EyGc

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As a business owner, artist, or creator, you try to do things that set you apart from the competition. Usually, you do not want the competition to know your important business information, and you don’t want them to profit from your creative expressions and original works. In this class, learn how to protect the information and work that gives your business an edge.

Class covers:

• Copyright: what is protected, and how to make sure no one profits from your original works and expressions
• Free for the taking: what you can take from others, what others can take from you
• Clearance required: what you do need permission to use
• Pitching, idea theft, and implied-in-fact-contracts

Participants are encouraged to join by video as class may involve sharing of visual information and writings, participation via the chat function, and the opportunity to interact with others. Virtual networking reception to follow class.

Presented by John L. Geiger with the support of Bixel Exchange:

John L. Geiger is the General Manager of Standards & Practices for Los Angeles County's Internal Services Department, where he advises on complex information technology, telecommunications, and intellectual property procurements and projects. With over thirty years of legal experience, Mr. Geiger is a former Principal Deputy County Counsel, and is admitted to practice law before all Courts of the State of California, as well as the United States Court of Federal Claims and the United States Supreme Court. In 2001, he was Board certified as an appellate specialist by the California Board of Legal Specialization.

Prior to joining the public sector, Mr. Geiger was an entertainment attorney in Century City, representing entertainment celebrities, including feature film talent (producers, writers, and directors) and headline music artists. As a writer and screenwriter, Mr. Geiger is a member of the Authors Guild and the Writers Guild of America/West (Independent Film Caucus). He is co-author of the book Creativity & Copyright, to be published by the University of California Press in 2019.

Mr. Geiger is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley (Bachelor of Arts - English), the University of California, Los Angeles (Master of Fine Arts - Film), and the University of Southern California (Juris Doctor).