#184: Becoming Comfortable and Knowledgeable with Contracts and Other Legalese, with Lawyer Brionna Ned

Deliberate Freelancer

Today's guest is Brionna Ned, a former big-law lawyer and in-house counsel for tech companies. She is now a legal educator and a writer. Her company, The Lawless Lawyer, is a legal education and consulting service for small business owners that provides you with the legal knowledge you need to create solid foundations in your business. She has a free workshop, "Legal Risk and Why it Matters," that teaches you what legal risk is, how to identify it, and why its foundational to managing the legal of your business.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How Brionna went from lawyer to owning a legal education business.
• What she loves about her business.
• The basics of contracts.
• Why all service providers need a contract — and the reason is probably not what you think.
• How to put boundaries in your contract.
• Why it's important to customize your contract and be sure you understand what it says.
• What to do if you — or your client — doesn't want to use a contract.
• What to look for in a contract that a client sends you.
• How to explain to a client (and really, their lawyer) why certain contract provisions don't apply to you and should be deleted.
• Why indemnification clauses are harmful and how to try to get them removed from a contract.
• If you can't get indemnification clauses removed, know how to suggest changes to limit them in a scope.
• Don't sign a non-compete clause.
• The difference between a non-disclosure agreement and a confidentiality agreement.
• How to be proactive in ensuring you will be paid and paid on time.
• What to do when you are not getting paid on time.

Biz Bite: Not all money is good money. (Trust your instincts!)

Resources:

• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group
• The Lawless Lawyer website
• Brionna on Threads
• Brionna on Instagram
• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn