July 2010
3 posts
3 tags
Getting along.
Conflict between people isn’t just inevitable, it’s pervasive. People have distinct, incongruent motivations and expectations, so conflict is the default state of any relationship. And that’s okay. Getting along isn’t about eliminating conflict. It’s about managing conflict so that everyone involved is satisfied. But sometimes when someone’s not satisfied,...
3 tags
You need help.
Ok, you’re awesome and you know it, (at least when you’re in a good mood). It seems like people just know to ask you for help or information, because if you don’t know the answer, you know how to find it. Maybe it’s always been that way. Friends, family, classmates, coworkers, have looked to you to save them when they’ve thrown their hands up. Those people have done...
3 tags
It's okay to take a day off.
When you have your own business or you’re working on a startup, it’s essentially a 24-hour job, especially at the beginning. When you’re not actively “producing,” you’re thinking about the business, planning, or wrestling with the latest choices you have to make. The idea of a “day off” feels as illusory as a month on Mojito Island, because...
June 2010
2 posts
3 tags
A Founder's Job
When you’re starting a business, it’s really easy to forget how amazing what you’re doing really is. And understandably so. There’s a lot to consider when starting a business. Is there a market for the problem you’re trying to solve? Do you have the right business partners or founders? How are you going to fund your business initially? The choices you have to make are...
5 tags
Evaluating potential co-founders? Try going...
Time commitment: Less than 5 minutes.
Choosing co-founders might be the most important decision you make in your business when you’re getting started. A business is lot like a marriage. Co-founders commit to long term entanglements shaped as much by each co-founder’s weaknesses as by their strengths. Yes, you need to find co-founders whose strengths complement your own, but you also...
March 2010
1 post
1 tag
"Just in Case"
Time Commitment: 10 minutes if you also read Jason Fried’s post I’m responding to.
Yesterday Jason Fried of 37Signals put up a post asking: Employment contracts: What are they good for? If you haven’t read it it’s worth checking out. I responded to the post with a comment, which I’ve reproduced here:
First off, I am a lawyer, but this isn’t legal advice, and...
February 2010
1 post
5 tags
Why things you think are private, aren't.
Time Commitment: 7 minutes if you try to count the commas while you read. 5 minutes otherwise. The post is about avoiding even the appearance of wrongdoing, not about doing the wrong thing without getting caught. Seriously, be good guys! :) I recently had an exchange with a friend about using the content from a third-party site to populate our own app we’re working on. I’m going to...
December 2009
2 posts
2 tags
Be at least as smart as a parking lot.
Time Commitment: 10 minutes. The gist of this post is that everything is negotiable (except when it’s not). If you want a real world example to anchor that reality in your brain, read on.
A few weeks ago my wife (@sweetielamb) and I went out with some friends to Ybor City for Steve Bristol’s (@stevenbristol) birthday. We don’t get out to Ybor very often so I, being the...
Rethinking Contracts
Time Commitment: Less than 3 minutes
I’m betting if you were to ask most people what a contract is, they would probably describe a written document with signatures at the bottom. That’s a fine image for most people, but not for you. You need to know better.
A contract is simply an agreement that the law will enforce. Said another way, a contract is a set of promises that the law...
November 2009
8 posts
You Are Not Your Business - Choosing a Business...
Okay, sometimes you are. But we’ll get to that.
Time Commitment: About 5 minutes if you go quickly
The law gives you lots of ways to organize your business into an entity distinct from you as an individual. Almost too many. There are tons of intricacies to consider when choosing which type of entity to establish, but two of the biggest considerations are taxes and limiting liability....
Resist Rationalism, Unless You Want to Suck.
Are you wondering what an entry with this title is doing on this blog? Me too! But this idea has been bouncing around in my head and I feel like it’s just as valid as anything else I might post here. So I ask that you forgive this indulgence.
Time commitment: Less than 10 minutes
Ok, so I’ve been thinking about mental ruts lately and how limiting they can be (I wish @timchilcott...
Choosing a valid Trademark - Takeaways from the...
I’ve had the opportunity to speak at a few BarCamps recently about choosing a protectable trademark. I will have a podcast covering this topic soon with examples and more complete explanations, but I thought it would be useful to put up some highlights in the meantime.
Trademark law deals with identity.
Trademark law is primarily concerned with identifying goods or services with their...
4 tags
Don't Vouch for a Fool
The Campaign Monitor Blog has a new post titled “Who pays the price when your client doesn’t have permission” about the implications of a client requesting services that may end up being wrongful in some way. While the post specifically deals with Campaign Monitor’s white label email service, it brings up the broader question of indemnity.
Indemnity generally refers to a...
"We consider Jesse a good friend and we're excited...
Allan Branch (@lessallan) wrote a blog post about Jesse Lamb is Not My Lawyer! Thanks man! I can’t wait to see you guys this weekend at Barcamp Philly!
1 tag
Episode 0: An IP Overview
Steve Bristol from Less...
Here is the RSS feed for the podcast.
Obligatory Introductory Post
Hello. In case you couldn’t tell from the logo above or the name of the site, my name is Jesse Lamb, and I am not your lawyer. I am a licensed attorney, but I don’t practice law, and I don’t really have any intention to. What I’m really interested in is technology and entrepreneurship. Not wanting the 3 years of my life spent in law school to go to waste, I’m...