We're always cooking up pay-it-forward legal advice, action-oriented workshops, and happy hours with engaging conversations on how to build just and resilient local economies. And we don't only provide in-person events for you to connect with us, we provide online trainings and travel across the country to support grassroots economic empowerment. Don't miss out!
Please, help us get the word out about our upcoming events. Share with your friends or networks on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn! If you're interested in an event, someone you know will probably be interested too. Share the love!
Find Sustainable Economies Law Center's events below!
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Thursday, April 18, 2024 at 12:00 PM PDT · 1 rsvp
Teach-in for Food Justice Enterprises
The East Bay Community Law Center, UC Law San Francisco, and the Sustainable Economies Law Center are proud to co- sponsor the teach-in for food justice enterprises!
Please join us as we dig-into:
❖ CHOICE AND FORMATION OF AN ENTITY
❖ EMPLOYMENT LAW
❖ CONTRACTS
❖ UNDERSTANDING ZONING: WHERE YOU CAN OPERATE YOUR BUSINESS
❖ FOOD SAFETY LAWS FOR CALIFORNIA FOOD BUSINESSES
❖ LOWER-COST, ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO SELL FOOD
❖ FINANCING YOUR BUSINESS – SECURITIES LAW PRIMER
❖ TAX AND ACCOUNTING
❖ LIABILITY, INSURANCE, AND RISK MANAGEMENT
❖ ORGANIC CERTIFICATION
It’s not immediately apparent why people who are passionate about food justice should also care about enterprise. After all, business and enterprise are often viewed as the cause of the problem, particularly with the domination of the food industry by a few mega-corporations. And yet, we believe that creating socially responsible, community-accountable enterprises is a potent means of achieving food justice. So what do we mean by food justice? Let’s start with some definitions.
Food justice: A movement that attempts to address hunger by addressing the underlying issues of racial and class disparity and the inequities in the food system that correlate to inequities in economic and political power.
Enterprise: A business, company, or undertaking that is difficult and complicated.
Why connect these two terms?
Food justice is a vision that one day all communities will have control over their food systems, including the land base required to produce the food. Further, enterprises are not just businesses, but also community-scale projects that are complicated and risky for sure, but that can also create opportunity and ownership for the communities that most need it. We’re connecting the two terms because we see the need for more food justice enterprises to realize our vision of a just food system.A movement for food justice enterprises envisions an economy in which food businesses are not only traditional for-profit businesses but can encompass a broad range of organizations and ventures, including cooperatives, land trusts, community-supported agriculture, urban gardens, farmers’ markets, and nonprofit organizations. The common theme uniting all of these enterprises is that they are engaging in transactions involving food, whether it is growing food, bartering or selling it with local community groups, or running farmers’ markets and community-supported agriculture projects. These transactions of food raise a host of important legal issues to be aware of before you start doing “business,” so you can save yourself a lot of headaches (and perhaps fines) down the line!
How can we access to local, healthy food impact broader social equality?
Food is the most basic of human needs, and access to it has significant human health, social, economic, environmental, political, and moral dimensions. Here in the U.S., approximately 23.5 million Americans live in low-income areas that are more than one mile from a supermarket. This physical distance has detrimental social consequences, including increased crime rates and incidents of disease. Existing food production and distribution practices – dependent on national and international food conglomerates rather than local producers – furthers this systemic inequity. However, when local communities take control of their own food systems, they can not only improve the local economy, but also positively affect social change. -
Friday, April 19, 2024 at 12:00 PM PDT
Online via Zoom in Oakland, CAOnline Cafe with East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative
The Sustainable Economies Law Center provides direct legal support to individuals and groups who are working to create new solutions for resilient local economies. The Resilient Communities Legal Cafe provides sliding-scale donation-based legal advice, via Zoom, by appointment.
If you need advice about starting a worker-owned cooperative, converting an existing business into a cooperative, organizing a housing cooperative, founding a nonprofit or other social enterprise, please RSVP below! Here are some questions we will be prepared to answer:
❖ Radical real estate law: How to form a housing cooperative, real estate cooperative, or nonprofit housing?
❖ Legal formation for small businesses: What are the regulations and requirements to have your organization legally function?
❖ Legal entity choice: Should your org be a for profit, non-profit, and which legal entity fits best with your vision?
❖ Employment law: Whether you're an employer, employee, or a cooperative, we can answer questions on how to prevent or resolve issues?
❖ Tax law: What are the ways to receive tax exemption for your org?
❖ Contracts: Contract review, drafting, and negotiation
❖ Liability issues: What are your governance requirements to avoid liability?
❖ Environmental law: Do you have questions about how to create more green spaces for your community?
❖ Worker Self Directed Nonprofits: How can you run your nonprofit organization more like a worker-owned cooperative?Note: We especially encourage Black, Indigenous, people of color, and low-income communities to RSVP. We focus on cooperatives, participatory or democratic nonprofits, land trusts, and mutual aid groups. If you need Spanish Language or American Sign Language interpretation, please email Hope ([email protected]) with Subject Line "Interpretation Request - for [mm/dd/yyyy] event." We will do our best to accommodate your request.
Keep an eye out for an e-mail when you RSVP. The e-mail will have your appointment slot, instructions on how to attend our Legal Cafe remotely, and an intake form that we need you and your partners to fill out.
Format: You and/or your group will be paired with a lawyer for 30-45 minutes to get answers to questions about entity formation, contracts, governance, and more! Since we're based in Oakland, our event times are listed as Pacific Standard Time.
Got any questions? E-mail [email protected]!
Only one person per group needs to RSVP.
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Friday, April 19, 2024 at 12:00 PM PDT
Por internet, vía Zoom in Oakland, CAEl Taller Legal por internet de East Oakland #here2stay
El Taller Legal por internet de East Oakland #here2stay
El Sustainable Economies Law Center (Centro Legal de Economías Sostenibles, o SELC, por sus siglas en inglés) da apoyo legal directo a personas y grupos que están trabajando para crear nuevas soluciones para economías locales resilientes. El Resilient Communities Legal Cafe (Taller de Temas Legales para Comunidades Resilientes) ofrece asesoramiento legal basado en donaciones, vía Zoom, con cita previa.
Si necesitas asesoramiento sobre la creación de una cooperativa de trabajo que sea propiedad de los trabajadores, la conversión de un negocio existente en una cooperativa, la organización de una cooperativa de viviendas, la fundación de una organización sin fines de lucro u otra empresa social, ¡por favor, confirma tu asistencia a continuación!
Estas son algunas preguntas que estaremos preparados para responder:
❖ Derecho radical sobre Bienes Raíces: ¿Cómo formar una cooperativa de viviendas, una cooperativa de bienes raíces o una vivienda sin fines de lucro?
❖ Estructura legal para pequeñas empresas: ¿Cuáles son las normas y requisitos para que tu organización funcione legalmente?
❖ Elección de entidad legal: ¿Debería tu organización ser “con fines de lucro” o “sin fines de lucro”, y qué entidad legal encaja mejor con tu visión?
❖ Derecho laboral: Tanto si eres empleador, empleado o cooperativa, podemos responder a preguntas sobre cómo prevenir o resolver problemas.
❖ Derecho fiscal: ¿Cuáles son las formas de recibir la exención de impuestos para tu organización?
❖ Contratos: Revisión, redacción y negociación de contratos.
❖ Temas sobre responsabilidad civil o legal: ¿Cuáles son sus requisitos de gobernanza para evitar problemas sobre responsabilidad civil o legal?
❖ Derecho medioambiental: ¿Tienes dudas sobre cómo crear más espacios verdes para tu comunidad?
❖ Organizaciones sin fines de lucro autogestionadas por sus trabajadores: ¿Cómo puedes operar tu organización sin fines de lucro de forma más parecida a una cooperativa que sea propiedad de sus trabajadores?
Nota: Animamos especialmente a la gente negra, indígena, personas de color y comunidades de bajos ingresos a registrarse para este evento. Nos centramos en cooperativas, organizaciones sin fines de lucro participativas o democráticas, fideicomisos de tierras y grupos de ayuda mutua. Si necesitas interpretación al español o al lenguaje de signos estadounidense (ASL), manda un correo electrónico a Hope ([email protected]) con el “Asunto:” (Subject:) "Solicitud de interpretación para el evento (fecha) [mes/día/año]". Haremos todo lo posible por atender tu solicitud.
Cuando te registres, te enviaremos un correo electrónico (email). Ese mensaje por email tendrá información sobre tu turno, instrucciones sobre cómo participar en nuestro Taller Legal por internet y un Formulario de Admisión que necesitamos que completes tú y tus asociados.
Formato: Tú y/o tu grupo tendrán una cita con un/a abogado/a durante 30 a 45 minutos, para obtener respuestas a preguntas sobre estructuras (legales) de entidades, contratos, gobernanza, ¡y mucho más!
Ya que nuestra sede está en Oakland, los horarios de nuestros eventos son a la hora estándar del Pacífico (PST).
¿Tienes alguna pregunta?
¡Envía un email a [email protected]Sólo es necesario confirmar la asistencia de una persona por grupo.
CUÁNDO
19 de abril de 2024 de 12pm a 1:30pm PST
DÓNDE
Por internet, vía Zoom
East Oakland, CA
Estados Unidos
CONTACTO
Hope: [email protected]
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Wednesday, May 08, 2024 at 12:00 PM PDT
Online via Zoom in Oakland, CAOnline Legal Cafe
The Sustainable Economies Law Center provides direct legal support to individuals and groups who are working to create new solutions for resilient local economies. The Resilient Communities Legal Cafe provides sliding-scale donation-based legal advice, via Zoom, by appointment.
If you need advice about starting a worker-owned cooperative, converting an existing business into a cooperative, organizing a housing cooperative, founding a nonprofit or other social enterprise, please RSVP below! Here are some questions we will be prepared to answer:
❖ Radical real estate law: How to form a housing cooperative, real estate cooperative, or nonprofit housing?
❖ Legal formation for small businesses: What are the regulations and requirements to have your organization legally function?
❖ Legal entity choice: Should your org be a for profit, non-profit, and which legal entity fits best with your vision?
❖ Employment law: Whether you're an employer, employee, or a cooperative, we can answer questions on how to prevent or resolve issues?
❖ Tax law: What are the ways to receive tax exemption for your org?
❖ Contracts: Contract review, drafting, and negotiation
❖ Liability issues: What are your governance requirements to avoid liability?
❖ Environmental law: Do you have questions about how to create more green spaces for your community?
❖ Worker Self Directed Nonprofits: How can you run your nonprofit organization more like a worker-owned cooperative?Note: We especially encourage Black, Indigenous, people of color, and low-income communities to RSVP. We focus on cooperatives, participatory or democratic nonprofits, land trusts, and mutual aid groups. If you need Spanish Language or American Sign Language interpretation, please email Hope ([email protected]) with Subject Line "Interpretation Request - for [mm/dd/yyyy] event." We will do our best to accommodate your request.
Keep an eye out for an e-mail when you RSVP. The e-mail will have your appointment slot, instructions on how to attend our Legal Cafe remotely, and an intake form that we need you and your partners to fill out.
Format: You and/or your group will be paired with a lawyer for 30-45 minutes to get answers to questions about entity formation, contracts, governance, and more! Since we're based in Oakland, our event times are listed as Pacific Standard Time.
Got any questions? E-mail [email protected]!
Only one person per group needs to RSVP.
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Wednesday, May 15, 2024 at 12:00 PM PDT
Online via Zoom in Oakland, CAOnline Legal Cafe
The Sustainable Economies Law Center provides direct legal support to individuals and groups who are working to create new solutions for resilient local economies. The Resilient Communities Legal Cafe provides sliding-scale donation-based legal advice, via Zoom, by appointment.
If you need advice about starting a worker-owned cooperative, converting an existing business into a cooperative, organizing a housing cooperative, founding a nonprofit or other social enterprise, please RSVP below! Here are some questions we will be prepared to answer:
❖ Radical real estate law: How to form a housing cooperative, real estate cooperative, or nonprofit housing?
❖ Legal formation for small businesses: What are the regulations and requirements to have your organization legally function?
❖ Legal entity choice: Should your org be a for profit, non-profit, and which legal entity fits best with your vision?
❖ Employment law: Whether you're an employer, employee, or a cooperative, we can answer questions on how to prevent or resolve issues?
❖ Tax law: What are the ways to receive tax exemption for your org?
❖ Contracts: Contract review, drafting, and negotiation
❖ Liability issues: What are your governance requirements to avoid liability?
❖ Environmental law: Do you have questions about how to create more green spaces for your community?
❖ Worker Self Directed Nonprofits: How can you run your nonprofit organization more like a worker-owned cooperative?Note: We especially encourage Black, Indigenous, people of color, and low-income communities to RSVP. We focus on cooperatives, participatory or democratic nonprofits, land trusts, and mutual aid groups. If you need Spanish Language or American Sign Language interpretation, please email Hope ([email protected]) with Subject Line "Interpretation Request - for [mm/dd/yyyy] event." We will do our best to accommodate your request.
Keep an eye out for an e-mail when you RSVP. The e-mail will have your appointment slot, instructions on how to attend our Legal Cafe remotely, and an intake form that we need you and your partners to fill out.
Format: You and/or your group will be paired with a lawyer for 30-45 minutes to get answers to questions about entity formation, contracts, governance, and more! Since we're based in Oakland, our event times are listed as Pacific Standard Time.
Got any questions? E-mail [email protected]!
Only one person per group needs to RSVP.
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Wednesday, June 05, 2024 at 12:00 PM PDT
Online via Zoom in Oakland, CALegal Cafe for Black-Owned Businesses with LCCRSF
The Sustainable Economies Law Center provides direct legal support to individuals and groups who are working to create new solutions for resilient local economies. The Resilient Communities Legal Cafe provides sliding-scale donation-based legal advice, via Zoom, by appointment.
If you need advice about starting a worker-owned cooperative, converting an existing business into a cooperative, organizing a housing cooperative, founding a nonprofit or other social enterprise, please RSVP below! Here are some questions we will be prepared to answer:
❖ Radical real estate law: How to form a housing cooperative, real estate cooperative, or nonprofit housing?
❖ Legal formation for small businesses: What are the regulations and requirements to have your organization legally function?
❖ Legal entity choice: Should your org be a for profit, non-profit, and which legal entity fits best with your vision?
❖ Employment law: Whether you're an employer, employee, or a cooperative, we can answer questions on how to prevent or resolve issues?
❖ Tax law: What are the ways to receive tax exemption for your org?
❖ Contracts: Contract review, drafting, and negotiation
❖ Liability issues: What are your governance requirements to avoid liability?
❖ Environmental law: Do you have questions about how to create more green spaces for your community?
❖ Worker Self Directed Nonprofits: How can you run your nonprofit organization more like a worker-owned cooperative?Note: We especially encourage Black, Indigenous, people of color, and low-income communities to RSVP. We focus on cooperatives, participatory or democratic nonprofits, land trusts, and mutual aid groups. If you need Spanish Language or American Sign Language interpretation, please email Hope ([email protected]) with Subject Line "Interpretation Request - for [mm/dd/yyyy] event." We will do our best to accommodate your request.
Keep an eye out for an e-mail when you RSVP. The e-mail will have your appointment slot, instructions on how to attend our Legal Cafe remotely, and an intake form that we need you and your partners to fill out.
Format: You and/or your group will be paired with a lawyer for 30-45 minutes to get answers to questions about entity formation, contracts, governance, and more! Since we're based in Oakland, our event times are listed as Pacific Standard Time.
Got any questions? E-mail [email protected]!
Only one person per group needs to RSVP.
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Tuesday, June 11, 2024 at 11:30 AM PDT
Online via Zoom in Oakland, CAArtificial Intelligence for Artists Nano-Training
The Sustainable Economies Law Center provides direct legal support to individuals and groups who are working to create new solutions for resilient local economies. The Resilient Communities Legal Cafe provides sliding-scale donation-based legal advice, via Zoom, by appointment.
If you need advice about starting a worker-owned cooperative, converting an existing business into a cooperative, organizing a housing cooperative, founding a nonprofit or other social enterprise, please RSVP below! Here are some questions we will be prepared to answer:
❖ Artificial Intelligence: How it impacts artists by shaping the boundaries of creativity, copyright, and ethical considerations in the ever-evolving landscape of artistic expression?
❖ Radical real estate law: How to form a housing cooperative, real estate cooperative, or nonprofit housing?
❖ Legal formation for small businesses: What are the regulations and requirements to have your organization legally function?
❖ Legal entity choice: Should your org be a for profit, non-profit, and which legal entity fits best with your vision?
❖ Employment law: Whether you're an employer, employee, or a cooperative, we can answer questions on how to prevent or resolve issues?
❖ Tax law: What are the ways to receive tax exemption for your org?
❖ Contracts: Contract review, drafting, and negotiation
❖ Liability issues: What are your governance requirements to avoid liability?
❖ Environmental law: Do you have questions about how to create more green spaces for your community?
❖ Worker Self Directed Nonprofits: How can you run your nonprofit organization more like a worker-owned cooperative?Note: We especially encourage Black, Indigenous, people of color, and low-income communities to RSVP. We focus on cooperatives, participatory or democratic nonprofits, land trusts, and mutual aid groups. If you need Spanish Language or American Sign Language interpretation, please email Hope ([email protected]) with Subject Line "Interpretation Request - for [mm/dd/yyyy] event." We will do our best to accommodate your request.
Keep an eye out for an e-mail when you RSVP. The e-mail will have your appointment slot, instructions on how to attend our Legal Cafe remotely, and an intake form that we need you and your partners to fill out.
Format: You and/or your group will be paired with a lawyer for 30-45 minutes to get answers to questions about entity formation, contracts, governance, and more! Since we're based in Oakland, our event times are listed as Pacific Standard Time.
Got any questions? E-mail [email protected]!
Only one person per group needs to RSVP.
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Tuesday, June 11, 2024 at 12:00 PM PDT
Online via Zoom in Oakland, CAArtificial Intelligence for Artists Legal Cafe
The Sustainable Economies Law Center provides direct legal support to individuals and groups who are working to create new solutions for resilient local economies. The Resilient Communities Legal Cafe provides sliding-scale donation-based legal advice, via Zoom, by appointment.
If you need advice about starting a worker-owned cooperative, converting an existing business into a cooperative, organizing a housing cooperative, founding a nonprofit or other social enterprise, please RSVP below! Here are some questions we will be prepared to answer:
❖ Radical real estate law: How to form a housing cooperative, real estate cooperative, or nonprofit housing?
❖ Legal formation for small businesses: What are the regulations and requirements to have your organization legally function?
❖ Legal entity choice: Should your org be a for profit, non-profit, and which legal entity fits best with your vision?
❖ Employment law: Whether you're an employer, employee, or a cooperative, we can answer questions on how to prevent or resolve issues?
❖ Tax law: What are the ways to receive tax exemption for your org?
❖ Contracts: Contract review, drafting, and negotiation
❖ Liability issues: What are your governance requirements to avoid liability?
❖ Environmental law: Do you have questions about how to create more green spaces for your community?
❖ Worker Self Directed Nonprofits: How can you run your nonprofit organization more like a worker-owned cooperative?Note: We especially encourage Black, Indigenous, people of color, and low-income communities to RSVP. We focus on cooperatives, participatory or democratic nonprofits, land trusts, and mutual aid groups. If you need Spanish Language or American Sign Language interpretation, please email Hope ([email protected]) with Subject Line "Interpretation Request - for [mm/dd/yyyy] event." We will do our best to accommodate your request.
Keep an eye out for an e-mail when you RSVP. The e-mail will have your appointment slot, instructions on how to attend our Legal Cafe remotely, and an intake form that we need you and your partners to fill out.
Format: You and/or your group will be paired with a lawyer for 30-45 minutes to get answers to questions about entity formation, contracts, governance, and more! Since we're based in Oakland, our event times are listed as Pacific Standard Time.
Got any questions? E-mail [email protected]!
Only one person per group needs to RSVP.
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Tuesday, June 11, 2024 at 12:00 PM PDT
Online via Zoom in Oakland, CAWAITLIST Artificial Intelligence for Artists Legal Cafe
The Sustainable Economies Law Center provides direct legal support to individuals and groups who are working to create new solutions for resilient local economies. The Resilient Communities Legal Cafe provides sliding-scale donation-based legal advice, via Zoom, by appointment.
If you need advice about starting a worker-owned cooperative, converting an existing business into a cooperative, organizing a housing cooperative, founding a nonprofit or other social enterprise, please RSVP below! Here are some questions we will be prepared to answer:
❖ Radical real estate law: How to form a housing cooperative, real estate cooperative, or nonprofit housing?
❖ Legal formation for small businesses: What are the regulations and requirements to have your organization legally function?
❖ Legal entity choice: Should your org be a for profit, non-profit, and which legal entity fits best with your vision?
❖ Employment law: Whether you're an employer, employee, or a cooperative, we can answer questions on how to prevent or resolve issues?
❖ Tax law: What are the ways to receive tax exemption for your org?
❖ Contracts: Contract review, drafting, and negotiation
❖ Liability issues: What are your governance requirements to avoid liability?
❖ Environmental law: Do you have questions about how to create more green spaces for your community?
❖ Worker Self Directed Nonprofits: How can you run your nonprofit organization more like a worker-owned cooperative?Note: We especially encourage Black, Indigenous, people of color, and low-income communities to RSVP. We focus on cooperatives, participatory or democratic nonprofits, land trusts, and mutual aid groups. If you need Spanish Language or American Sign Language interpretation, please email Hope ([email protected]) with Subject Line "Interpretation Request - for [mm/dd/yyyy] event." We will do our best to accommodate your request.
Keep an eye out for an e-mail when you RSVP. The e-mail will have your appointment slot, instructions on how to attend our Legal Cafe remotely, and an intake form that we need you and your partners to fill out.
Format: You and/or your group will be paired with a lawyer for 30-45 minutes to get answers to questions about entity formation, contracts, governance, and more! Since we're based in Oakland, our event times are listed as Pacific Standard Time.
Got any questions? E-mail [email protected]!
Only one person per group needs to RSVP.
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Thursday, June 27, 2024 at 05:00 PM PDT
Online via Zoom in Oakland, CAIn-Person Legal Cafe with East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative
The Sustainable Economies Law Center provides direct legal support to individuals and groups who are working to create new solutions for resilient local economies. The Resilient Communities Legal Cafe provides sliding-scale donation-based legal advice, via Zoom, by appointment.
If you need advice about starting a worker-owned cooperative, converting an existing business into a cooperative, organizing a housing cooperative, founding a nonprofit or other social enterprise, please RSVP below! Here are some questions we will be prepared to answer:
❖ Radical real estate law: How to form a housing cooperative, real estate cooperative, or nonprofit housing?
❖ Legal formation for small businesses: What are the regulations and requirements to have your organization legally function?
❖ Legal entity choice: Should your org be a for profit, non-profit, and which legal entity fits best with your vision?
❖ Employment law: Whether you're an employer, employee, or a cooperative, we can answer questions on how to prevent or resolve issues?
❖ Tax law: What are the ways to receive tax exemption for your org?
❖ Contracts: Contract review, drafting, and negotiation
❖ Liability issues: What are your governance requirements to avoid liability?
❖ Environmental law: Do you have questions about how to create more green spaces for your community?
❖ Worker Self Directed Nonprofits: How can you run your nonprofit organization more like a worker-owned cooperative?Note: We especially encourage Black, Indigenous, people of color, and low-income communities to RSVP. We focus on cooperatives, participatory or democratic nonprofits, land trusts, and mutual aid groups. If you need Spanish Language or American Sign Language interpretation, please email Hope ([email protected]) with Subject Line "Interpretation Request - for [mm/dd/yyyy] event." We will do our best to accommodate your request.
Keep an eye out for an e-mail when you RSVP. The e-mail will have your appointment slot, instructions on how to attend our Legal Cafe remotely, and an intake form that we need you and your partners to fill out.
Format: You and/or your group will be paired with a lawyer for 30-45 minutes to get answers to questions about entity formation, contracts, governance, and more! Since we're based in Oakland, our event times are listed as Pacific Standard Time.
Got any questions? E-mail [email protected]!
Only one person per group needs to RSVP.