Resources for Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses

Small businesses are crucial to economic development - they create local jobs, stimulate local economies, and improve our communities. Running a small business means navigating a wide range of legal considerations often all at once. From choosing the right business structure, to drafting contracts, to protecting intellectual property, and more, legal decisions shape both day-to-day operations and long term success. Below, you'll find resources, webinars, and information that can help your small business thrive.

Legal Services of Northern California (LSNC) is a federal, state, and local-funded legal services program providing free civil representation to low-income clients in 23 counties in Northern California. We have eight local offices, serving the following counties:

Sacramento - Local office serving Sacramento County
Auburn - Local office serving Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer and Sierra counties
Chico - Local office serving Butte, Colusa, Glenn and Plumas counties
Eureka - Local office serving Del Norte, Humboldt and Trinity counties
Redding - Local office serving Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou and Tehama counties
Vallejo - Local office serving Solano county
Ukiah - Local office serving Lake and Mendocino counties
Woodland - Local office serving Yolo county

If you live in one of LSNC’s 23 counties, are low-income, and would like legal assistance with your small business or non-profit*, see below for more information.

Upcoming Webinars

Contract Law for Small Businesses – Wednesday, June 10, 2026 at 10:00 AM – Register here to receive the link
Entity Selection and Early Business Formation – Wednesday, August 19, 2026 at 10:00 AM – Register here to receive the link
Employment Law for Small Businesses – Wednesday, October 7, 2026 at 10:00 AM – Register here to receive the link
Commercial Leases for Small Businesses – Wednesday, December 2, 2026 at 10:00 AM – Register here to receive the link

Upcoming Small Business Advice Clinics

Small business legal clinics are one-on-one meetings with an attorney about a specific legal issue. They are designed to provide practical, focused advice tailored to you and your business.

Apply for our Small Business Advice Clinic by completing and submitting this form [link coming soon] or by calling or by calling 916-447-4700 and leaving a voicemail with your name, best call back number, and a short description of your legal issue. Attorney assistance is not guaranteed. Receiving help from an attorney is dependent on eligibility and availability. If your small business or non-profit is owned/managed by a group (more than one person), please note that there are further eligibility requirements that your entity might need to meet.

Due to high demand, our response time might be up to two weeks. If you have an urgent legal issue or if you require longer-term assistance, you may wish to reach out to:

The State of California Bar Association: https://www.calbar.ca.gov/
Bay Area Legal Incubator: https://www.bayarealegalincubator.org/

Resources for Small Businesses

Coming Soon

Legal Advice for Non-Profits

Legal Services of Northern California has limited capacity to assist some non-profits with legal advice on particular issues. Non-profit organizations must either serve low-income individuals or be comprised of low-income individuals to qualify. If you are a non-profit organization interested in finding out if you are eligible, please complete the clinic intake form or call the phone number above. Our response time might be up to two weeks

DISCLAIMER

Please note: Legal Services of Northern California provides tenant-side advocacy. We do not provide legal assistance to residential or commercial landlords about their businesses.