Flushing BID holds free business clinic

A free legal clinic for small business owners and entrepreneurs will be held on Thursday, February 1st from 2 to 5:30 p.m. in the Queens Public Library, located at 41-17 Main Street and Kissena Avenue in Flushing. The clinic was organized in collaboration with the City Bar Justice Center and the Flushing Business Improvement District.
Attorneys from the law firm of Greenberg Traurig, LLP will answer questions about small business-oriented issues, including contracts, licensing, commercial landlord leases, taxes, renting storefronts, intellectual property rights and incorporating a business. “Through this clinic, we will be able to help dozens of people with their small businesses. We hope these efforts will help local businesses and that this will serve as a model for future efforts,” said William Silverman of Greenberg Traurig, LLP.
The clinic came about as a result of concerns from local community leaders that many small business owners, especially those for whom English is not their first language, did not have the time or resources to attend to the various regulatory and legal aspects of running a business.
Peter Koo, president of the Flushing Chinese Business Association (FCBA), said, “Being a small business owner myself, sometimes it’s hard to take time away from the business, but at the same time you know you need to take care of these important matters, especially when you need legal advice. And a free consultation right here in Flushing with legal experts can be very helpful and convenient.”
Esther Lee, president of the Korean American Association of Flushing (KAAF), encouraged local business to take advantage of the clinic “Korean American businesses are rapidly growing throughout Flushing and the greater New York City metropolitan area,” she said.
The City Bar Justice Center’s Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project (NELP) provides financial guidance to small business owners to help them create realistic goals and finance their own business. Akira Arroyo, program director of NELP, said “Financial literacy is the key to economic independence and the necessary first step in micro-entrepreneurship.”
Ronald Kim, Vice President of the KAAF, said: “Whether someone is trying to start-up a new business or re-stock their current business, it is important to have access to all the available resources.”
In announcing the clinic, City Councilmember John Liu said, “Small businesses are the engine of our economy, generating jobs throughout our neighborhoods and contributing to our quality of life. The City must do more to support our entrepreneurs by reviewing the tax structure and legal codes regulating businesses - many of which are unnecessarily complicated and difficult to understand. Our upcoming legal clinic is designed to help business owners navigate through the potential legal problems that may arise when establishing and running a company.”
The clinic is free, but appointments must be scheduled in advance by calling the City Bar Justice Center at (212) 382-6633.