2022 Benefit Company Report
Read about how we are doing business better as a
certified Benefit Company
Owner Reflection
The last few years have been difficult for all, to say the least. If the already existing issues of the climate crisis, systematic racism and oppression, LGBTQIA+ discrimination, pay disparity/inequality between those identifying as men and women in the workplace, sexual harassment and assault and not believing victims, the cost and inaccessibility of physical and mental health services, the housing crisis, and the pressing need for both drug and immigration reform were not enough, there was the pandemic.
The operative word here is “was” because truth be told, the pandemic may or may not be in its endemic phase. The COVID-19 crisis not only created a sea of new issues, it exacerbated the ones that already existed.
Uniquely positioned, we kept extremely busy in 2022 humbly helping clients get through the good, bad, and ugly. In 2023, our 6th year, we will remain not just cautiously optimistic, but full of gratitude and joy because we are privileged to practice law in an incredibly rewarding way.
-Michael Jonas (Owner and Principal Attorney)
Our Certification Timeline
Our firm opened November 2017. About a year later in October 2018, our firm was certified by Benefit Corporations for Good (an Oregon based, state-approved certifying company for Benefit Companies). Our firm is in its 6th year of operation and it’s 5th year of being a certified benefit company.
Our Value Proposition
As a firm, we believe that “community business law [can and should be] for everyone in the community.” There is a common misconception that people seek a lawyer only when they are being sued or when they reach a certain gross income and feel that they are now “deserving” of a lawyer or legal team. Instead, we want them to come to us for preventative business law practices. We regularly assist entrepreneurs with their business from initial conception to success and also along the pathway, however, winding or bumpy, in between. To effectuate our belief on what we should and can be as a business law firm, we flip the delivery of traditional business, corporate, and intellectual property law services on its head.
We do this by offering initial no cost 30 minute phone or in person consults to potential clients. During the consult and after as needed, we discuss the client’s story, goals, and potential service needs. We then provide them a list of potential services with project specific price quotes. As opposed to paying a large advance retainer into trust, clients can decide whether to proceed with one or several recommended projects.
Projects include not just the legal work for the project itself (ie. research, preparation, drafting a contract), but communications related to the project. More specifically, a client who has already paid for a project will not be charged for calls and emails related to the project. For contract drafting, a real-time editing session is included with no extra charge up to a month after completion.
These processes and procedures allow our clients to have access to legal services now. as opposed to later. This also allows them to plan and budget for specific project fees and to not fear reaching out to ask a question (as opposed to the fear that comes with receiving a bill for a few short calls or emails about a project already paid for).
All of this is accomplished by believing in and practicing a better way. This starts and doesn’t end with keeping communication between attorney and client horizontal in nature. We do not condescend. We talk to/with clients, not at or down to them.
Our Manifesto
We believe that community business law can and should be for everyone in the community. We know that dreams come true with passion, patience, and perseverance, not just hustle. We feel that being our true, authentic selves is the only way to be. We trust that hard work will pay our bills-and pave our future.
Our Core Values
Attainable
We break down cultural and socioeconomic barriers so that people from all walks of life can access affordable business-law services.
Collaborative
We associate and ally with for-profit and nonprofit organizations that share our Benefit Company values and ethics.
Inclusive
We support, advocate for, and hire people who represent the diverse nature of our local communities.
Connected
We engage in responsive, timely communication via effective modern technology to ensure that our clients are truly heard.
These founding principles are at the heart of everything we do:
Post Pandemic Resilience and Recovery
We see ourselves as not just a law firm, but as a resource hub. Because we do relationship oriented law, we are able to talk to clients about not just their liability but the business and IP law issues relating to their business plans.
Advising Clients on Virtual Businesses
Many of our clients for the first time ventured into the virtual/digital service offering world. Because of this, we spent many hours advising on online and course disclaimers, intellectual property content and licensing, and the difference between being a content publisher vs. facilitator and what it means for liability.
Advising Clients on In Person Liability Risks
Clients who chose to remain open in some capacity needed help understanding whether or not they could ask their team about their health status or if it was a violation of the The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). They also needed help understanding and how best to implement ever changing rules and mandates from all government municipalities (local, state, and federal) relating to distancing, service number caps, vaccine rules, and how all of these pieced together.
Advising Clients on Reschedules, Cancellations, and Refunds
We advised and helped numerous clients assess what contractual obligations they had to their clients based on contracts that had to stop at a screeching halt because of pandemic times. We had clients who had to cancel all of their contracts twice or three times based on the moments of “The pandemic is over this spring…no just kidding.” This included determining if a client’s contract had rescheduling, cancellation, Force Majeure/Act of God , and refund clauses and how they should be legally applied to the “situation.”
Additionally, we discussed whether or not our client received a deposit or retainer from their client, the difference of these two often mistakenly interchanged things, and whether or not a full or partial refund made sense. Sometimes contractually our client would be able to keep the money but we asked them questions like, “Do you want to be the wedding vendor that post pandemic nobody comes back to?” or “How can we find a middle ground here?”
Advising Clients on Reschedules, Cancellations, and Refunds
We advised and helped numerous clients assess what contractual obligations they had to their clients based on contracts that literally had to stop at a screeching halt because of pandemic times. We had clients who had to cancel all of their contracts twice or three times based on the moments of “The pandemic is over this spring…no just kidding.” This included determining if a client’s contract had rescheduling, cancellation, Force Majeure/Act of God , and refund clauses and how they should be legally applied to the “situation.” Additionally, we discussed whether or not our client received a deposit or retainer from their client, the difference of these two often mistakenly interchanged things, and whether or not a full or partial refund made sense. Sometimes contractually our client would be able to keep the money but we asked them questions like, “Do you want to be the wedding vendor that post pandemic nobody comes back to?” or “How can we find a middle ground here?”
Speaking to Several Groups
Because getting more information to more people was important, we worked with several community organizations and membership organization clients (ie. wedding and other event professionals) to plan several business law Q&A sessions. Some of these included advising on things we’ve always worked on but through a COVID-19 lens. Some of these discussed things that we had to learn more about (ie. masking guidelines, shutdowns, outdoor table street permitting, commercial lease moratoriums, PPP loans and other governmental support options).
Advising Clients on Closing, Downsizing, or Starting Something Entirely New
We received calls like, “We have to close our coffee shop in a week. What should we do?” And calls like, “I’m going to shut down this business and start a new one –please help me.” Our biggest concern in all of this was how best to paint options for the client, discuss what each option meant, and then to advise on best steps and projects to take on. Because our team has not only been through a lot in life but sees people as they are (ie. sometimes broken, not ok, in 6 directions), we were uniquely positioned to help people through trying times. Helping numerous businesses close or sell their dream built on blood, sweat, and tears was no easy task.
Commercial Leases
Numerous clients of ours were in commercial leases that they were either having trouble paying or were in default and had fallen extremely behind on payments. By understanding lease terms, legal options, and utilizing conflict resolution skills compassionately and diplomatically, we were able to advise on and help effectuate all kinds of solutions. Some of our clients were able to make structured payment plans, and stay in their lease. Others were able to avoid immediate personal liability (even with signed personal guaranties) by utilizing our services to better understand their rights and/or by preemptively and preventatively communicating with their commercial landlords.
Pro Bono and Low Bono Mutual Aid and BIPOC Organization Services
One of the great things about being a small, community focused organization is the ability to set our own rules and fees. Historically and unfortunately still at present, certain people cannot afford access to for profit or nonprofit legal services. Over the course of 2022, we provided numerous low and pro bono legal services to organizations doing great community work. This also included providing educational opportunities at no charge and expanding paid services to include additional legal consulting with no additional fees assessed or owed.
Our Sustainability Efforts
We believe that our planet is a sanctuary and that environmentalism itself is by its nature “Godly.” With our thoughts, prayers, and science approach, we try to minimize waste and maximize sustainable practices whenever and wherever possible. We do this by doing the following: A. Trash and Recycling: In our office we separate recyclables from non-recyclable trash; 90% Paperless: Historically, law firms create and store paper documents. This leads to excessive paper use and trash. From emails to client files to document creation and editing, our firm does almost everything paperless; C. Transportation: Staff have cars but do not always use them daily. Staff take Lyft/Uber, public transportation, or ride a bike to work when possible. D. Remote work: Most of our team works partially or entirely from home. Like other businesses, this was prominent during the pandemic but such flexibility will remain.
Community Investments & Social Justice Commitments
Financial Donations & Sponsorships
We believe that investing in our community not only helps the community, it helps us grow as people. Instead of spending money on magazine advertisements and sponsoring big ticket events at levels that large corporate law firms or banks may have financially covered, we invest in local communities and sponsorships.
For example, in 2022, we donated to causes relating to women, LGBTQIA+, and minority rights. Some of these helped directly fund events which lead to organizations raising significantly more funds. Some of these helped directly fund community projects that we felt deserved funding based on potential impact (whether on a few people or many).
Racial Justice
We are unapologetically in love with people of all races and ethnicities. We don’t just believe in making lip service DEI statements, we believe in providing access, representation, and power. We believe that along with DEI, there should be a “B” for “Belonging.”
And, we make bold statements. People who don’t like them need not utilize our services. In 2022, we posted on social media statements like “Stop Murdering Black People, “Support Women. At a time when conspiracy theories and legislation related to hate are prominent, we will continue to love and support people of every sexuality, gender, nationality, and race. We love drag queens whether they’re performing on stage for adults or at storytime events for kids.
Seminar Series
Our seminar series The More You Glow offers two full slates of events a year. These affordable seminars are billed at only $5, $10, or $20 (community pricing based on attendees choice). Seminar topics include but are not limited to a business law overview, contracts 101, intellectual property protections, and the difference between employees and contractors. We also offer seminars that we believe would be great for business owners that are not legal related. By partnering with marketing professionals, business bankers, tax experts, and other small business professional service providers who have values that align with ours, we are able to provide our clients and firm friends with valuable information they may not otherwise receive. With this comes an introduction to a service provider who is both skill based and culturally competent.
Intentional Hiring
When hiring team members, we ask them not just about their legal skills and experiences, but how they are involved in their community. We hire people who are not just problem solvers, but lifelong learners.
Team Board Rule & Volunteer Involvements
Our attorneys and staff sit on local nonprofit boards and volunteer at community events whenever possible. These commitments often go further than an advisory capacity and lead to doing actual legal advising and project work (with no cost) for these organizations.
Partnerships/Collaborations
In addition to being a member of several local business chambers and community groups, we feel privileged to be community partners/collaborators with the following (not an exhaustive list): Xcelerate Women, Craft3, NAO, Reinventing Rural, the Oregon Native American Chamber (ONAC), and others.
Advocacy & Support of Benefit Companies
Discussion in New Clients Consults
One of the ways of doing this is during new client consults. When we are meeting with either a socially conscious client or one considering nonprofit formation, we always highlight becoming a benefit company as a potential option that should be considered with other options (ie. business for good, fiscal sponsorship with an existing nonprofit, nonprofit formation).
Presenting the Option During Business Formation
When a client has paid for their LLC or corporation formation, they are given a link to a questionnaire that allows the firm to gather a variety of information for the process. One of the questions all clients forming businesses are asked on this form is, “Do you want to become a benefit company?” This not only sparks conversation, it leads to checking the benefit company choice on the Secretary of State site and implementing necessary benefit company statutes into the client’s operating or partnership operating agreement.
Website Portions Dedicated to Forming a Business for Good
We have a page on our website that discusses doing business for good and what options exist for this business model. On this page, Benefit Corporations for Good is introduced with links to their website.
Personal Introductions to Benefit Company Candidates
Whenever possible we make introductions with clients and potential clients to benefit company certification contacts. This occurs both in person and over email.
One of the best forms of advocacy is being who you are, doing what you do. We know that it’s rare for a law firm to be a certified benefit company. We proudly display our certification on our door, our social media, and on our sleeves/hearts. Outward advocacy in terms of education is also imperative. As a result, we have a variety of ways that we tell others what a benefit company is and does, and why it’s a great time to become one.
Future Goals
We would like to increase our reach to all three western states where we now offer services (Washington, Oregon, and California) so that we can help more small business owners, nonprofits, and artists/entertainers. We are committed to making sure that our business growth does not and will not interfere with or make us compromise our values. Our business development processes and success metrics will continue to involve relationship and community building, not mere financials.