Legal Question in Business Law in California

Re: Worthwhile for customized contracts?

As in those ads for oil changing services, there is a "you can pay me now, or pay me later" argument against do-it-yourself legal document preparation. Given the special requirements you describe, I think you'd be better off to spend a little now and get a contract you'll feel comfortable with, and where the risk of malpractice is on someone else. A possible exception is to form a friendship with someone else in the business, in California so the same law applies but in the southern part of the state so they don't regard you as a competitor, and ask if they will share their experiences, give you advice, and maybe e-mail you their lawyer-drafted contract forms. In my business career, I've found that others in the same business are often willing to help newcomers if they are far enough away not to be seen as competition.

Re: Worthwhile for customized contracts?

Because you and your business are unique, it's unlikely such forms - even if they were well-drafted and legally sound to begin with - would serve you well. They might, they might not. They might be better than nothing, they might not be. It seems to me you'd be better of paying to get these done custom and correctly once, figuring that you will re-use the resulting contracts again and again with multiple clients/vendors/employees. Of course, you should have the contracts reviewed for changes in the law once in a while, but you won't need to have these agreements redrafted for each new client. It is no accident that every successful budget has a budget for legal; why should yours be any different?