Legal Question in Business Law in Florida

Re: Contract Work

Your questions raise all sorts of issues that go beyond the scope of a simple exchange of e-mails between you and a faceless lawyer who does not represent your interests. If your "helpers" create a product (i.e., website, logo, trademark, etc.), who does it belong to, you or the helpers who created the product? If your helpers get hurt while working for you, can they file a worker's compensation claim against you? Are your helpers responsible for paying their own taxes or will they claim that you are responsible for making appropriate payroll deductions? Are the helpers employees or independent contractors? If they decide to copy your ideas or take your clients and start their own business, do you have any legal recourse against such action? Do you have a legally binding non-compete and confidentiality agreement to reduce the likelihood of your helpers becoming your most effective competitors?

If you are serious about investing in sound legal advice, contact a lawyer experienced in business matters. Feel free to contact my office to discuss this matter in more detail if you are seeking to retain counsel. Good luck.