I’m Annette,

& I ain’t your grandma’s attorney.

Here's Why

Let's face it. The way we do business today is drastically different than what it was even a few short years ago.

You're not running a traditional business, and lucky for you, I'm not a traditional lawyer.

If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you started your business because you had passion and wanted to live life on your terms: a dream come true right?

But, shortly after setting up shop, things got real.

Legal questions start popping up without an easy way to find the answers. Any of these sound familiar?

  • What type of business structure do I need as my business grows?
  • When do I need to officially trademark or copyright something?
  • What type of contract do I need with one-on-one clients to protect myself?
  • How do I protect my content from poachers?
  • Do I need a terms of service and privacy policy for my website?
  • What do I need to know before I hire someone?

You know you need answers to these burning questions, but where do you turn?

Some lawyers are intimidating; while others seem like they just don’t get you or your business. So instead you scour the internet, post in Facebook groups asking for help, and cobble together some very conflicting and confusing advice.  I know the stress that entrepreneurs run into when they realize they’re not set up legally. It’s the most common thing I hear from my clients: “I don’t know what I don’t know” or “I want to do the right thing, but I don’t even know where to start.”

Annette Stepanian sitting on a couch with books and laptop on couch

My name is Annette.
I’m a lawyer for entrepreneurs.

I help my clients get their businesses legal on the daily, so they can continue to thrive and live out their dream life.

A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT YOURS TRULY

I graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California (Fight On Trojans!) with degrees in Business Administration (emphasizing in Leadership Studies) and Political Science. Upon graduation, I moved straight on to law school, ultimately landing my dream job at a national law firm in San Francisco where I practiced litigation for over five years.  Although I love the intellectual challenges of the law, my life started to feel a bit, well, beige. I longed for more art and color in my life. So I took a leap of faith and started my own jewelry line.

As I grew my jewelry line, other small business owners and peers sought out my legal advice about starting and running their own business.  Some of my peers would panic anytime they were faced with either drafting, negotiating, or enforcing a contract. Then there were those who despite their smarts would prefer to close their eyes and ignore the need to address anything legally related.

“Every entrepreneur should have a basic understanding of the law to protect what they're working so hard to build.”

I realized there was a unique opportunity to combine my legal know-how to help other business owners build their dreams.   Plus, as someone who has experience operating a creative business of her own, I approach my work with clients not only with the legal ramifications in mind, but the business ones as well.

Fast forward to today:  I combine my passions for law and small business to help creative professionals & entrepreneurs streamline and lay a proper legal foundation for their business. I’ve been lucky to work one on one with some top entrepreneurs across a variety of industry: online educators, wedding planners, designers, photographers, coaches, consultants and so many more!

I’ve been voted as one of the top 100 best sites for solopreneurs & named a top newsletter for entrepreneurs by forbes

AS YOU’LL FIND OUT, WE DO THINGS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY AROUND HERE:

  • PRACTICAL LEGAL AND BUSINESS ADVICE

With our background in law and business, you get the best of both worlds: practical legal advice AND business insight. You won’t find any theoretical "legal mumbo jumbo” here.

  • YOU’VE GOT OUR ATTENTION

We’ve been told, not just once, but many times over that we’re really good at listening, asking the right questions, and taking care of you.

  • REASONABLE RATES

We don't work from a stuffy law office furnished with mahogany desks and dusty legal treatises on the bookshelves. Our low overhead translates into legal fee savings for you!

  • FLAT-FEE SERVICES

As an entrepreneur myself, I understand that you want more certainty around your expenses - including legal costs. That's why most of the one-on-one services are priced on a flat-fee basis so you're never surprised with a big ol’ legal bill; instead you’ll know the cost before the project begins. Say "bye-bye" to high hourly rates.

If certain services need to be priced at an hourly rate, we’ll let you know ahead of time.

Let’s work together!

GET IN TOUCH

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