By Scott Sieber
In hopes of shedding some light on the business world of the borough, the City Bar Justice Center and Flushing Business Improvement District will host a free one-day legal clinic for small business owners and entrepreneurs.”Small businesses are the engine of our economy, generating jobs throughout our neighborhoods and contributing to our quality of life,” City Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing) said at the announcement. “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.”The clinic will be hosted by attorneys from the law firm of Greenberg Traurig, which will answer questions about contracts, licensing, commercial landlord leases, taxes, renting storefronts, intellectual property rights and incorporating a business.”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,” said Peter Koo, president of the Flushing Chinese Business Association.The clinic will be held at the Queens Library, located at 41-17 Main St., Flushing, on Feb. 1 from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.All participants must first schedule in advance by calling the City Bar Justice Center at 212-382-6633.Ronald Kim, vice president of the Korean American Association of Flushing, said new immigrants in the city who dream of operating their own business should take advantage of the free opportunity.”It is nearly impossible for small business owners with language barriers to understand all the regulations, permits and licenses in New York City,” Kim said. “This clinic will be a great opportunity for these small businesses to better understand the system so they can avoid being shut down and face financial difficulties.”
