

What law books should an entrepreneur read? - sycren


======
blakdawg
Also, what computer books should attorneys read? Obviously, if an attorney had
a big IT project they should hire a professional, but they could probably get
a good head start if they read a few computer books for background, right?

------
chris_dcosta
The law game is generally about solving disagreements and disputes between
people, but you already have a good idea of what comes into play if you are a
logical thinker.

You can mostly second guess the issues, although lawyers are there to add the
experience (case law) to what you may already know. Some of it is surprising
and that's what can wrong foot the amateur.

I would never advocate not having a lawyer, but as I say thinking about what
could already be a point of dispute is already ahead of the issue.

------
damoncali
The Entrepreneur's Guide to Business Law:
[http://www.amazon.com/Entrepreneurs-Guide-Business-
Law/dp/05...](http://www.amazon.com/Entrepreneurs-Guide-Business-
Law/dp/0538466464/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327284075&sr=8-1)

It's the only one you'll need - it basically covers everything required to
jump into an intelligent conversation with your attorney.

------
akadien
None. An entrepreneur should hire a lawyer for legal matters and focus on
building a company.

~~~
mindcrime
I don't disagree with the idea of "division of labor" and specialization and
all that, but I think it's short-sighted to say an entrepreneur should not
read at least a little about business law. As an entrepreneur, I think it's
valuable to have at least enough of an understanding to know what questions to
ask, and to be able to have an informed conversation with your legal counsel.

There's quite a continuum between studying as much as a lawyer-in-training,
and going and taking a "Business Law 101" course, or just reading the textbook
from a "Business Law 101" course. I think most entrepreneurs would be well
served by at least reading over such a textbook or taking such a class.

~~~
sycren
I agree with you though I concede that one should hire a lawyer when facing
litigation or starting it. I meant more along the lines of starting a project,
finding an idea to take further. I think that it is this stage where an
entrepreneur when researching should read some law books and was wondering if
there were any some could suggest..

~~~
akadien
Good luck on your project research, then. I don't have any law book
recommendations. I still contend you may be better off talking to a lawyer
about what you need to know rather than reading law books during your research
phase. They can cut through all the company formation, IP, etc. jargon pretty
quickly.

