Joe Humphreys

The University of Houston-Victoria Small Business Development Center and U.S. Small Business Administration are teaming up to help small business leaders become more knowledgeable about common legal issues.

A free “Small Business Law Basics” workshop will take place from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. July 11 at the UHV SBDC office, 3402 N. Ben Wilson St.

The interactive workshop is aimed at community members interested in starting or expanding a small business. The workshop will cover intellectual property, employee issues and real estate topics. There also will be discussion on choosing a legal entity, such as corporations, limited liability companies and partnerships.

“Since many small business owners don’t have a broad legal background, they naturally have a lot of good questions about business law,” SBDC Director Joe Humphreys said. “This workshop will provide answers and advice in many of those areas. Even if some of these topics aren’t relevant at this time, having a basic law knowledge could be beneficial down the road.”

Annie Hudspeth

Annie Hudspeth, SBA lender relations specialist for the San Antonio district office, will lead the discussion with a mentor from SCORE, a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground.

Hudspeth has extensive experience counseling on financing options for small businesses. She has worked in processing, servicing and liquidation of SBA loans. She currently is assigned to the lender relations division, where she assists lenders with eligibility, servicing and loan liquidation questions, as well as marketing SBA products and services to the public in a 55-county district.

To register for the free workshop, call 361-485-4485, email sbdc@uhv.edu or visit www.uhv.edu/small-business/. If participants have specific questions or subjects they would like Hudspeth to address, they can send those by email to sbdc@uhv.edu and put “Small Business Law Basics” in the subject line.

The UHV SBDC offers assistance on starting, growing and financing a business; contracting opportunities; and recovering from disaster. It also helps new businesses start and existing businesses expand through a combination of consulting and training in areas like market identification, raising capital and developing a business plan. Most of its services are free to area small business owners. The center serves Aransas, Bee, Calhoun, DeWitt, Gonzales, Goliad, Jackson, Karnes, Lavaca, Refugio and Victoria counties.