The Rocket Lawyer survey reveals small business owners’ anxiety over Legal Costs, and shows uncertainty over 2011 economic outlook.

1. Survey Reveals Small Business Owners’ Anxiety
over Legal Costs, Shows Uncertainty over
2011 Economic Outlook

2. Tough Economic Times
• In this tough economic climate, consumers and companies are more
cautious than ever about how they spend money, but legal matters still arise,
often causing worry and significant unplanned costs.
• Rocket Lawyer enables small business owners to easily manage multiple
legal projects from their online account for peace of mind and savings. From
incorporating a business to putting important contracts in writing and hiring
employees, everything created with Rocket Lawyer is securely recorded,
stored and can be shared and accessed by all parties through the same
online legal service.
• Rocket Lawyer™, the fastest growing online legal service, polled 1,000 small
business owners to gauge key SMB trends and predictions for 2011.

3. Key Findings
51% of small business owners say the main
reason they would avoid seeking legal
counsel is because it is too expensive;
25% say legal issues pose the biggest risk to
their company, according to a new
Rocket Lawyer survey.
YET

4. More Key Findings
28% believe 2011 will be a better economic year than 2010
72% aren’t sure or don’t think it will be any better next year
52% President Obama’s program to provide more credit
access to SMBs has not opened up more credit
44% Says it has or they don’t use outside credit

5. Full Survey Results
Of the following list, which would you say pose the biggest risk to your
company? (Choose all that apply)
Selections
% of
Responses
Benefit costs 31%
Legal 25%
Financing 25%
Accounting liability 11%
Hiring 9%
Other 40%
Not sure 5%
0
10
20
30
40
Benefit
costs
Legal
Financing
Account
liability
Hiring
Other
Not sure

6. Full Survey Results
What are the top issues your business is facing or has faced this year?
(Choose all that apply)
Selections
% of
Responses
Tax issues 40%
Delinquent payments 30%
Contracts & negotiations 17%
New business startup 15%
HR needs 10%
Real estate and leases 10%
Lawsuit or crisis situation 6%
Not sure 16%
Tax issues
Contracts &
Negotiations
New
Business
Startup
HR needs
Real Estate
and Leases
Lawsuit or
Crisis situation
Not sure
Delinquent
Payments

7. Full Survey Results
Which one of the following reasons is most likely to keep you from seeking
legal counsel? (Choose one)
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Not sure
None of the above/other
Intimidating
Time consuming
Confusion on when to use
Had to cut budget
Too expensive 51%
4%
4%
3%
1%
36%
2%

8. Full Survey Results
Has President Obama’s plan to provide more credit access to small businesses
opened up credit for your business?
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Not sure
Do not utilize outside credit
No
Yes
3%
52%
41%
4%

9. Full Survey Results
Will 2011 be a better economic year than 2010?
0 10 20 30 40
Not sure
No
Yes
28%
40%
32%

10. Empowering Small Business Owners
“Running a small business is always a challenge, especially when the business is just
getting started. Listen to small business owners, like we did in our survey, and they say
that legal risks weigh on their minds as a key factor for their success or failure. That’s
why Rocket Lawyer exists – to make it simpler and less expensive to understand and
do something about everyday legal issues. While legal issues and expenses can seem
overwhelming, by going online for legal help, small business owners can get legally
organized at a much lower cost than expected.”
Charley Moore
Founder & Chairman
Rocket Lawyer

11. Top 5 Tips for Small Businesses
1. Put the Incorporation in Ink. To protect your individual assets and your company as a whole,
look into incorporating your business. While business incorporation offers many benefits, it is
not for every situation. Do your research.
2. Take time to Trademark. Determine trademark availability once you’ve selected your
company name and register your domain name, twitter handle, Facebook page and company
blogs.
3. Proof and Protection. It’s important to document all proof of your company’s operations, as it
can be critical information if your business is involved in a lawsuit. If your company is based
around proprietary intellectual knowledge or property, take the steps to patent your idea or
invention.
4. Get Guidelines. Many companies face employee-related lawsuits, in fact, it is the most
prevalent type of litigation faced by small businesses today. That’s why it’s important that
companies protect themselves by developing an employee handbook that provides a clear
guideline for all important issues such as employee/employer rights, HR issues and paid time
off policies.
5. Enlist the Experts. Leverage a community of entrepreneurs and expert professionals, like
lawyers and accountants, who can help guide you through the steps necessary to protecting
yourself and setting your business on the path to success. There are many sites available, like
www.RocketLawyer.com that can provide advice and
cost-effective solutions for helping your company at
all different stages.

12. About the Survey
• Rocket Lawyer commissioned Zogby International to conduct an online
survey of 1,000 small business owners from 9/21/10 to 9/22/10.
• A sampling of Zogby International’s online small business panel was invited
to participate in the survey.
• The margin of error is +/- 3.2 percentage points. Margins of error are higher
in sub-groups. The MOE calculation is for sampling error only.

13. About Rocket Lawyer
• Rocket Lawyer™ (www.RocketLawyer.com) is the only complete legal service
on the Internet, providing over a million businesses and individuals with a
simple, easy and affordable way to manage their legal needs.
• Rocket Lawyer allows members to personalize legal documents through a
simple interview.
• These documents can then be securely stored, shared, e-signed, and
reviewed by thousands of attorneys in the Rocket Lawyer network.
• Rocket Lawyer also offers a suite of marketing tools and customizable client
referral services for attorneys who join their network.
• For more information on Rocket Lawyer, visit http://www.rocketlawyer.com
and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.