Contracts Basics for Small Business Owners

Northeast Legal Aid, Inc. (NLA) staff attorneys will lead Contracts Basics for Small Business Owners. This in-person workshop will cover what every small business owner should know about contracts.

In this workshop, the presenters will:

· Explain why contracts are important for small businesses and give examples of how you may encounter them
· Share best practices of negotiating, drafting, and signing contracts as well as common missteps and how to avoid them
· Walk through the basic structure of a contract and break down key provisions
· Describe the essential elements that every contract must have and go over special legal rules for certain types of contracts

This informative workshop is offered at no cost and is being sponsored in partnership with the North Shore Alliance for Economic Development and the Massachusetts Office of Business Development (MOBD).

Presenter

Velinda Peralta Bolduc, Esq.

Velinda Peralta Bolduc is a dedicated legal professional with a passion for community empowerment and economic equity. Since joining Northeast Legal Aid in September 2023, Velinda has served as a Staff Attorney in the NLA Community Development and Entrepreneurship unit and in the NLA Low Income Taxpayer Clinic. In her work with NLA, Velinda serves entrepreneurs and organizations without the means to hire private counsel, increasing access to transactional legal services in Northeastern Massachusetts.
Velinda holds a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School and an MBA from Sawyer Business School. While at Suffolk Law, Velinda was a student attorney in Suffolk’s Transactional Legal Clinic. Under the supervision of a licensed attorney, Velinda represented local organizations and small businesses in transactional legal matters and developed her passion for community empowerment and economic equity.
Velinda is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Presenter

Jenny M. Eldred, Esq.

Jenny Eldred joined Northeast Legal Aid as a Staff Attorney in September 2023, where she provides free transactional legal assistance and compliance advising to local entrepreneurs through her role in the Community Development and Entrepreneurship unit. She is also works part-time in the NLA Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic, where she and the LITC team help individuals with state and federal income tax issues and teach free taxpayer education workshops in the local community.
In her work, Jenny is passionate about increasing the accessibility of transactional legal services and compliance advice for local small businesses. She also enjoys teaching practical legal workshops to empower entrepreneurs with the tools they need to prevent avoidable, costly mistakes.
Jenny holds a J.D. from Boston University with a concentration in Risk Management & Compliance. While in law school, Jenny was active in both the BU Civil Litigation Clinic with Greater Boston Legal Services and the BU Compliance Policy Clinic. She also holds a B.S. in Economics.