Release Date : Thursday, September 27, 2007
In the exploding sports and activity industry, coaches, guides and small businesses find the cost of legal protection prohibitive.
Professionals in the sports and activity industry are very concerned. The number of participants has exploded in recent years, but so has the opportunity for accidents, disputes, and costly mistakes. However, with the increasing cost of legal representation, the vast majority of professionals feel that they cannot afford to hire a lawyer to provide them with the necessary forms and documents to run their business and to legally protect themselves. The findings are the result of more than 6 months of ongoing research by Washington D.C. attorney Nicolas Jafarieh, founder of SportsLegalForms.com. According to Mr. Jafarieh, the problem is troubling and runs especially deep because many of these professionals deal with activities that are inherently very dangerous.
Today, the average legal fee for consultation with an attorney is about $240 per hour. After an initial consultation, several phone calls, and time spent drafting a few documents, the total legal bill can easily run in the several thousands of dollars. As a result, a significant number of sports and activity professionals either rely on poorly drafted documents, or even worse, simply forego doing anything at all and hope for the best. The examples are numerous, and often troublesome. “I was shocked to see how many small business owners find themselves in this situation because they can’t afford to hire a lawyer” says Nicolas Jafarieh. “I regularly speak with outfitters who send off clients on multi day trips that are guided by their employees, but they have no drug and alcohol use policy in place to make sure that their clients are in safe hands. And see coaches and instructors who’ve been using really poorly written waiver forms that dates from 15 years ago.”
With the unprecedented increase in participation, especially by more novice athletes and individuals who are encouraged by fundraising causes and reality TV shows to push the envelope and test their limits, it is now more, not less, important that these small business owners take the necessary steps to be legally protected and have the necessary forms signed by employees, participants, and business partners.
But the business owners and the professionals are not the only ones to find themselves ill-equipped. The participants also need to make sure they plan for contingencies, but rarely do. Few active sports participants have an advance medical directive or a power of attorney in case they are in an accident and lose consciousness. “Wearing an emergency contact bracelet is a fantastic first step, but it could be pretty useless if you haven’t given your emergency contact the power or authority to make decisions on your behalf should you become unconscious,” says Nicolas Jafarieh.
The research indicates nearly everyone agrees these forms and documents are very important to have in place, but most feel they either can’t afford it or don’t know where to look. The local attorney is a great place to start, and larger, more sophisticated businesses should really consider this expense as part of doing business in a sound way. For professionals and individuals with simple matters, fillable forms such as those found on SportsLegalForms.com are a great way to cover the bases at a fraction of what it would cost to hire a lawyer.
“The lesson here,” adds Nicolas Jafarieh, “is that if you wait until a problem props up before you think about these issues, by then, it’s probably too late.”
SportsLegalForms.com was founded in 2007 by attorneys from large Washington D.C. firms who had extensive knowledge of the sports and leisure industry. The site provides sports and activity professionals as well as participants with a wide choice of fillable legal forms, as well as articles and tips to help small business owners and individuals better plan their affairs.
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If you'd like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Nicolas Jafarieh, please call 703/927-8429 or e-mail njafarieh@sportslegalforms.com
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