We help farmers and food entrepreneurs get the legal help they need by matching them with attorneys working pro bono. APPLY TO GET MATCHED WITH AN ATTORNEY WE’LL CALL YOU TO DETERMINE YOUR LEGAL NEEDS YOU’LL BE INTRODUCED TO AN ATTORNEY WHO CAN HELP WE STEP OUT AND LET YOU WORK TOGETHER […]
Massachusetts Overtime Exemptions – What You Need to Know If you’re a farmer hiring employees in Massachusetts, navigating the rules of the road can be challenging. This blog post highlights a recent court ruling in the Commonwealth that could affect when farmers pay their workers overtime. Overtime laws require employers to pay one and a […]
Welcome to the Legal Food Hub! We are a free service that connects eligible farmers, food entrepreneurs, and food-related organizations in New England to volunteer attorneys for free legal assistance. To determine your eligibility, we review your business income, your household income, as well as your use of locally-grown ingredients (if applicable). Read our full […]
How do I protect my employees? Where can I sell my produce now that my farmers market closed? Is there grant money available for my business? Despite the pandemic we find ourselves facing, New England has mobilized, and an incredible amount of resources have become available to food businesses and farmers to help provide financial relief as well as business guidance during this difficult time. This article is a list of resources as well as helpful advice on the laws that are in flux.
Massachusetts Overtime Exemptions – What You Need to Know If you’re a farmer hiring employees in Massachusetts, navigating the rules of the road can be challenging. This blog post highlights a recent court ruling in the Commonwealth that could affect when farmers pay their workers overtime. Overtime laws require employers to pay one and a […]
New England farmers looking to hire a farm apprentice or a few employees for the farming season face a web of confusing legal requirements. These requirements can be hard to navigate. For example, what types of farm work qualify for exemptions from minimum wage or overtime? When can a farmer have volunteers help on the […]
CLF’s Legal Services Food Hub Crosses 100-Case Mark, Leverages More Than Half Million in Legal Assistance
Background: Spritzal Cookie Company, LLC is a small-scale cookie company located in Norwell, MA using the original spritz cookie recipe of the owner’s great grandmother. Relying on only five ingredients, including three locally-sourced ingredients, the cookies are sold at local farmers’ markets and through some wholesale, but the company was looking to expand the business […]
Background: Commonwealth Kitchen (CK), which operates Boston’s only shared-use commercial kitchen and culinary business incubator, currently supports about 40 food entrepreneurs. CK provides access to fully-equipped kitchen facilities for hourly rental on a membership basis combined with technical support, training, oversight, and guidance for wide range of wholesale and retail start-up and emerging food businesses. […]
The pro bono Legal Food Hub helps farmers, food entrepreneurs, and the organizations that support them access free legal assistance for issues such as land acquisition/transfer, estate issues, taxes, contracts, and corporate formation, among others. Our goal is to help grow the local, sustainable food system. Through the Legal Food Hub, CLF matches eligible applicants […]
Vermont Law School announces new Legal Food Hub.
SEARCH EN ESPAÑOL Do you have legal questions about starting your business, acquiring land, entering into contracts, or other essential business matters? The Legal Food Hub Resource Library provides answers to common legal questions. If you’re in a hurry, check out our short Lightning Guides. If you have more time, explore our Legal Guides and […]
While there are a lot of legal needs you can tackle yourself, sometimes you need help or information from an attorney. Learn how to work best with your lawyer to get the results you want. Your lawyer will likely ask a lot of questions at the first meeting. Here’s how to be ready for them, […]
Background: Operating on 2.5 acres of town-owned land, the Newton Community Farm in Newton, MA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit farm that provides year-round educational opportunities to the local community while also selling its produce through an 80-member CSA, a farmers’ market, and a farm stand. In addition, the farm donates a portion of their produce […]
Starting Your Farm or Food Business: The Role of Succession Planning Presenter: Kim Memmesheimer, Hoefle, Phoenix, Gormley & Roberts, PLLC When you’re forming your LLC or other business entity, it is important to plan for the future. This webinar will prepare you with key questions to consider about succession planning when forming your business. Labeling Your Food […]
Rich Cavanaugh is the founder of Common Grow, LLC, in Orange, Massachusetts, and a graduate of The Farm School. Rich joined the Hub network in July of 2014 and has generously taken on three cases so far. We asked him a few questions to learn more about why he got involved. What kind of law […]
How do I protect my employees? Where can I sell my produce now that my farmers market closed? Is there grant money available for my business? Despite the pandemic we find ourselves facing, New England has mobilized, and an incredible amount of resources have become available to food businesses and farmers to help provide financial relief as well as business guidance during this difficult time. This article is a list of resources as well as helpful advice on the laws that are in flux.
Among beginning (and other) farmers’ biggest challenges is accessing land, including land and farms in the hands of older farmers. Therefore, how those farmers transition their farms to the next generation (family or unrelated) is of utmost importance. Land For Good’s Training Guide provides attorneys with solid legal background material and technical tools to use […]
Laws of the Land: What to Know About Your Farm BEFORE You Commit Wednesday, Feb 1st, 12:00-1:15EST Presenters: Attorney Laura Hartz and Attorney Stacey Caulk, Drummond Woodsum You’ve heard the phrase ‘location, location, location’ when it comes to choosing a home. It’s no different for farmers when choosing a site for their farm business. All […]
As a small business, you are likely using emails, text, and social media to advertise your business and communicate with your customers. You may also have your own webpage spotlighting customer reviews and other content. With all these forms of social media and communication comes a web of laws that are difficult to navigate. During […]
Esta guía es un resumen de problemas legales importantes que un agricultor en Massachusetts debe conocer. Incluye información sobre: Cuándo se debe trabajar con un abogado Cómo crear una estructura de negocios Cómo acceder a tierras agrícolas a través del alquiler o la compra Las consideraciones a tomar cuando se hace un borrador y cuando […]
Background: Tara Treichel had the idea of starting an innovative seaweed company in Maine, offering kelp snacks and other seaweed products. Thus was born SeaMade. Tara aims to serve health-conscious consumers by providing education and convenient access to seaweed through tasty foods and other seaweed products. SeaMade is committed to socially responsible business and environmental […]
Background: Tucked away in the picturesque seaside town of Belfast, Maine, is a small business with a big idea. While teaching high school physics and chemistry, Jeff Wolowitz noticed a high demand for locally grown tofu. Struck by this need, he launched a journey to produce certified organic tofu and soymilk from New England-grown soybeans. Thus […]
How do I protect my employees? Where can I sell my produce now that my farmers market closed? Is there grant money available for my business? Despite the pandemic we find ourselves facing, New England has mobilized, and an incredible amount of resources have become available to food businesses and farmers to help provide financial relief as well as business guidance during this difficult time. This article is a list of resources as well as helpful advice on the laws that are in flux.