Customer Reviews

Quicken Legal Business Pro 2011 [Old Version]

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I don't know if I would necessarily start a corporation with 250 employees with this software, but for most people, this software library will go a long way towards officially documenting their life's little legal affairs. Everything from buying a car to starting a small business, to even buying your own home (without an agent) can be accomplished with this software.

For those of you doing any of the above mentioned activities, this set should be perfect (for banks and IRS). For those looking to deal in large sums of money or complicated affairs - you are already talking to a lawyer anyway ... for those of us looking for a nice set of everyday legal forms and for those staring a business - this is a great and indispensable software set to get to up and running (looking very professional I might add).

For those who need basic legal advice; for those who need simple-to-understand explanations of laws the affect the creation of or the continuation of a business; for those who're unable to have a lawyer draft a contract, then Quicken (& Nolo's) Legal Business Pro is a must-have.

Legal Business Pro: Contracts and Forms 2011 is a cooperative effort by two companies: Quicken and Nolo.

Quicken is a software designer that primarily specializes in accounting and bookkeeping software. And, they've produced this series of legal and business disc with Nolo, a 40-year old company out of California that offers free and/or low-cost legal services to the underrepresented.

LBP 2011 is an update from last year's production, which I reviewed as priceless for the quality of information and the price. The only thing I wasn't thrilled with was the pocket "law book" which I found to take away from the importance of the set. I understood it was an attempt to make the package more palatable for college-age readers.

This year, the set up is identical. You have a no-frills grey interface with a header, drop-downs and side bar.

There's also a link that you can access from the header or sidebar that takes you directly to Nolo's website where you can access more current and detailed information. (* One important note, as of 11.28.10, if you install the software a message appears that says "software is no longer supported"--what does this mean? That LBP2012 is about to be produced? Some or all of the blank contractual forms are invalid? No longer upgradable for Windows XP? - nothing is explained and yet the software, contracts and internet connection to the site all work fine.)

The "law book" for LBP 2011 is much improved and looks more like a fun-fact book as opposed to a crude college-humor tome.

What will I find inside of interest?

Explanations and Contractual forms for:

* Buying and Selling A Business

* Buying and Selling Real Estate

* Contracts For Goods & Services

* Corporate Minutes & Consents

* Forms for Forming A Business

* Hiring Workers

* LLC Minutes & Consents

* Leasing A Space

* IRS Tax Forms

* Managing Finances

* Financial Forecasts & Worksheets

* Sample Letters and Policies.

All in all, there's well over thousands of dollars worth of free legal advice here. Considering a hour of consultation for a business lawyer is $200/ hr. here in Miami, this package alone will save you from seeing a lawyer until absolutely necessary.

5 tremendous stars.

Quicken Legal Business is a good supplementary software system for organizing business records, and keeping documents in electronic form.

Unlike other books on CD, the included portable document files (PDF's) are editable with drop down sections that allow for direct data entry, rather than printing and handwriting forms. Also, the included free eBooks are generous, making the overall package a great package for entrepreneurs.

This is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for small business owners. It has all the material, forms, and suggestions a small firm could possibly need. Quicken is well known for its excellent software, and Nolo law is an institution that has provided valuable legal instructions and advice for years. The scope of this review cannot possibly cover all the advantages in Legal Business Pro, but to name some: how to form a business--any of you who have ever tried to start your own company from scratch will greatly appreciate this guide on how to do this, including the corporate minutes and consents needed and the countless forms needed for a new business.

The software covers how to buy or sell a business and how to buy and sell real estate as well. Dozens of contracts for goods and services are provided, a large section of how to lease, a variety of items on how to manage finances. Last, but certainly not least, the IRS tax forms on hand to cover small business needs without searching the net for them and then downloading. There are several dozen sample letters for credit application, email policy, demand letters and such.

This valuable software also includes the full searchable text of five of Nolo's best selling books on business situations. Most small businesses cannot afford an in house attorney or have the budget to hire outside legal help. Legal Business Pro is the answer and it is regularly reviewed and updated by Nolo's expert attorneys and covers everything we can imagine a small business might need. This is truly a bargain in software and will save small business owners many hours of concern and expense. We recommend Legal Business Pro to every small business. Use it and profit.

I know there were a lot of complaints regarding this item that pdf forms are not fillable and that you can't get them in word. However, with Adobe Professional I had no problem copying the agreement and pasting it into word. In addition many of the files which are related to contracts/agreements are exportable into a word processor as it asks you when completing the document. The only complaint that I have with this is that it is not very detailed. For the very simple business the contracts are very acceptable. However for my accounting practice I just opened up I used the templates as a guide, then exported them into word and added a lot of content that was missing from knowledge I had from engagements issued to clients while I worked at a CPA firm. Hope this helps others that are reading revies on this product before purchasing.

Quicken and NOLO proess have teamed up to create a great program that is invaluable for any business owner. Whether you are buying an existing business, building one from scratch or need forms for your current business venture, solo contractor working form home or a small business with employees, this program has just about everything that you will ever need.

Included are the full texts of "Attract Investors with a Solid Business Plan", "Raise Busines Capital Through Loans and Gifts", "Start and Run Your Small Business", "Understand and Follow Employment Law" and "Make the Best Tax Decisions for Your Business". Each of these texts are searchabl and it takes the guesswork about finding the information that you need fast.

You get all the forms for a business plan, finacial forgasts, profit and loss, as well as formation of a business, hiring employees, LLC minutes and consent fomrs, and contracts for goods and services. There were just a couple of forms that I would have liked to find, such as a non-disclosure agreement for both employees and clients, although there was a non-compete agreement within the program. Of course, being in the entertainment industry, I would love it if Quicken and NOLO did more contract forms that are geared toward the media because entertainment industry lawyers are incredibly expensive! However, this program is a great place to start and most everything within it can be tailored to any business needs that you might have.

This software works perfectly with Nolo's set of small business books. In fact, it contains five additional Nolo books. The forms included are perfect updates to the Small Business Legal Forms book by Nolo. I love the included Business Plan book by Nolo. TAx Savvy for Small Business and Start and Run your Small Business are also amazingly helpful. Consider this a quick MBA in a box! Highly recommended if you own a small business or are thinking about starting one. USe these resources to get educated! High-level categories of the included forms are: Buy or Sell a Small Business; Buy and Sell Real Estate; Contracts for Goods and Services' Corporate Minutes and Consents; Form A Business; Hire Workers; LLC Minutes and Consents; Lease Space; IRS Tax Forms; Manage Finances; Financial Forecasts and Worksheets; Sample Letters and Policies. The software actually walks you through each form that you want to complete, and includes help for each entry. Complete the forms, read the books, then go see an attorney. Save a bundle!

For someone, like myself, in the process of starting a small business this program is a nice 'one stop shopping' for essential legal information. It's pretty basic and no-frills, quite a lot of the forms are available online for free already. In other words, for a reasonable price you have a whole bunch of templates and standard documents. But you may not know exactly what to do with all of them. Consulting a lawyer is still a good idea when dealing with contracts and so forth. How complex your business structure will be has a direct relation to what you will get out of this product.

This is a NOLO product, and I've consulted a number of their excellent books for legal advice. The Quicken brand was apparently licensed in order to give the product more name recognition. This isn't like the program Quicken, which helps you manage your investment portfolio and other finances. Don't expect a program that holds your hand, allowing you to plug in numbers and manage your accounts, etc on autopilot. There is likely to be some frustration and confusion involved for anyone just embarking on small business management for the first time.

The five NOLO books presented in PDF form are what makes this such an excellent value. The books are presented in their complete form, and would definitely cost more than this software package if you purchased the paper versions separately.

I reviewed this product at the same time as Nolo's Corporate Records Handbook. The two compliment each other very well, and could help any business get off to a good start.

This collection of forms and books covers the field of business information pretty well, from LLCs to corporations. In the past when I've needed business forms I've spent time searching the Web to find something I could adapt to my use. Now when I open this program I can usually find what I want in a couple of minutes. It's a great time saver.

I would recommend this to anyone running (or starting) a small to medium sized business. You can spend a lot of time surfing for information. Or you can spend the $35.45 (price as of this writing) and have what you need at your fingertips. My opinion, this is a no-brainer decision. Buy the product.

This Windows "program" is a hodge-podge amalgamation of a variety of eBooks, PDFs, and help guides without integration and coordination. Confusion was the only consistent theme in this application. Put out by Quicken, the documents are actually created by Nolo, which is a trusted source of legal information. I'd suggest buying their books instead.

The program includes sections on: Buying or Selling a Business; Contracts for Goods and Services; Corporate Minutes and Consents; Forming a Business; Hiring Workers; Leasing Space; LLC Minutes and Consents; Managing Finances; Buying and Selling Real Estate; and Tax Forms.

In these sections, instead of giving you a handy Microsoft Word Document that you can fill in obvious blanks on, the program makes you go through a step by step interview and often doesn't remember the information you enter from one form to another so you must enter your name, the name of the business and so forth all over again. Nor does it integrate with any contact managers so you can easily fill in from there. When your interview is complete, the document saves only in text or RTF format, which are highly compatible with most programs but at this point, .doc is pretty standard.

Many of the items in these sections are simply Adobe Acrobat forms without the ability to edit or annotate them unless you have something besides Acrobat reader.

Included in the program are "checklists" that are very short guides on very weighty subjects such as "How to Form an LLC" and "How to Set Up Tax Reporting and Accounting". All these checklists do though is point you to other Nolo books or websites and are unable to offer any advice in and of themselves. In other words, pretty much worthless.

Most frustrating to me was the business library which were simple PDFs (or Windows antiquated "Book Reader" format of: Starting & Running a Small Business; Tax Savvy for Small Business; The Manager's Legal Handbook; How to Write a Business Plan; and Business Loans From Family and Friends. Unfortunately, these books were previous versions and the newest versions of these books (despite the 2011 in the title of the program) are available elsewhere.

Additionally, also included with the program is a printed book called "Your Little Legal Companion" that has absolutely nothing to do with business and contains basic personal legal information that borders on the silly such as "Moving in with your Lover" and "Getting Old." These tidbits of advice had little substantive or legal value and were more like a sidebar from a Sunday newspaper magazine than anything that could be used for real reference or planning.

Upon registering the book, Nolo will send you a PDF of their book "101 Law Forms for Personal Use". Again, this is just a PDF and not any templates that can actually be used within a program.

Combined together the program is a good value for all that you are getting. However if you don't really need all that or want the current versions, I recommend purchasing this collection of eBooks and PDFs individually.