Free legal advice for journalists
© iStockphoto.com/Teodor Todorov
Setting up a business, writing contracts, bringing investors on board — for each of these, there are multiple free sources of legal advice, Jeremy Caplan writes in this post from the Poynter Institute web site. Included are sources of pro bono advice, common contract forms, and choosing a business structure. Plus, Erin Siegal at the Columbia Journalism Review has tips for representing yourself in Freedom of Information and other legal actions.
RE: Free legal advice for journalists
Written by Pieter Droppert on Mar 6, 2012 Blog
This is a misleading title and as science writers I think we should strive for accuracy and avoid sensationalism in how we report things.
The Poynter article referred to only offers suggestions of resources that may help journalists faced with legal issues, none of these offers free legal advice.
Legal advice can only be given by lawyers, and generating legal documents just by filling in a name or going to a website for information doesn't constitute that.
As a science writer who also is legally qualified, I would urge caution in highlighting sites that offer free contracts and templates without any review of the quality of what is offered.
Science writers should not rely on any free site or template as a substitute for legal advice.