Welcome back to another episode of the BLK Directory Podcast and today's episode will be a replay. I really enjoyed sitting down with Marina Banks to have a legal 101 session. Marina, known through social media as “The Legal Queen”, is a licensed attorney focusing on business law and intellectual property. Attorney Banks is a two-time HBCU grad, having earned her bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Dillard University in New Orleans, LA, and her doctor of jurisprudence from Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas. 

She began her legal career as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Houston, the nation’s 4th largest City, where she served as legal counsel to the Houston Public Works Department, the City’s highest budgeted department. After gaining experience negotiating and drafting contracts, preparing ordinances for City Council, and advising the City’s water adjustment board, Marina retired from the City and started her own law practice to focus on helping small businesses and entrepreneurs properly find and protect their businesses.

In this episode we discuss:

Who is Marina Banks and how she fell in love with the law (1:55)

How she transitioned from working for the city of Houston to running her own business (6:11)

How did Marina grow her client list after leaving her job (13:55)

How the social media success has translated to income (20:00)

Going back to the drawing board and dreaming bigger (26:41)

Overcoming imposter syndrome (34:00) 

Steps you should take before starting a business (38:08) 

Creators protecting themselves on Instagram & TikTok (50:00)

Q&A: What is the difference between a DBA and a trademark? Can you get a DBA without incorporating your business? (56:30) 

Q&A: With trademarks, are you protected globally? (58:44)

Q&A: How should I structure my LLC if my business is online? (59:35)

Q&A: Which documents are the must-haves to protect your business (62:55)

What’s next and how to find Marina (67:30)

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