Danielle Curtis – Barrister – Creator – Entrepreneur
Career Profile
Irish barrister Danielle Curtis is the founder of the social media platform Legal Diaries. Legal Diaries provides support for small to medium enterprises and non-profits across Ireland with legal and communication. Danielle herself is a barrister who specialises in human rights and public interest law.
Here are some of her key legal insights; enjoy the full interview to learn more.
How do you stay organised?
Danielle uses the ‘Ivy Lee method’ to track her tasks and prioritise them. She writes down 6 tasks every night that she needs to do the following day. This is a useful tactic to help switch off from work mode and relax, knowing that the next day has been organised.
Legal advice for new businesses
When asked about legal complications in regards to setting up a new business, Danielle highlighted issues surrounding sole trading. ‘If you were to try and gain finances for the business it’s your name on the line, your assets that are attached to the business.’ Danielle stressed that if an organisation tried to sue a sole trader then it would be the individual that would be sued, not the company.
Get insurance cover
The barrister pointed out a key fact in relation to insurance, recommending to ‘act within your scope.’ Explaining further she said, ‘if I was to consult someone in relation to say, interior design, then I would not be covered.’
Contracts are critical
Danielle commented that ‘people hear the word contract and think it sounds legally binding and scary, but all it is, is a document setting out the expectations of both parties.’ So, to help alleviate this fear of contracts, Danielle has created contract templates that are available for use on the Legal Diaries website.
Danielle also made an important point about the wording and technical aspect of contracts. She said “make sure your contracts are executed properly because they don’t legally mean anything otherwise. If they’re not executed correctly then they cannot be enforced.”
Privacy Piracy
Other legal areas that many people overlook are their website terms and conditions and privacy policy, according to Danielle. She made the rather worrying revelation that ‘a lot of people say to me that I don’t need a website [privacy policy] as I can just go to another website and steal their privacy policy.’ This practice is illegal, however luckily Legal Diaries’ privacy policy template is legal and easy to use.
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By Conor Lynch and Solene de Beaudean
