Marlene

Sep 13, 20205 min read

The 411 on the Trellis Template Library

Have you browsed the brand new Trellis Template Library™ yet?

It’s an innovative way of providing accessible legal services and it helps us establish a long term relationship as your business grows. The Template Library includes basic business contracts written by an attorney whose name you know (Hi, it’s me, Marlene!), legal language designed to protect your business and detailed comment boxes that break down all the legalese so you know what your contract contains and how to fill it out.

But we know legal products come with a lot of questions. In this post we’re answering your most common questions,so you can take full advantage of our new offerings.

Is the Trellis Template Library For Me?

The Trellis Template Library is designed for Pennsylvania businesses looking for easy to understand and use templates for basic business agreements. This can be sole proprietorships, LLCs, Corporations, etc. You can be a side-gig freelancer or a 3-year-old consulting company looking for a new client agreement and you’ll find something for you.

If you are outside of Pennsylvania, we advise having an attorney in your state review them to make sure they comply with the laws applicable to you.

What do the templates cover?

Our first release of templates includes general contracts typical for small businesses. This means LLC operating agreements, a client contract, independent contractor agreement, contract agreement/ addendum for making changes to a contract, non-disclosure agreements, a basic activity waiver, a photo release, basic online purchase terms, and more (17 total in our first release!).

In the future, we’ll be expanding these templates as well as releasing contract templates designed specifically for creative businesses and farm businesses. If you don’t see a template listed or aren’t sure what you need, reach out and we can help you find the right one or custom draft one for you for a slightly increased cost.

What’s included with my template purchase?

Each template starts with a detailed introduction. These instructions explain who the template is designed for, how to use it, and additional considerations. The template starts on the second page. The template is a detailed legal contract written by a Pennsylvania attorney aimed at protecting your side of a business exchange.

It also contains detailed comment boxes and fill-in-the-blanks explaining the purpose of that language, considerations for when filling it out, and other legal aspects you should consider related to that language. We break down the legalese with ease! This allows you to better understand the contract you’re creating and how to modify it to fit your business.

How do I get the templates?

You purchase your template by buying it directly from the Trellis Template Library™. After submitting payment you’ll receive a download in the form of a Word document that contains all the aspects described above. For template bundles, you’ll receive a zip file with the individual Word docs. We suggest you open the template(s) in Word or Google Documents so you can see all of the comment boxes.

How do I use the template?

Be sure to save a new version of the document (so you also have a copy of the original for future use). Then, read through the whole document - start to finish, including the introductory page. Get an idea of what is written, even if you do not understand it all.

Second, take another read - but this time, take a look at the explainer boxes we have provided for each highlighted area. Some of the comment boxes may need to be expanded to view the entire comment. These are here to help. We know that legal documents can be intimidating. The comment boxes offer a plain-English reading of the legal text and/or how to fill in the document.

Start filling out your template, deleting comment boxes as you go. Once you’re done, make sure you’ve deleted the introductory page and all comment boxes and save your contract.

Congrats you’ve just written a contract!

How much do the templates cost?

Our Templates are our most affordable option. Our Templates range from $75-$350 depending on the length and complexity of the template. The Template prices are often hundreds of dollars cheaper than custom legal work, but you are still getting an attorney-drafted document with business protection in mind.

As discussed more under “Can I get this reviewed?” you also get the benefit of a 30% discount if you engage Trellis Legal to review your Template contract for you.

Are you my lawyer now?

Unfortunately, no. Downloading a Trellis Template does not constitute legal representation and the Trellis Template Library™ and its Templates are not considered legal advice. It’s a starting point for you to create your own contract. If you are a Pennsylvania resident or business, you can contact Trellis Legal, LLC through our contact us page to determine if we can represent you or your business with a specific legal need.

We are not your attorneys until you have a letter of engagement with us. If you are outside the state of Pennsylvania, we can’t represent you at all unfortunately as our team is only licensed in Pennsylvania. However, we recommend you reach out to a business attorney in your state to help with your needs!

What if I have questions? Can you review my completed template?

If you are a Pennsylvania resident or business you can reach out to Trellis Legal to review your completed Template. If you want us to review the template and discuss any other specific provisions that are unique to your business, this is formally engaging Trellis Legal as your attorney. We will have to have a short discussion first to make sure Trellis can represent you, and sign an engagement letter before moving forward.

Do you offer any discounts?

If you engage Trellis Legal to review your template, we offer 30% off our normal contract review pricing because we know you’re starting from a solid legal foundation ;)

Plus, be sure to follow us on Instagram, where we regularly offer promos.

What is your refund policy?

All Template sales are final. Once you have a Template it’s yours to use and you have all that knowledge and information in your hands. Please read each Template product description carefully to make sure you are purchasing the right template.

Can I share my template with other business owners?

No. By purchasing a Template, you are given a single license (right to use) to use the Template for your business. We put a lot of hard work and energy into creating these for you, so you cannot share a Template you download with anyone else (except obviously the final version after you have filed it out and deleted the comment boxes for the purposes you downloaded it for). To do so would be a violation of our terms of use.

You can use a Template as many times as you want for your own business though (which is a crazy bargain!).