Editorial Policy

Every LegalGlass page is built on primary government sources, written by a named credentialed author, and independently reviewed by a second credentialed professional before it publishes. We cover only US small-business legal topics, stay neutral, sell nothing, and re-check each page at least once a year.

How We Choose Topics

We prioritize the questions US small-business owners actually ask across the business lifecycle - starting a company, obtaining a tax ID, protecting a name, filing taxes, and closing down. A topic qualifies when it has a clear, verifiable answer grounded in a primary source and when existing coverage elsewhere is thin, dated, or written to sell a service. We do not publish opinion, speculation, or topics we cannot fully source. Where a subject varies by state, we cover it only when we can verify each state's figures against that state's own filing agency.

Our Primary-Source Citation Standard

Every factual claim traces to a primary source, and every number - a fee, a deadline, a form number, a percentage - carries a citation to the government page or statute that publishes it. Acceptable sources are, in order of preference:

1. The responsible federal agency (for example the IRS or the USPTO), including its forms and instructions.
2. The relevant state agency (for example a state Secretary of State or Department of Revenue).
3. The underlying statute or regulation, deep-linked on Cornell Legal Information Institute or an official code portal.

We deep-link to the exact page or form, never a homepage, and we list every source in a numbered reference block at the foot of each article. We do not cite competitor blogs, filing services, or content farms. If a claim cannot be tied to a primary source, we omit it.

Neutrality and Independence

LegalGlass carries no advertising, sponsorships, or affiliate links, and no page contains a call to buy, sign up, or hire. We describe what an agency requires and when a task is free, even when a vendor would prefer readers not know that. Contributors disclose any conflict of interest, and a contributor never reviews their own work.

Our Review Process

Each page moves through a fixed sequence before it goes live:

1. Draft by a named author with relevant credentials (for example [Author Name, J.D.]).
2. Fact-check against the primary sources, confirming every number and form reference - see how we verify facts.
3. Independent review by a second credentialed professional (for example [Reviewer Name, CPA]), whose name appears in the byline and page schema.
4. Publication with a published date, a last-reviewed date, and a next-review date.

Update Cadence and Freshness

We review every page at least once a year and immediately whenever a cited source changes - for example when the IRS revises a form, the USPTO adjusts a fee, or a state updates a filing charge. Fee figures are stamped with the year they take effect so readers can tell at a glance whether a number is current. Each substantive correction is logged publicly on our corrections page.

Corrections

When we learn of an error, we fix it promptly and record what changed, on which page, and when, in the public corrections log. Readers can report a suspected error through the contact channel listed there.

LegalGlass provides general information for educational purposes and is not a law firm or a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney or tax professional. Laws and fees change; verify current requirements with the relevant government agency before acting.