30% of business owners do not believe in lawyers, 78% contacted them

In a survey of small-business owners conducted by the National Federation of Independent Business, 28% of the owners say they have a great deal of confidence in lawyers, 41%, some; and 30%, little or none at all. In the past year, 65% of owners polled by NFIB say they have sought the advice or other assistance from an attorney, and the number climbs to 78% over a 3-year period. In consultations with lawyers, the topic most often cited was contracts, 20.6%, followed by debt collection, 15.5%; real estate, 14%; liability, 10.8%; and employment, 8.8%.