From Blake Deshazo | The Selma Times-Journal

Running a business isn’t easy or cheap, so the legal community is hoping to help businesses in the Fourth Judicial Circuit by educating them about mediation and ever-changing technology.

Two Selma law firms, Reeves & Stewart and Gamble, Gamble, Calame and Jones are teaming up with Arsenal Place Accelerator and the Selma and Dallas County Chamber of Commerce to host “Business and Technology: The Paperless Office” Thursday from 3-6:30 p.m. at Arsenal Place.

“I think it is going to be very user friendly and very educational in an area that people don’t know much about but could really utilize if they just knew certain things existed and how to implement them,” said Jana Garner, an attorney with Reeves & Stewart that helped organize the event.

In the past, the event has been focused on indigent clients, but this year the event is focused on giving back to area businesses.

“We celebrate access to justice and often times we think of indigent clients and pro bono work for indigent clients,” Garner said. “But to me business and economic development is so important. That’s who is providing jobs here to people so that they are not indigent and so this year we chose to host and honor those businesses and try to provide a free service to those businesses to run more efficiently.”

The event is broken down into three parts. From 3-4 p.m. Garner and Martha Reeves Cook, a Birmingham attorney that grew up in Selma, will discuss a cheaper route for businesses to resolve legal disputes.

“It’s very helpful because a business is not meant to be in a courtroom. They are there to operate a business, make money and invest in the community,” Garner said. “It’s not beneficial to any business to have a dispute and spend its limited resources in that manner.”

The second part of the event, which is from 4-5 p.m., will focus on technology and going paperless.

“We understand that it is difficult to run a business and stay abreast of the latest technology,” Garner said. “Also, in addition to staying abreast of the latest technology, but what are the legal ramifications of technology on your business.”

The last part of the event from 5-6:30 p.m. is a social hour where businessmen and women to network. For more information, contact the chamber at 875-7241.