By MATT CHANDLER
mchandler@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1654

As part of the seminar series titled "Legal Weapons for the Working Woman," the law firm Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf Cunningham and Coppola has set an event for Jan. 19 at Sonoma Grille, 5010 Main St., Amherst.

Registration for "Protecting Your Assets" will begin at 4 p.m. The program will be followed by a cocktail reception for attendees.

Lisa Coppola, a partner at Rupp Baase, said the seminar series has been getting a strong community response and her firm wants to build on that in 2012 by offering tangible information to area women in business.

"We think there is an incredible amount of value in this seminar, for small-business owners especially. We get calls all the time from our clients, from family, friends and new clients, asking about these very important issues," she said.

"Protecting Your Assets" will outline strategies for trade secrets, customer relationships and accounts receivable, as well as non-compete and buy-sell agreements, wills, powers of attorney and health-care proxies.

"There are so many eventualities that business owners face," said Coppola.

"Whether it is death, serious illness, maybe a divorce - there are things that eventually most business owners will face, and we want to help them prepare for when one or more of those eventualities occur."

She said business owners and managers recognize the need for such things as a will, power of attorney or succession plan, but all too often, they get caught up in day-to-day operations and put such plans on the back burner.

That leaves a business vulnerable, she added.

The seminar cost is $15. The money benefits Girls on the Run, an organization geared to girls in grades three through eight.

"It is such an incredible organization," she said.

"They teach these girls how to complete a 5K race, but they do so much more than that. Along the way they teach them about commitment, hard work, collegiality, self-respect and being a good person. We are so happy to support them and the work that they do."

Reservations are available through Jan. 13. Contact Erin Harvey at Rupp Baase, 716-854-3400 ext. 230, or legalweapons@ruppbaase.com.