The OSI receives many requests for legal advice related to licensing, tax-status, patents, organization, etc. The OSI nor its Board of Directors cannot offer legal, however the organization would like to help those struggling with legal issues and with limited resources to identify qualified assistance.

The OSI has developed the Legal Reference Resource to help individuals, open source communities, companies, organizations, etc. better understand the legal issues related to open source software development and distribution, and specifically identify qualified assistance.

Below is a set of questions that anyone looking for legal services can ask to assess the level of experience within open source and specific areas of interest. These questions should not be considered comprehensive or complete, and should serve as guidelines for novices to begin a discussion and foster understanding with attorneys.

Questions

1. Have you worked with open source communities/projects previously? If so, can you provide a reference?
   Rationale: a qualified attorney will have experience within the open source community dealing with the unique issues relevant to open source development, distribution and management.
2. Another...
3. Another...