LEWISTON — How your divorce can impact your business.

Minding trademarks. Pursuing a client in small claims court.

The Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce is kicking off a new workshop series next week that it’s calling LA Law with those and 16 other topics over 10 months, all taught by local lawyers.

Chamber President Matt Leonard said the venture is part of trying something new. Similar series on business development, financial issues and technology are in the works.

Each of the new lunchtime talks, most of which run from noon to 1:30 p.m., cost $25 for members and $50 for nonmembers.

Leonard said the chamber sent a note to several law firms pitching the idea, asking what they’d like to teach. More than a dozen lawyers wrote back, none of them suggesting the same thing.

Other topics include mental illness in the workplace, construction law and the pitfalls of online marketing. The first one, Sept. 8, is titled “Proven Legal Strategies to Avoid and Handle Employment Discrimination Claims.”

“It gives an opportunity for that small business owner to say, ‘Hey, I’d like to know about these three, four or five things, or all of them,’ and come in at a pretty low cost and get an hour and a half of basically legal advice,” Leonard said.

The talks will be held in the chamber’s conference room. He anticipates 25 to 35 people at each one.

Leonard said there will still be occasional no-cost lunch discussions going forward.

“We’re just trying to get very purposeful in what we’re teaching and when we’re teaching it, and making sure we’re meeting the demands of the membership,” he said.

kskelton@sunjournal.com