The Kardashian Sisters (a trio of famous-for-being-famous celebrities) have been in the financial news lately, first for endorsing a “predatory” prepaid debit card and then being sued for $75 million for withdrawing their endorsement.

My business lawyer’s heart sank when I first read about the fees associated with the “Kardashian Kard.” While recent federal legislation has attempted to corral fees and abuses related to bank-issued credit cards, prepaid debit cards remain free in the wild wild west.

My first thought was that they saddled their brand name to a disreputable product. Was anyone really surprised when that bronco bucked them?

My second thought was utter disbelief that they didn’t have lawyers or business managers managing the details and their brand. I counsel my clients constantly on the legal aspects of trademarks, marketing and branding issues. This is the kind of problem that is 100% preventable with a good attorney in your stable...