One question lawyers frequently hear from small business clients is: “Do you handle X?” Our clients typically do not have extensive experience with big law firms, which can have dozens of sophisticated specialty practices. They have a legal need or problem, and they simply want it handled in a manner that is reliable and cost-effective. Rather than discuss whether we can handle a need, or even what the client thinks they need, we always focus first on the client’s ultimate objectives.
We then help our clients achieves those objectives with the following consulting services:
Business Contracts and Agreements
Our practice is primarily transactional, which means drafting, reviewing, explaining and negotiating any and every type of small business contract or agreement, including the following:
* Vendor Agreements
* Distribution Agreements;
* Employment Agreements;
* Independent Contractor Agreements;
* SaaS and IT Agreements;
* License Agreements;
* Commercial Lease Agreements;
* Loan and Credit Agreements;
* LLC operating Agreements;
* Partnership Agreements;
* Shareholder Agreements;
* Buy-Sell Agreements;
* Joint Venture Agreements;
* Non-Disclosure and Proprietary Information Agreements.
Purchase or Sale of a Business
We have nearly thirty years of experience in helping business owners purchase, sell or finance their business, across an array of industries. Our deep experience with high-value and cross border M&A (mergers and acquisitions, the fancy Big Law term for the purchase and sale of a business) gives us a unique ability to serve small businesses with a level of expertise that is unmatched for a small law firm. We handle all aspects of any sale transaction, including drafting and negotiating the definitive purchase agreement, all ancillary documents such as employment, finance or lease agreements, as well as pre-closing due diligence and post-closing compliance.
Estate Planning for Small Business Owners
We focus on small businesses because of the gratification that comes from serving real humans, rather than faceless institutions. It is a fact that all of us will pass eventually, yet 70% of all American adults have no estate plan or will of any kind. That may not be a problem for less fortunate people with few assets and no heirs. But for most people, passing without a will or estate plan means that the only thing really left to spouses and children (as well as ex-spouses and step-children) is conflict and a lengthy and costly probate process. Every small business client we’ve ever met had the same overarching objective: to grow a business that will provide for their family, both during and after their passing (whether by family succession or eventual sale of the business).
The second part of this goal – and probably the more important of the two – is impossible to achieve without proper estate planning. And the most critical component of that is “planning”. That’s why we conduct in-depth reviews of each client’s particular goals, assets and family circumstances – rather than just produce wills and trusts from a template.
Everything Else
In addition to our core practice areas, we love helping our small business clients with “out of the box” challenges, such as an unexpected regulatory inquiry, unforeseen disputes that cry out for pre-litigation resolution, demand or cease-and-desist letters, or a nuanced tax question. And if we don’t have sufficient expertise on our own, we always co-counsel or partner with specialized attorneys who do. As a result, our clients never hear us say “sorry, we don’t do that”.