Business

As part of our business organizations practice, we handle a variety of legal matters, including but not limited to, the following:

• Contracts (drafting & interpreting)
• Non-Profit Entities and For-Profit Entities
• Limited Liability Corporations
• Partnerships
• Taxation
• Employee Benefit Law

CONTRACTS:
The firm is experienced in drafting real estate joint venture agreements, buy/sell agreements and contract documents to set out the agreement reached between the respective parties, whether sole proprietors, limited liability companies, partnerships or corporations. Such documents are instrumental in and essential when merging professional practices, arranging for the rental and acquisition of equipment, land, office buildings, transferring service contracts and leases in progress and merging of staff, in order to provide tax and operating advantages.

NON-PROFIT AND FOR-PROFIT CORPORATION:
The firm has structured and incorporated churches, beneficial societies, veterans organizations, professional corporations for physicians and lawyers, businesses involving retail sales, services and manufacturing to make provision for tax benefits and ease of operation appropriate to the needs of the clients.

LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANIES:
The firm has taken the lead in shifting most of its business clients into limited liability companies and away from the formal corporate structure to avoid double taxation of income and to reduce expense incident to formality of more traditional entities. Limited liability companies provide flexibility for the small business owner and allow limitation of liability to specified dollar amounts through the integration of real estate and equipment partnerships devoted to the leasing of fixed assets and equipment to the LLC, allowing owners of the same to be paid rental income without withholding, as would be the case with wages, and allowing the owners of the assets to be able to preserve the assets from creditors. Limited liability companies have been exceptionally useful for those involved in manufacturing and food service, such as fast food enterprises.

PARTNERSHIPS:
This traditional form or structure still is widely used by our firm for professional groups and those involved in holding and managing real estate.

TAXATION:
The firm provides counsel in all areas of taxation, as the same pertains to business operation and impacts personal injury settlements, particularly structured settlements of injury cases.

EMPLOYEE BENEF IT LAW:
As more employers are utilizing group welfare and benefit plans to fund employees' health, long term disability, short term disability, life insurance and retirement benefits, the firm has become experienced with ERISA litigation, issues arising when the Employer enters bankruptcy and the plan's right to recovery in third party settlements.