Legal Advice and Counsel for Georgia Business Owners
Why invest countless hours and resources into a new business venture or relationship, but fail to seek qualified legal advice to ensure the business is properly setup and that measures are in place to protect it from possible catastrophic failure due to foreseeable events? This is not unlike buying a home without an inspection or failing to obtain homeowners’ insurance. It is surprising and unfortunate that many business owners do precisely that with their business investments.
As Benjamin Franklin once observed, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Savvy business owners obtain legal advice upfront, at the beginning of a new venture or relationship. At a minimum, experienced business counsel will discuss with the owner (or owners) the nature of the new business, their business goals and expectations, and the choice of legal entities or vehicles that would best achieve those goals and protect the new business. The attorney will also advise the owner about necessary legal documentation and agreements that must be in place and any key provisions or language that should be included to anticipate or guard against future problems. Depending on the legal entity chosen, such documents and agreements may include a shareholder or partnership agreement, buy-sell agreement, incorporation documents, and others. These critical documents need to carefully drafted, taking into consideration present and potential future legal issues that can and should be addressed, including resolving disagreements among partners or shareholders with minimal business disruption, withdrawal of a partner or shareholder, the sale of a partner’s or shareholder’s interest, and other issues unique to each business.
Once a business partnership, corporation or other venture is properly formed, it can face countless important legal issues for which seeking legal counsel and advice is highly recommended. To name just a few, these issues can include negotiating and executing important contracts such as key vendor agreements, leases, maintenance agreements, etc.; obtaining loans and executing financing documents; entering into joint ventures, licensing and other business arrangements with third parties; creating and implementing employee policies in compliance with federal and state employment laws; intellectual property rights and issues; potential disputes with third parties; risk management and litigation avoidance; legal compliance with laws and regulations affecting the business; licensing and other governmental or regulatory issues; and countless other potential legal matters that may arise and affect the business. Having an experienced business attorney on hand who is knowledgeable about a business, who can quickly assess legal issues presented with that familiarity and provide sound, practical advice, is an invaluable asset to any business.
Our attorneys have decades of experience helping business owners avoid problems through thoughtful and practice legal advice, as well as representing businesses in court when unanticipated or unavoidable problems do arise. With deep experience in business litigation, our attorneys are uniquely qualified and capable of foreseeing legal issues and problems and helping business owners avoid many of them through the careful drafting and review of corporate documents and business agreements. If disputes cannot be avoided, however, our attorneys represent businesses in all forms of business litigation including breach of contract matters, business torts and fraud, partnership and shareholder disputes, business divorces and dissolutions, and many others (click here to see samples of other business litigation matters handled by the firm’s attorneys).
If you or your business need sound, practical legal advice or representation, call or contact our experienced business counsel attorneys in Atlanta today for a free consultation.
