Setting up an entity is just the first step, particularly for businesses that have multiple owners. We draft shareholder agreements (for corporations), operating agreements (for limited liability companies) and partnership agreements that address owner contributions (money, labor or other assets), voting rights, buy-sell rights in the event of death, disability or sale, and dispute resolution and deadlock. Business valuation methods for buy-out purposes (as well as sale purposes) call for the input of a CPA as well as careful drafting. We will work with your CPA, or we can make a referral to one of the CPA firms we work with on a regular basis. Insurance products are often needed for key person disability or to fund buy-outs in the event of death. We work with a variety of insurance and financial services professionals who can provide insurance products and financial advice. Neglecting these issues can lead to the dissolution of successful businesses. Pre-packaged kits and on-line forms frequently fail to address all the needs of businesses, and they are usually not tailored to Virginia. We draft customized agreements that take all of these issues into account.
We frequently prepare documents for ownership transitions in corporations and LLCs, shareholder or member loans, financing and security documents. We routinely draft commercial and residential leases. We also draft or review many types of contracts, account agreements, and other business forms.
If your intend to operate your business in a name other than your formal corporate or LLC name you must file a trade name ("DBA") certificate in the locality where you do business and with the State Corporation Commission. We will handle that process for you quickly. You may want to protect your business intellectual property, such as the name, logo or phrase used in your business. We can file trademark or service mark applications.
We can confidently handle just about any type of legal document that you encounter in your business.