Business Law
Business Formation
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Forming a business entity to launch your business can help protect your personal assets from the debts and obligations of the business. You might want your business to operate as a corporation, a limited liability company (LLC), a partnership, or otherwise. B&B can help you understand your options. Some business owners file Articles of Incorporation with the Indiana Secretary of State and think they are done. But they’re not. B&B can help not only with what gets filed with the Secretary of State but also the internal organizational documents you will want to increase the protection a business entity can provide you. Importantly, and something many owners of business entities don’t understand because they were never taught it, is how to operate that entity to maximize that protection. B&B can get you started off on the right footing. If you’re looking for an Indianapolis business attorney to help you get started forming a business entity or to help you finish the process you started, contact B&B.
Business and Real Estate Transactions
Transactions are the life blood of every business. Many are routine but some are not and can be difficult to navigate without help. Perhaps your business wants to sell or buy real estate, is evaluating a commercial lease, or intends to purchase a significant asset. Your business might have a broker assisting, but the broker is not going to analyze for you or necessarily understand the legal implications for your business of the contract underlying the deal. B&B can help your business with transactions, routine or not, and will work your other professional advisers to achieve your objectives.
Contract Drafting and Review
Many businesses have a contract form that gets used for many, if not all, of that business’s transactions. It’s common for business owners to pull a contract template off the internet. That might be a starting place, but that contract form is not likely tailored to the specific needs of that business and it may well have terms the business owner doesn’t fully understand. Whether it be sales of goods, service agreements, lease agreements, consulting agreements, construction contracts, employment agreements, real estate sales agreements, or something else, B&B can help you if you don’t have a contract form yet or you want to make the one you are using a better fit for your business. Also, the primary contract forms that a business uses can evolve over time as that business encounters issues it wants to avoid in the future. B&B can help you revise your contract to help prevent the issue from recurring. What about when your business is considering a transaction and the other side sends over a contract that is filled with what looks like legal jargon and boilerplate language? For most business operators, reading a contract is tedious and time that seems better spent on other things. It’s tempting to focus on the sections that address the main deal points, such as price, time, or quantity. But there can be traps in those walls of text. If you haven’t analyzed the entire contract, you don’t really know what the business is committing itself to. If you’re looking for an Indianapolis contract attorney who is happy to read to those walls of text and explain what’s in the rest of that contract, contact B&B.
Getting Your
Business Paid
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It’s inevitable. The day will come that someone owes your business money and won’t pay. They stop returning phone calls and ignore your emails. A formal demand letter from your attorney might resolve the problem but sometimes a lawsuit is required. If you're a contractor having trouble getting paid you some additional special tools Indiana law provides, such as mechanic’s liens and personal liability notices. If your business is looking for an Indian commercial collections attorney, with decades of experience in the area, contact B&B.
Business Disputes
and Litigation
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The goal of a business relationship is mutual benefit, not ending up in litigation. Unfortunately, disputes happen that don’t get worked out with conference calls or meetings. Immediately filing a lawsuit might not be the best choice. B&B can provide you a legal analysis of the dispute and explore your options with you, whether that be settlement negotiations, pre-suit mediation, or commencing litigation. Litigation is a drag on the business’s time and money but sometimes it might be the best remaining option. It also might not be optional at all if your business is sued. If your business receives a summons, it is vital to contact your attorney as quickly as possible. Litigation involves deadlines and hoping the problem goes away won’t make it do so, but it might mean missing a deadline.
Regulatory Compliance
and Administrative Agency Proceedings
Businesses operate in a world of federal, state, and local regulations. The regulations dealing with a specific type of business may be somewhat familiar to the business operator in that industry, but other regulations will not be. Even if the business is in compliance, a governmental administrative agency might initiate an inquiry if a complaint is made. If you are uncertain how your business should comply, have received a request for information from an administrative agency, or are subject to an administrative enforcement action, contact B&B.
Contractors encounter the same business law needs that other businesses do but also have their own special needs and issues. Click here for more on how B&B can help your contracting business.