Entrepreneurship is alive and well.

How you choose to organize and structure your business affects every aspect of the company’s operations. Structure affects the level of control over business decisions, tax reporting and filing requirements, employment status, liability exposure, protection of personal and professional assets, and how capital is raised.

Christian & Small’s business and tax attorneys have a thorough understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of all types of business entities including:

• Sole proprietorships
• General, Limited or Limited Liability partnerships
• Joint ventures
• Corporations (C or S)
• Limited liability companies (LLCs)
• Business Trusts

We devote considerable time and effort assisting, selecting and forming the optimal business structure for each client’s particular needs. We offer complete business planning representation and advise clients about business-related agreements, including:

• Operating agreements
• Stock purchase or buy-sell agreements
• Employment contracts
• Joint venture agreements
• Independent contractor arrangements
• Shareholder agreements
• Restrictive covenants
• Registration and qualification of domestic and foreign entities

As your business grows, Christian & Small can help you realize your vision and protect what matters most. We believe in developing long-lasting relationships with our clients and offer services to meet every phase of your business – from startup to sale or dissolution.

As your business grows and you begin to work with new customers and outside vendors, you need documents in place that will protect your interests and hold others accountable for the promises they make. An unhappy side effect of being a business owner is encountering disputes over goods and services. It is during these times that you realize the importance of a carefully drafted contract.

The commercial contracts attorneys of Christian & Small are daily writing and reviewing contracts for our clients. We make sure that every contract contains the essential legal elements and is clear and concise so that each party understands what they are entering into at the time they sign the agreement. Examples of some of the agreements we’ve been involved with are:

• Intellectual Property
• Information Technology
• Advertising agreements
• Licensing agreements
• Franchise agreements
• Agency or commission agreements
• Manufacturing agreements
• Outsourcing agreements
• Supply agreements
• Distribution agreements
• Labor agreements

If a disagreement arises in your professional or commercial relationships, our commercial litigators work seamlessly with the contracts group to ensure efficient and excellent representation in state or federal courts. We have represented individuals, closely-held businesses and major corporations in a myriad of litigation including class actions, commercial arbitrations and various contractual disputes.

High-profile corporate scandals and economic collapses have invited increased government scrutiny and litigation against executives and members of boards of directors. Not only are you putting your professional reputation on the line when you join a board, you are now opening yourself up to lawsuits from angry shareholders who are after your personal assets.

The corporate governance and regulatory compliance attorneys of Christian & Small help companies understand the various roles and responsibilities of each company representative. We routinely advise clients on the intricacies of government and shareholder reporting outlined in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Members of our team have experience working on both the corporate and government sides of compliance and we routinely interface with oversight agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission, the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ.