Transaction
Formation
How a business is organized and structured impacts every aspect of operations, including 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.
Our business attorneys have extensive experience and understanding of the pros and cons 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 offer complete business planning and representation, advising clients on 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
Contracts
Carefully drafted contracts are imperative for any business. The commercial contract attorneys at Christian & Small ensure every contract includes the necessary legal elements in a clear, concise way that each party can easily understand. They routinely work on agreements and contracts such as:
- Advertising agreements
- Agency or commission agreements
- Construction
- Distribution agreements
- Franchise agreements
- Information technology
- Intellectual property
- Labor agreements
- Licensing agreements
- Manufacturing agreements
- Real Estate
- Severance packages
- Supply
Litigation
When disagreements arise, our litigators work seamlessly to provide effective and efficient representation in state and federal courts. They represent individuals, closely held businesses, and major corporations in cases such as class actions, commercial arbitrations, and contractual disputes.
Trade Secrets
Our attorneys routinely litigate cases concerning trademark infringement, unfair competition, dilution, and misappropriation of trade secrets in federal and state courts. They help clients recover lost profits and damages and secure injunctive relief, and draft and enforce noncompetes, restrictive covenants, and confidential non-disclosure agreements.
Securities and Financial Services Litigation
Highly regulated securities and financial companies often face audits, investigations, and class action lawsuits brought by shareholders seeking damages. Our attorneys have managed security matters including:
- Securities litigation
- Insider trading litigation
- Regulatory investigations
- Internal investigations
- Broker-dealer arbitration
- SEC and NASD inspections
- SEC administrative proceedings
- Investment adviser matters
Business and Commercial Litigation
Commercial litigation covers a vast arena, and having attorneys with diverse commercial litigation experience who thoroughly understand a business, its objectives, and the consequences of actions throughout a case is imperative. They can devise and execute strategies designed to achieve a favorable result while minimizing disruptions and costs. Our attorneys have tried, arbitrated, mediated, and handled appeals of virtually every type of commercial dispute, including contracts, business torts, securities, shareholder disputes, antitrust, intellectual property, and trade secret litigation.
Director and Shareholder Litigation
Christian & Small regularly defends corporate leadership decisions in derivative and direct lawsuits, government regulatory actions, and assists companies conducting internal investigations. Additionally, they are adept at managing disputes related to mergers and acquisitions, corporate ownership or transfer, executive compensation, antitrust, securities issues, business interference, trade practices, bankruptcy, whistleblower actions, corporate espionage, internal fraud, regulatory investigations, shareholder oppression, and squeeze-out claims.
Class Actions
Director & Officer (D&O) litigation often involves class action allegations and/or alleged violations of federal and state unfair trade practice laws, including alleged violations of both federal and state securities laws. Our attorneys have substantial experience in handling such matters and are adept at defending cases ranging from complex, multi-state actions to close corporate internal disputes. The firm serves as a trusted advisor to corporate management teams and boards of directors seeking to guard against corporate impropriety and ensure compliance with state and federal laws. Our attorneys help management teams govern in accordance with the highest standards of corporate responsibility.
