Corporate Law
Managing a business of any size is no small feat. Whether you are a sole proprietor or a company with 500 employees, you deal with similar issues of law and compliance. We can help.
You may be growing – forming new entities, seeking new capital, participating in a merger, or getting bought out in an exit event. You likely have to negotiate and execute complex contracts on a regular basis. If a customer or contractor breaches its agreement, you must deal with dispute resolution or even litigation. Meanwhile, you have to keep up with regulatory requirements, compliance rules, and tax and accounting issues and defend your intellectual property rights when necessary. Our corporate team can handle all of this for you so you can focus on running your business.
Handling contracts and/or legal documents is just one benefit of working with a business lawyer. A good corporate attorney with seasoned skills and expertise can also smooth out the process, remove obstacles, and help guide your business to greater success by advising you on the best path forward. For example, if you are forming a business, your lawyer can assist you in determining what structure the new entity should take, how to address ownership and management issues in your formation documents, set up contract terms to minimize the chance of disputes and maximize your chance to thrive. And if your new entity does run into a dispute, your lawyer can help resolve it.
Serving Clients Everywhere
At Kotlar, Hernandez & Cohen, our legal team has advised hundreds of businesses and corporations to greater success in the since 1995. When you work with us, we are your legal team partners, in your corner looking out for your best business interests at all times.
Find out more about how we can help your business by clicking the link below.
Corporate Law FAQ's
To form a company, you’ll need to file the proper documents with the state agency where your company will be located. In New Jersey, for example, this would be a Certificate of Formation, and you would file it with the New Jersey Department of the Treasury. In Delaware, however, you must file a Certificate of Incorporation with the Division of Corporations. Each state has their own system with their own definitions and verbiage.
You must also appoint a registered agent and office for your company, prepare the corporate bylaws, member operating agreement, shareholder’s agreement or partnership agreement, appoint officers and, where appropriate directors and managers, hold company/board meetings if appropriate, issue ownership interests, file annual reports with the state and comply with federal, state and in some instances local taxing agencies. Although the internet is full of company formation templates and service agencies, these don’t address your company’s unique realities and needs. Only a corporate lawyer can help create a solid foundation for your business for years to come.
Joint venture agreements can be an advantageous and exciting way for companies to join forces on specific business activities. Unlike a merger or acquisition, both business partners remain independent as separate businesses. A joint venture agreement simply allows multiple businesses to agree to work together on common business projects and goals.
A joint venture can increase your market reach and power or open up your business to new markets with resources you may not have had access to before. And while joint ventures can be wildly successful, you must plan ahead strategically to maximize your efforts.
You may choose to create your joint venture through a new corporate entity or a contractual relationship. You’ll need to establish the key individuals involved in the business deal, how profits and losses will be divided, how the joint venture will be formed and governed, each party’s contributions and liabilities, how taxes will be handled, and exit strategies for partners. We provide our clients with creative solutions custom-made for their unique joint partnership ventures.
Financing can make or break your business venture. Many startups rely on private funding to build capital and grow. Our corporate team helps our business clients lay down strong financial foundations to maximize their chances of success.
This includes documenting and negotiating subscription lines of credit as well as structuring private placement investment transactions, which could include equity, debt, or hybrid instruments. Our legal team can help you structure your capital investment transactions.
Mergers and acquisitions are usually major events in the life of a company. Even though change can be positive and exciting, it can also be disruptive and challenging for management and employees alike. Business owners who’ve built their ventures from the ground up must often deal with the personal and emotional side of these deals, too.
While there are many ways to go about effecting a buyout or merger, some are definitively better than others. A skilled corporate attorney can help you determine whether you should proceed with the proposed transaction and guide you through the myriad of legal, economic and regulatory issues that arise in these types of projects while prioritizing your goals and protecting your interests.
The best way to deal with business disputes is to avoid them at the outet – usually with the help of a lawyer who has an eye for best practices and risk management. But, if you find yourself in a business dispute – with a business partner, employee, customer, or contractor – you can resolve your issues through negotiation, mediation or in court through litigation.
Each approach has pros and cons that you should discuss with your lawyer. The best approach for you depends on the unique facts of your case, which is why one solution might be right for one business but not another. Our corporate law team have the experience and expertise to come up with creative legal solutions to even the most tangled problems and can work hand-in-hand with our litigation team whenever needed.
Your company’s intellectual property could become its most valuable asset. Brand recognition is hard to come by and customer trust is even harder to earn. You want to protect your brand from being copied or hijacked by others, whether they do so intentionally or not.
You can make sure your products stay unique with a trademark, copyright, or patent registration. Our corporate team can help you file the applications you need for airtight protection and work with certified IP counsel.
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