What Does a Small Business Attorney do?

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You may use a small business attorney in Charlotte for a specific reason, but you may not know all the other things a small business attorney can offer. Having some insight into the life of a small business attorney in Charlotte can help you utilize them more often. The nice thing about a small business attorney is that they practice in many areas of the law. They can help you in issues relating to employment law all the way to intellectual property law. Even though small business attorneys can cost you money, it is usually money well spent. A little bit of money up front can save you a lot of money on the back end.

A small business attorney in Charlotte, especially Ask Legal, can help you develop a new business and can sustain you through the years. Building a relationship early on with an attorney can be helpful for years to come. You will be able to seek their counsel whenever you are in need or have questions. Here, we will discuss what a small business attorney does and how they can help you create and maintain your business.

Creating and Building Your Business

 

To begin, many startups have great ideas to begin their business, but may not have the knowledge to create a business on a solid legal foundation. For example, many businesses create a business name or a logo without thinking of first consulting a small business attorney to get a trademark. This can be essential to a new business. Sometimes these names are created without legal knowledge and goodwill among consumers is created because consumers begin to know and like the brand. Eventually, these new businesses may try to obtain an attorney to get a trademark, however, they may not be able to because the name they are using is already trademarked. This can cause major problems for a business. You may lose your business name, which could cause major problems for the goodwill that you have among consumers.

This issue could have been reversed by using a small business attorney early in the process. A small business attorney in Charlotte can help new business find strong trademarked names in the beginning stages of the business. Using their knowledge will prevent future troubles and headache. That is just one small example how a small business attorney can assist you in creating your business. An article titled “When do I need a business attorney for my small business?” lays out some things when a small business should hire an attorney. They are:

  • An environmental issue has surfaced and your business is involved.
  • Acquiring another company or selling your company.
  • Making special allocations of profits.
  • Creating and protecting a trademark or trade secret.
  • Government agencies investigating your business.
  • Any issues that may arise concerning a dispute with a former employee.

These are just a few examples of what a small business attorney in Charlotte can do for you. Another specific example where a small business attorney can help is in the formation of your company. Many times a small business is not sure whether they want to be a corporation, partnership, or an LLC. Utilizing the abilities of an attorney can help you to understand the differences between the different business formations and which would be best for your business model.

Another thing to touch on would be early contract formation for a small business. Typically, small businesses are always creating contracts. These contracts are with employees, licensing agreements, clients, and customers. Contracts at the beginning need to be done correctly. These contracts can propel your business into success. A small business attorney in Charlotte can help you form these contracts so that they will benefit you. Writing a contract is important and the way it is written can be even more important. Having an experienced attorney writing your contracts will be important. They will know when to keep risk and when it is important to shift the risk.

Prevention

 

A small business attorney in Charlotte cannot only help you with creating and building your business, but they can help prevent future problems for your business. Taking a few moments at the beginning of your business to hire an attorney and help you with your business foundation, can save you a lot of money down the road. There can be a lot of small legal details overlooked or that get swallowed up in the numerous things that have to be done while creating a startup.

Sitting down with an attorney can help you with any intellectual property, such as trademarks, employment agreements, setting up the way your business will be organized. Hiring an attorney can really just be part of your business plan and treated as an expense that is necessary. If you do not take the time or spend the money to get an attorney, there may be possible issues down the road that could be prevented. Even though it may be difficult to spend some money early in the startup process, because you may not have any money, it may be necessary.

If precautions are not taken, you could potentially lose your business. Lawsuits can be extremely expensive. Litigation is getting more and more expensive as time goes on. So, not taking the proper steps in setting up your business could cause a lot of headache and maybe even heartache. The best time to use the abilities of an attorney is when you have less to lose. Usually, litigation will arise once you have been set up for a while that is why any change at this point could be detrimental to your business.

Conclusion

 

A Charlotte small business attorney can be an essential part of your startup surviving. Creating the correct legal arrangements and contracts in the beginning can save you time and a lot of money. With the experience that a small business attorney brings to the table, they will be able to steer you in a direction that could avoid future issues with litigation. Prevention is the key during the formation of a business and taking the proper legal steps can save your business. It is important to note that if you have any worries or questions about your business you should seek the assistance of an experienced attorney. Small business attorneys help and assist many businesses in their early stages and with litigation. If you are faced with a lawsuit, you should have an attorney help you defend yourselves and protect your business.

Small business attorneys can cover a wide area of law. Whatever your business needs it is likely that a business attorney can help you. From litigation to transactional work, a small business attorney can help you create and maintain your business.