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Corporate and Business Law
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Our attorneys have counseled businesses in Fort Wayne and throughout Northern Indiana in business transactions and business law issues, including assisting in negotiation, mediation, and trials.
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Proper entity selection and formation is an essential first step. Choosing the proper business structure is imperative to smooth operations and a thriving enterprise. We have experience in setting up:
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Corporations
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"S" corporations
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Partnerships
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Limited partnerships
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Limited liability companies
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We often recommend that a business be incorporated as a limited liability company, as that corporate structure provides for flexible governance and, with the appropriate operating agreement, can be tailored to a variety of business situations, including for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
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We acknowledge that lawyers are invariably more expensive than websites and other vendors offering cookie-cutter, speedy incorporation. However, lawyers can often foresee issues and other problems that could potentially cripple a new enterprise, or lead to its demise. For example, it may be necessary to have an employment agreement or non-competition agreement with a key employee or company founder. We have the skills to prepare these documents quickly and efficiently.
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For limited liability companies, we strongly recommend that entrepreneurs consult with an attorney to draft an appropriate operating agreement. A well-drafted operating agreement sets the basic rules by which the business will exist. It will identify the manager, the manager’s duties and responsibilities, the manner and means by which the business will be capitalized, how distributions are made, how the business can be wound up, and how disputes are resolved. The failure to draft an operating agreement can be disastrous, as that will require a court to hear evidence to determine the parties’ intent. Many individuals succeed in forming an entity on the internet, only to learn later that the operating agreement is flawed. This, unfortunately, seems to be the rule, and not the exception, with internet-based self-incorporation.
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Our attorneys also assist Fort Wayne and Northern Indiana area businesses with a broad range of transactional matters:
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Contract matters, including carefully drafting and reviewing all types of business contracts and employment agreements
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Shareholder and LLC member issues, including drafting and negotiating shareholder agreements and operating agreements for limited liability companies
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Sale of business transactions
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Real estate transactions
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Employment contracts
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Non-competition agreements
We also represent clients in business litigation cases, effectively and efficiently resolving disputes that can hamper business operations and profitability.
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ATTORNEYS
⇢ Daniel L. Lauer
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