Too often, business partner breakups are messy because the owners did not take the time to form proper agreements when the business relationship began. This doesn’t just apply to partners. Are you thinking of bringing on a sales associate with income that’s part salary and part commission? Is a strategic alliance in your future? Do …
If you own residential or commercial rental property, at some point in time, you’ve probably wondered whether it makes sense to incorporate. For most small business owners, this involves a corporation or a limited liability company. Establishing a formal entity can help shield your other assets from lawsuit awards. The question is, does it make …
Landlords – Mitigate Your Risks and Liabilities! Read More »
Clients assume when they engage an attorney that the contracts they’re being presented have been carefully read by legal counsel. Sadly, that’s not always the case. There are a lot of reasons for this. Some attorneys (or their legal assistants) include boiler plate language that is designed to help save time. Often, law firms are …
I’ve written before about “smart contracts” — self-executing contracts that leverage the Blockchain and allegedly provide a more secure, cost-effective way to enter into contracts. Although the value of cryptocurrencies have decreased substantially as of late, startups and educational institutions continue to evaluate the use of Blockchain technology for smart contracts, and 2019 could be …
Over the past six months or so I’ve written about privacy regulations that affect many of my clients. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) took effect in May 2018, and while it looked like regulators were slow to enforce the new regulations, recently, enforcement has taken off, and a number of companies – primarily outside …
I’ve been asked about this often from clients in certain industries, particularly in the furniture industry: How can we stop competitors from copying our product design? Trade dress refers to protection for the totality of elements of a product – including size, shape, color or color combination, texture, graphics, etc. Trade dress is protectible if …
Protecting Your Product Design Through Trade Dress and Design Patents Read More »
Regardless of what type of business you run, chances are you are entering into contracts all the time. Having a few model agreements for your company can save you a lot of time and resources in the long run. For instance, having a solid non-disclosure agreement that you can trust will give you the freedom …
Get Some Template Agreements That Fit Your Business! Read More »
There is always going to be some risk. Few agreements are ironclad, but it is helpful to conduct an assessment and build an internal portfolio of model agreements, such as non-disclosure agreements, master service and sales agreements, master purchase agreements (or PO’s), website terms and conditions and privacy policies, and, when appropriate, licensing agreements. I …
For many business owners, the main goal of a business is to make money for its investors or principals. Everyone wants to increase their margins – for good reason – but many are starting to ask if a successful business can do more than that. Perhaps the true aim of a business is to generate …
What “Benefits” to Society Does Your Business Provide? Read More »
Corporate policies and procedures should be updated to reflect company culture and management goals, but also to comply with changes in rules and regulations. If you run a larger business, you likely have an employee handbook. Smaller companies may not have verbose handbooks, but should still have clear policies that are communicated to all employees. …
Is it time to do a check up on your key corporate policies? Read More »
