Business Services
Are you sick of your attorney billing you by the hour? Do you hesitate to call or email your attorney because you know you will get a bill in the mail for each call/email? Well, I’m about to share with you how you can break away from the “blank check” approach of hourly billing for your business legal needs and have an ongoing relationship with a trusted adviser who helps you with the legal and practical issues you face in your business. But first, please let me share with you a little bit about our philosophy here at Lichterman Law.
As an small business owner you wear many different hats . . . even if you have a great team working with you. It seems like everything is pulling at your time. You don’t have time to constantly deal with worries about lawsuits, personal liability, contractual protections, and all the other legal issues a business owner faces on a regular basis. I understand the worries and concerns of a small business owner. How? Because I am one. The entrepreneurial spirit is what led me to form my own law practice and what keeps me striving to help other business owners create the business and legal foundation they need to ensure successful growth . . . so they can spend more time with family, on vacation, or maybe even starting their next company! My experience as a high-level executive, an attorney and a small business owner combined with my formal business education, enables me to recognize the legal and the practical needs of a business, its owner(s), and its employees – their emotions, fears, and concerns. Let me worry about it so you don’t have to!
I understand that small, entrepreneurial businesses routinely need objective, trusted legal guidance just as much as larger businesses. You face many issues, including:
- forming your business in the most tax-advantaged way,
- protecting your personal assets from business liabilities,
- leasing or purchasing real estate for offices or facilities,
- hiring and disciplining employees,
- entering agreements with customers and suppliers,
- maintaining insurance,
- collecting accounts receivable,
- intellectual property and trade secrets, and
- merging or selling your business
You also have to individually navigate financial, estate planning, and liability issues, which are no less important for you than for the officers of national and international corporations.
My approach is one of walking (or running) alongside you in navigating the sometimes treacherous roads of business ownership. I truly care about my clients and consider it my mission to help you reach the goals you have for your business by taking a creative approach to complex business issues. I present legal issues in a practical, common sense way so that you can fully understand the business and legal issues of each decision and how it effects you and your business – together we can then craft a solution based on a level of risk acceptable to you. Whether you need help forming your business, running your business, buying or selling your business, or you need counsel regarding transitioning your business to the next generation, I can provide the representation you value and deserve.
And I know that you don’t have an unlimited budget, especially for legal services. That’s why I’ve thrown out the “billable hour.” Yes, you read that right. I work with all business owners on a flat-fee basis, agreed to in advance. I feel that billing by the hour discourages communication and the ongoing working relationship that makes business counsel so valuable. What does that mean for you? No surprises! And it means you can actually budget for legal services rather than “shooting from the hip” and hoping you don’t have to talk to your business lawyer much.
I have also pioneered a business counsel membership program. This allows you to get the legal advice you need and want for a flat monthly fee. We have several business membership levels designed with varying business needs in mind. They range from our Counsel Plan, which includes as needed phone and email access, a comprehensive business needs review, contract review, an “attorney letter,” annual record updates and member-only discounts on additional services, up to our Pinnacle Plan, in which we are effectively your business’s in-house counsel (for a fraction of the cost of having an in-house counsel). I have refined the membership program through several years of experience and conversations with many business owners. As a matter of fact, you can consider it developed by business owners for business owners.
I have an excellent reputation for integrity and honesty within the for-profit and non-profit business communities. I work with your CPA, insurance agent, and financial advisor to deliver a team based solution that meets your needs and provides peace of mind throughout the process. Lichterman Law is uniquely positioned to help small business owners efficiently and systematically identify and solve their business and legal issues so you can focus on growing and serving customers. Our relationship with you typically starts with a comprehensive Small Business Needs Analysis to determine what services you may need to ensure your business has the foundation necessary to successfully grow, including establishing and maintaining a business entity, ensuring that adequate insurance is in place, human resources/employment compliance, succession planning, and intellectual property protections.
We can best benefit small business owners in the following areas:
- Business formation
- Purchase and sale agreements
- Employment matters
- Secured transactions
- Shareholder matters
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Contract negotiation and drafting
- Family business transitions
- Commercial leases
- Equipment leases
- Contract drafting and negotiation
- Business exit strategies
- Business succession planning
