Starting a new business can be a daunting challenge for even the most enthusiastic entrepreneur. With the right tools for administrative and regulatory needs, you can prepare your business for success while you focus on the creativity and passion that lead you into your venture. Consult an experienced Texas business attorney to access all the tools your business will need for success. You can use risk management, regulatory compliance, tax strategy, and other tools to save your business significant time and expense in the future.
Houston business attorney Andrew Weisblatt has provided effective legal guidance for Texas businesses for decades and is ready to serve you. Contact Weisblatt Law Firm at (713) 666-1981 for a consultation about your vision and goals for the future.
Required Business Filings
To form a legal business entity in Texas, entrepreneurs must file incorporation documents with the Secretary of State’s office. The documents you need to file will depend on the type of business entity you’re forming. An experienced business formation attorney can help you determine which type of business entity is best for your business.
After a business entity is formed, it can be subject to ongoing filing requirements, such as board meetings or shareholder meetings (the minutes of which the Secretary of State might require you to file in order to maintain the company’s corporate status). A business law attorney will also ensure that your business is in compliance with all ongoing filing requirements.
Risk Management
New businesses face many financial risks in the marketplace. Some of these—such as weather conditions and other force majeure—you cannot remove. Others, however, you can mitigate with appropriate risk management strategies. For example, Texas requires that most employers purchase worker’s compensation coverage. By implementing safety and logistical planning, you can reduce your risk of worker’s compensation claims, and your business may pay lower premiums. Meanwhile, the employer saves the expense of employees missing work—or decreased productivity—due to injuries.
Houston-area businesses choose and recommend Weisblatt Law Firm for quality, tailored legal work and representation.
Tax Strategies
Effective tax strategies can also reduce the operating expenses of a new business. You can reduce the overall tax liability of your business by finding all available deductions and choosing the best multiple deductions that apply to a given asset. Long-term tax planning is also important to the success of a new business. Many businesses access unique deductions during the first year or two of operation (such as those applicable to first-time business owners or initial business expenses). Be prepared, however, for your company’s tax liability to increase once these deductions are no longer available. Strategic planning can also include changes in equipment, location, or operations that allow the business to access different deductions. With a clear idea of your goals, a business tax professional can work with you to craft the tax strategies that are right for your business.
Leases
Businesses require leased space for various purposes, including for offices, manufacturing, storage, and retail. Startups entering into new lease agreements need protection and guidance to avoid bad lease contracts. An unfavorable lease can cripple a startup and drain profits for years.
An experienced business lawyer will spot any unreasonable or potentially troublesome issues in your lease agreements and move to strike them from the contract or modify them. They will also ensure that the contract is compliant with state and federal commercial and contract law. If you are already in a problematic lease, an attorney can help you find the least costly or damaging solutions.
Contracts
Business contracts regulate your various business relationships. They need to be clear, and they must take your business interests into account. All too often, startups enter into binding contracts without the advice of counsel. Frequently, these contracts contain terms more favorable to other parties.
Without a lawyer, many in startup leadership are simply unaware of these contract imbalances and end up having to honor unfavorable deals. With the guidance and representation of a business attorney, your business will benefit from specific and strategic planning and meticulous review of all contract provisions.
Dispute Resolution
Business disputes can occur at any time in a business’s life, even at startup. When one arises, the business needs effective protection and a clear way to promptly resolve the issue. Common types of disputes startups find themselves involved in include:
- Intellectual property disputes
- Employee issues
- Contract disputes
- Disputes between partners and owners
- Regulatory issues.
A business dispute attorney will attack the problem head-on and diligently work toward an optimal resolution. In many situations, an attorney will anticipate disputes and make arrangements to minimize their effect or avoid them altogether.
Labor and Employment
If you plan on having employees, your business will need detailed labor and employment guidance and counsel. Employees represent one of the biggest liability risks for business owners and operators. Although vital to companies, employees lead to the loss of significant business revenue, productivity, and reputation.
Protecting your business from employee liability should begin long before hiring workers. Before the first job announcements go out, your company should have an effective, comprehensive legal backdrop controlling all aspects of labor and employment in your business.
Some of the many legal employment and labor issues that your startup should be prepared to deal with include:
- Discrimination
- Sexual harassment
- Hiring methods
- Pay disputes, such as overtime and break issues.
A business attorney will make sure that all of your labor and employment bases are covered. This may include developing and implementing a sexual harassment and discrimination policy and other measures.
Permits and Licensing
Startups must comply with all required business permits and licensing laws. Nothing can ruin a startup’s momentum like permit and licensing issues. Fortunately, these can be avoided, but many business owners and operators find themselves in trouble in this area. The result of these problems is often business closure or a delay in operations and a loss of revenue.
A business attorney will make certain that all relevant licensing and permitting issues are either avoided completely or dealt with swiftly and effectively.
Effective Representation for All Your Startup Needs
The Weisblatt Law Firm offers a wide array of advising services that will help build a successful business from the ground up. Attorney Andrew Weisblatt has more than 25 years of experience advising business owners about tax strategy, cost containment, business operations, regulatory compliance issues, and other important legal matters.
Call (713) 666-1981 or contact us online to schedule your free phone consultation today. Learn how Houston business attorney Andrew Weisblatt can help your business start out on the right foot.
Attorney Andrew Weisblatt
Mr. Weisblatt has practiced continuously since becoming licensed in 1992 and has represented businesses ranging in size from one person start-up ventures to multi-national corporations employing hundreds of people in multiple countries. From 2005 through 2009 Mr. Weisblatt was in-house counsel and chief operating officer of a multi-national corporation in the steel products industry. That in-house position provided valuable insight into how businesses work and what they actually need from their lawyers – both in-house and outside counsel. Attorney Bio
