/ Business Litigation

Business law and litigation is the area of law that provides assistance in the preparation and presentation of a lawsuit or other resort to determine a legal question or matter in business situations. Business can be any activity or enterprise entered into for profit, usually a company, a corporation, partnership, or any such formal organization.  The Law Offices of Smith/Coonrod offers services in a wide range of business matters. 

The Law Offices of Smith/Coonrod represent businesses in such areas as: business torts, contracts, dispute resolution, professional relations, real estate disputes, franchise matters, professional malpractice, and shareholder and corporate governance with an emphasis on achieving early resolution when possible.  We can explore alternative resolutions when favorable to the client but are willing to aggressively try lawsuits as well. We represent clients in matters relating to, but not limited to, organizational, operational and contractual issues for corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies, commercial transactions, mergers, real estate acquisitions, leasing and development, commercial financing and estate planning.

Services Available:

Contracts, drafting, review and negotiation

Licensing agreements, service agreements, development agreements, non-disclosure agreements

Draft, review or negotiate non-compete agreements

Manage or handle litigation, mediation, negotiation

• Selection of lawyers and law firms.
• Negotiation and implementation of client-friendly billing agreements.
• Creation of legal budgets and plans.
• Case risk and expense analysis.
• Settlement strategy and negotiation.
• Monitoring of work product and performance.
• Bill review and auditing.
• Bill dispute negotiation and resolution.

Franchisee assistance

• Franchisee representation in negotiations, settlements and litigation in regard to the total life-cycle of the franchise / franchisor relationship – from inception to exit;
• Routine franchise matters requiring skilled legal representation, including landlord-tenant, construction, information technology, marketing, etc., and
• Creation, organization, management and representation of independent franchisee associations

Advising on responsibilities of board of directors

Advising on employment issues

Liens and collections issues

Formation and dissolution

“In House” and Business Consulting-

Some business executives, particularly those leading small or emerging companies, would like an in-house lawyer on the management team to serve as a sounding board. They want someone who is familiar with the company, its personnel, and culture. They don’t want to worry about the bill every time they ask their lawyer a simple question. They want to spend less time managing legal issues and spend more time growing the business. They have plenty of legal needs, but not enough to justify adding headcount and hiring a full-time attorney.

Hiring The Law Offices of Smith/Coonrod permits budgeting for a monthly retainer for the part-time general counsel and will be less than is typically spent on outside counsel.

The in-house counsel for the smaller company may also provide general business counseling, useful insights for strategic planning and corporate governance, and a network of contacts for related services in human resources, real estate, etc.

Benefits of “In-House” retainer programs:

Affordability

Small projects receive prompt attention

Ability to explain complex legal problems in simple terms

Long-term relationship that will ease your company's growth to the next level, and beyond.

Available as needed, on retainer, or on site fore several hours at a time on a regular basis.