Small Business Law

Weiss & Associates, P.C. takes great pleasure in working with both individuals considering pursuing their dream - - starting their very own business, as well as young businesses facing challenges on the road to growth, stability and profitability.

Start Ups
A first issue for all individuals starting a new business is choice of entity - - the opportunity to consider governance issues and preferences, sources of financing and investors, management and tax matters. Considering these issues in a thoughtful, deliberate fashion can help to maximize your objectives while minimizing taxes and unnecessary costs at both the entity level and for the owners personally. While we use paralegals to assist us, we believe the initial meeting to discuss your objectives and review your options cannot be delegated; you will always meet with an experienced business attorney of Weiss & Associates, P.C. to discuss, review and plan for establishing your business entity. Anything short of good planning could jeopardize your business objectives.

Beyond Choice of Entity
Choice of entity is only the starting point for your new business. There may be leases to negotiate, both for premises and equipment, bank or other financing matters to resolve, a franchise agreement to pore through and dissect, employment and confidentiality agreements to consider, and more. The list of the myriad of issues which a new or existing business may, and likely will face, is long and varied. The attorneys at Weiss & Associates, P.C. bring a wide variety of background to counseling small business clients, allowing us to guide you through the maze of laws, regulations and issues in an economical manner. Our goals have never been, and will never be, a “one shot” representation. Our goal is to represent our business clients for the long term.

Established Companies
Once a new business is established, Weiss & Associates, P.C. continues to provide ongoing advice for the wide variety of legal issues which may be confronted by a growing business. Employment contracts and restrictive covenants, financing, corporate governance and shareholder agreements, including Buy-Sell Agreements which allow a company to remain “close” while providing liquidity to the owners, general contracts, acquisitions, mergers and divestitures, are just some of the issues a small business may need to address. Read more about our business services under Corporate Law.

This is a sampling of the small business law services Weiss & Associates, P.C. provides to small- and medium-sized businesses:

Related articles:

E-Verify: The Electronic Border Patrol for Employee Eligibility
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Taxes Beyond Choice of Entity; Minimizing Employment Taxes
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Am I Buying More Than a Business?
Successor Liability Issues that May Remain After the Closing
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Meeting Minutes and Written Consents:
Sound Reasons for Complying With a Simple, Yet Necessary, Task
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Reasonable and Necessary Compensation: Undocumented Work Disqualifies Benefit Reimbursements
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2009 Employment Law Updates
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Non-Matching Social Security Numbers: An Employer's Guide in Resolving
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Consequences of Doing Business in Other States Without Qualifying
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Piercing the "Veil" of a Company's "Limited Liability" or
Looking Through the Entity to Hold Owners Liable for a Company's Debts
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Safeguarding a Business' Intellectual Property: Patents and Trade Secrets
for Small Businesses
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Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Act of 2005
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Employee's Duty of Loyalty
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New 2005 Missouri Legislation
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Restrictive Covenants in Employment Agreements
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Disposal of 'Consumer Information' Regulations or “Getting a Leg Up on Identity Theft"
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Buy-Sell Agreements Can Provide Protection for You and Your Family
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American Jobs Creation Act of 2004  
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Business Insurance Coverages: Protecting Both Your and Your Company's Wealth  
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Missouri's Trade Secret Act
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