BUSINESS PLANNING/CORPORATE LAW 

Business Formation, Corporate Governance, Trademarks/Copyrights, Transactions and Dispute Resolution 

The Law Offices of Vanessa M. Terzian provide comprehensive counsel for small to medium sized businesses and their owners.  We handle all legal matters that arise during day-to-day operations, from small business formation and corporate governance to the negotiation and preparation of contracts and agreements.  Through first-hand knowledge of running a small business, we work closely with clients to identify key components to business success, as well as any obstacles.  Serving Southern California, we are a full service law firm for small to medium sized businesses, providing legal services including the following:

Business Formation:  Our firm helps aspiring business owners turn ideas into viable business opportunities.  If you have realized a longtime dream of opening your own business, you need the sophisticated level of representation our firm can provide.  Establishing the right entity is vital in small business formation.  We work with you and identify what works best under your specific circumstances, getting you up and running on the path to business growth and success.

We help clients set up the following types of business entities:

  • Corporations
  • LLCs
  • LLPs
  • Partnerships
  • Sole proprietorships
  • S corporations
  • Family Limited Partnerships
  • Non-Profits

Ongoing Consulting:  Setting up a business is more than just selecting an entity and opening your doors.  We consult with clients on how they can minimize taxes and other liability risks. Those business consulting services do not have to stop once the corporation or LLC is formally established.  For many clients throughout Southern California we have served as their outside counsel.

That role has involved drafting and maintaining corporate governance documents such as corporate minutes, articles of business incorporation or organization, generating agreements and bylaws, securing EINs, and filing S corporation elections where applicable.  We can also handle legal matters related to your business as they arise.

Business Transactions and Agreements:  We represent clients with respect to a variety of business transactions, including the following:

  • Purchase and sale agreements
  • Leases
  • Employment contracts
  • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Buy-Sell agreements
  • Independent contractor agreements
  • Executive compensation agreements
  • Non-compete agreements
  • Leases (both landlords and tenants) and other real estate contracts
  • Physician’s Employment Agreements

We draft, negotiate and analyze a multitude of different business contracts for our clients, in order to minimize risk and maximize your business growth.

Trademark/Copyrights:  We will assist you in obtaining trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property protections that are the cornerstone of your business.  We will also ensure that your competitors are not profiting from use of your intellectual property.

Business Protection:  We will ensure that your business is integrated into your overall asset protection plan, as many of our clients are active business owners whose personal assets are largely dependent on their business.   The structure of your business will have a direct impact on its exposure to liability.  Maybe more importantly, it can even have an effect on your exposure to personal liability.  We provide our clients with business liability protection plans, specifically designed to avoid the financial detriment and emotional  toll associated with litigation.

Business Succession Planning:  Estate planning is not limited to planning for your family and the distribution of your personal assets after your death.  It also involves planning for the continuing operation of your business when you are no longer available to guide it as you did during your lifetime.  If you own a small business, it is important to consult a knowledgeable business succession planning attorney to begin the process.

  • Benefits of Business Succession Planning:  The business succession planning process allows owners of family or closely held businesses to leave their companies to one or more children or to partners.  It can also provide for winding up a business if certain conditions are met.  In short, this niche area of estate planning allows individuals to secure the future of their businesses in the same way that a will can secure the future of a family.
  • Avoiding Disputes:  A major benefit of undertaking business succession planning is that it can help avoid disputes after your death.  By having a clear plan, the business owner can help protect the business from future litigation if ownership disputes arise or contracts are not enforced.  He or she can also reduce liability exposure, provide for the payment of taxes and create contingency plans if the plans cannot be implemented for some reason.

To get started with your Business Planning, contact us today at: 818-864-6174 or Email us at: vanessa@vterzianlaw.com and schedule an initial consultation with The Law Offices of Vanessa M. Terzian.  La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011 – Glendale, CA 91206 – Encino, CA 91406 – Pasadena, CA.