Small Business Law Firm SM
of Payne & Associates, LLC
smart business matters.SM
We offer a full range of services to assist you. Our areas of practice include:
Business Start-ups – advising business start-ups on relevant legal issues, options, and requirements; preparing organizational, licensing, and tax documents and filings required for sole proprietorships, general and limited partnerships, corporations, and limited liability companies.
Corporate Law – corporate structuring, taxation, finance, governance, and dissolutions.
Limited Liability Company Law – structuring, taxation, finance, governance, and dissolutions.
Business Litigation – representing businesses in contract, trade secret, unfair trade practice, partnership, corporation, and limited liability company disputes.
Acquisitions, Mergers & Conversions – structuring agreements for the purchase of stock, membership rights, or assets. Structuring business mergers and conversions form one entity form to another.
Contract Drafting & Negotiating – drafting, reviewing, and negotiating sales and service contracts, employment contracts, covenants-not-to-compete, nondisclosure agreements, franchise agreements, asset purchase agreements, and others.
Franchise Law – drafting, negotiating and reviewing franchise agreements and uniform franchise offering circulars.
Manufacturing, Distribution, Sale & Sourcing of Goods – advising businesses on legal issues in the manufacturing, distribution, sale, and sourcing of goods, both domestically and internationally.
Lease Agreements – drafting, negotiating, and reviewing commercial real estate and personal property lease agreements.
Employer Law – advising employers on employee hiring, management, termination, wage payment, and work for hire issues.
Covenants-not-to-compete – reviewing and drafting covenants-not-to-compete and covenants-not-to-solicit customers or employees.
Trade Secret Law – advising businesses on confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements, as well as trade secret law, and the establishment of trade secret protection programs and policies.
Trademark Law – consulting with businesses on common law, state, and federal trademark and service mark infringement issues, as well as state and federal registration.
Copyright – consulting with businesses on copyright issues, as well as filing federal copyright registration.
Restaurant Law – advising businesses on food establishment, beer, wine, and alcohol permit and zoning requirements, intellectual property, and employment law as applied to the food and beverage industry.
Wills & Estate Planning – creating wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and other estate planning documentation.
Health Insurance Group Cooperative - advising businesses on the formation and structure of health insurace group cooperatives for small businesses and compliance with state and federal laws.
Advertisement Law – guiding businesses on state and federal prohibitions against deceptive and unfair advertising.
Warranty & Guarantee Law – consulting with businesses on state and federal requirements with regard to product warranties and money-back guarantees and drafting full and limited warranties and money-back guarantees.
Internet & Domain Name Law – guiding businesses and web developers on web site development legal issues, service provider liability, trademarks and copyright on the Internet, domain name disputes, and web page linking and legal liability.
Mechanics Liens – filing, and defending against, mechanics liens.
Nonprofit Law – structuring and forming non-profit corporations.
International Business Transactions – drafting international business contracts for the sale or purchase of goods and services.
Unfair Trade Practices – guiding businesses on issues regarding unfair trade practices and unfair competition.
Partnerships and Joint Ventures – structuring partnerships and joint ventures between limited liability entities to mutually leverage marketing, production, and research and development resources.
Music and Entertainment Law - guiding musicians, managers, publishers, and entertainers through the complexity of recording, management and publishing contacts, as well as mechanical rights and intellectual property issues.
RESPA Violations - consulting parties on federally related loan settlement services requirements and guidelines under the federal Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act ("RESPA") as enforced by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ("HUD").