Practice Areas

Business leaders look to BTA Legal. Clients looking for sound advice and guidance include emerging, public, and private companies, all of which expect the highest level of service and expertise from their legal advisor. Our business practice provides formation, transaction, and counseling services for businesses ranging in size from start-ups to large public companies. Experience gained from representing businesses of various types and sizes enables us to provide cost-effective advice that supports our clients’ strategic and economic objectives.

Business services

• Entity formation: working with businesses to choose the most appropriate legal structure, such as a partnership, corporation or limited liability company.
• Governance: advising businesses on governance, especially as it relates to protecting shareholders’ personal assets.
• Business (re-)structuring: helping structure joint ventures, strategic alliances and other partnering arrangements.
• Contractual issues: preparing and reviewing shareholder agreements, executive compensation arrangements, licenses, distribution and supply agreements, business purchase or sale agreements, and other kinds of business contracts.

Our clients range from small business to private and public companies traded on U.S. and foreign stock exchanges. We regularly monitor legislative developments and advise clients with respect to the potential impact of pending bills on their personal wealth and business operations.

Because the compliance work stays in-house, there is no handoff to an outside preparer, no second set of fees, and no year-end scramble to explain your structure to someone new.

Tax services

• Structuring tax-free reorganizations, taxable asset and stock purchases, and tax planning.
• Planning and implementation of tax and corporate aspects of establishing new business operations, including choice of entity issues.
• Property acquisitions and disposals, property investment vehicles, and U.S. and foreign property holding structures.
• Structuring of S corporations, including operating aspects, conversions from C status, Qualified Subchapter S subsidiaries, stockholders agreements and distribution aspects.
• Structuring of domestic and foreign partnerships, joint ventures and “check-the-box” entities.
• Tax accounting matters, including capitalization and amortization of intangibles, and cost segregation issues.
• Federal and state tax aspects of real estate issues, such as 1031 like-kind exchanges, “built-to-suit” exchanges, development joint ventures, involuntary conversions and capital gains arising out of investments in real estate.
• Transfer pricing issues and “contemporaneous documentation” requirements.
• Obtaining U.S. certifications and other documentation so U.S. and non-U.S. clients can use reduced withholding rates under income tax treaties.

The goal is to help our clients build and protect their assets. Clients look to us for guidance in structuring their business and personal affairs. That may result in plans for leaving assets in trust for family members and other persons of significance, including business partners — or, in business, the formation of corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies, or offshore vehicles.

Structuring businesses in a limited liability form is a prominent aspect of asset protection. We apply our knowledge of state and federal law and our expertise in business structures to develop strategies that promote growth in a way that protects interests and complies with the regulations governing business conduct.

Estate planning

A logical complement to asset protection is a well structured estate plan. Estate planning allows clients to determine the post-mortem distribution of assets, protect families from financial uncertainty, provide for charities, and minimize the tax impact on a given estate. It may also account for the inexperience of spouses, children and other beneficiaries inheriting substantial assets — a well drafted plan can protect beneficiaries from financial mistakes by interposing the guidance of fiduciaries such as trustees.

Gifting to charities →

We advise clients on related issues that arise in real estate transactions, business formation and restructuring, tax, asset protection, and a number of real estate focused litigation matters. We also help clients with the lease and sublease of commercial and residential space.

Acquisitions and dispositions

• Creation of partnerships, limited liability companies and other business entities.
• Negotiation of joint venture agreements and purchase/sale agreements.
• Tax-efficient structuring in connection with the acquisition and disposition of real property.

Construction and development

• Preparation and negotiation of design, construction, and development agreements.
• Preparation and negotiation of restrictive covenants and ground leases.

Leasing and subleasing

• Sale-leaseback transactions.
• Retail and office leases of all kinds, as part of our representation of developers, owners and investors.

Litigation

• Real estate related litigation such as unlawful detainers (evictions), foreclosures, and quiet title actions.

We can stop the creditor harassment and get you on your way to a fresh start.

• Chapter 7 bankruptcy
• Chapter 11 bankruptcy
• Chapter 13 bankruptcy

You can contact us seven days a week, and evening and weekend appointments are available. Our dedicated bankruptcy site, stopmybillsnow.com, has further information.