What Should You Do if You Get Sued? When you own a business, getting sued is not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. The more successful you are, the greater the chances that someone will file a lawsuit against you or your company. That’s why you need to know what to do before you hear that...

Know the Legal Issues Related to These Three Employment-Related Documents Whether you’re getting ready to hire your first employee or you’ve had hundreds of people on your payroll for years, it’s essential that your employment documents work for you rather than against you. That means they need to be clearly written, comprehensive, and compliant with all applicable laws and regulations. There...

Maitland, Florida, November 13, 2017－BrewerLong is pleased to announce that Kristi L. Benson has joined the firm as an associate attorney in its Maitland office. The addition of another business attorney highlights the firm’s strategic focus on helping business owners and executives who are starting, running, growing and selling their companies. “We are excited to welcome Kristi to our...

These 10 points will help you build a Board that can take your company to the next level. Representative Democracy.  The primary purpose of the Board of Directors is to represent the shareholders, to protect their investments, and to ensure that they receive an adequate return.  Directors are elected by the shareholders to serve terms of one or more...

What you need to know before including stock options in your employee incentive program. A Range of Options. Stock options are just one form of employee incentive, all of which are intended to encourage key employees to make the company successful.  In evaluating the alternatives, there are two important questions:  What will incentivize the employees?  How much ownership should...

Before you sell stock in your company, understand these 10 issues: The Other SEC.  Whatever you call it—stock, units, interests—outside investment in a business is a security.  The sale of any security is regulated by Federal and state law.  This doesn’t mean that you have to “go public” through an IPO just to sell your stock, but it does...

Buy-Sell Agreements go by different names (Shareholders Agreement, Operating Agreement, Partnership Agreement, for example), but they all have a common goal: provide a clear roadmap for the company and owners to deal with changes in ownership, with minimal impact on the operation and value of the business. Bad Buy-Sell Agreements—those that do not minimize the impact of a change...

Selling a business can be lucrative but it’s complicated. Consider these points and contact a business lawyer for help today. 1. What are You Selling? Early in the negotiations, buyer and seller must agree on what is being bought and sold—company stock (or other equity interests) or business assets. Ordinarily, the seller would prefer to sell the company stock,...

Ready to hire? Keep these ten points in mind before you begin the Florida background check process: 1. Brushes with the Law An employer who obtains a satisfactory criminal history check on a job applicant is presumed to not have liability if the person later commits an intentional tort (a civil wrong that causes someone else to suffer loss...

A personal guaranty is a legal promise that, if a business is unable to repay debt, an individual will assume responsibility. Credit issuers use personal guaranties to ensure repayment of the loans they issue to businesses. Some creditors will not even consider giving out a business loan without a personal guaranty. For many small businesses, the creditor is the...