Business Law
If there’s one thing we’ve learned working with businesses, it’s that you hate interruptions that pull you away from running your business. That’s why we partner with our clients to provide proactive and forward-thinking business and legal strategies.
Whether you are forming your business, negotiating contracts, litigating disputes, acquiring other companies, or looking for an exit from yours, partnering with McGrannLAW enables you to approach these moments with the confidence you approach the rest of your business with. Our systems and approach are designed to keep you running smoothly and focused on the work you need to be doing to grow your company.
Indulge us in a story about one of our very favorite clients. Michael came to us having recently purchased a company that sold certain products online. (We just successfully sold that company, a process you can read about in our Mergers & Acquisitions section.) Michael is innovative and entrepreneurial to his core, and he has more ideas than he knows what to do with. With these endlessly proliferating ideas came an endlessly proliferating series of connections and informal, oral agreements.
A tangled mess of obligations and expectations, to put it lightly. Michael was initially disinclined to work with an attorney to wrangle these agreements and build out a new system for future contracts.
We get that: entrepreneurs are famously independent bootstrappers. We’re entrepreneurs too, at it took us a little while to recognize the value in not trying to do everything ourselves!
Pretty soon, however, this tangled web became too much to keep track of and a sort of paralysis set in. Michael brought in McGrannLAW to not only get the contracts under control, but to handle some litigation and threatened litigation that arose from those contracts.
“I came to Owen and his firm looking for mercenary legal services and found a business partner instead.”
These days, we have weekly check-ins with Michael, plan new projects and prioritize healthy, sustainable growth, and work prophylactically through contracts to minimize risk and uncertainty rather than play firefighter once the blaze is already three-alarm. Because McGrannLAW is integrated into Michael’s business and decision-making, we are able to both head off potential litigation and proactively initiate litigation to best protect his company’s interests. Michael has adopted a few rules for himself regarding legal matters:
- All agreements are formalized into contracts that very clearly set forth their terms;
- His best and highest use is making connections, thinking up good ideas, and guiding his teamthrough projects and growth–not drafting contracts; and
- Delegate work to the people best suited for that work.
Michael came to realize that hiring the right people to do the work that wasn’t his calling ultimately saved him a lot of money. Since first working with McGrannLAW, Michael has started a new business and built that into a multi-million dollar per month business, and has done so through careful legal and business planning. “It would be accurate to say that McGrannLAW offers us end-to-end legal advice and services, but that doesn’t do it justice. Owen sits at the table with us, a member of our team.”
Entity Formation:
Choosing the right business entity is a critical decision, one that can affect your tax liability, protect your personal assets, and play a role in both borrowing money and seeking investment. McGrannLAW will devote the time to listen and understand your business goals and counsel you on the best type of corporate structure for you.
Business Contracts:
Counterintuitively, contracts are so pervasive it’s easy to look past them. Just think about how often you accept terms of service agreements without even registering you’ve clicked “I Agree.” It’s important to be intentional with your business contracts, and it is important to have a seasoned attorney review contracts provided to you and – we cannot stress this enough – draft your contracts when possible.
Business Litigation:
Litigation is the last, unavoidable, step when dispute resolution falls short. Owen and George are tried and tested litigators whose guiding principle is simple: resolve the dispute. Too many litigators approach litigation just to inflict pain and draw blood, and in that pursuit, they lose track of the best solutions for their clients. At McGrannLAW, we fear no fight, but we are also businesspeople at heart. We find solutions.
Mergers & Acquisitions:
Whether you are looking to push your business forward through acquiring or merging with another company or looking to exit your company, partner with McGrannLAW to be confident that the transaction not only goes smoothly, but that you are working with counsel that has put in the time to understand your goals and objectives.
Business Succession Planning:
McGrannLAW is situated at the intersection of business law and estate planning, perfectly positioned to advise on long-term business planning and the necessary estate planning components of transitioning your business.