Oregon Business Law

Whether you’re starting your first business, an entrepreneur organizing a new venture, or an established corporation, we offer legal services to help you achieve your business goals.

Business law deals with establishing a new business and the issues that occur as existing businesses interact with other companies, the government, and the public. This area of the law draws on a variety of legal disciplines, including real estate, tax law, sales, employment law, bankruptcy, intellectual property, and more. Business lawyers are generally hired to avoid future litigation.

Types of Business Law

Business law encompasses the laws that govern what happens with commercial matters. There are two main categories: regulation of commercial transactions and regulation of commercial entities. Over the decades, laws have evolved, and have had to adapt to changes in society and technology.

Some of the most common types of business law include:

Business Formation and Internal Agreements

A new company has to comply with the law, even before opening. Business law attorneys are frequently asked to form new entities on behalf of their clients by filing the required documents with the Secretary of State. Clients may also need help determining the business entity that is best suited for their enterprise.

A business can be formed as limited liability companies (LLCs), corporations, partnerships, and other entities. A majority of these company forms can be customized further to meet the needs of the business. Examples of these include partnerships formed as “limited partnerships” to allow some owners to participate only as investors and corporations created as “S-corps” to achieve tax savings.

The primary purpose of most entities is to shield the owners from individual liability. Operating a business that is not established to provide limited liability means that owners are putting all of their assets within reach of the creditors. However, working with an attorney at the start of a business, this situation can be easily avoided.

A business law attorney is also available to draft the internal agreements that will control how a new company is going to be managed. A typical example is an LLC operating agreement. This document governs how the business owners will share profits and losses, transfer ownership rights, make critical business decisions, and, therefore, should be drafted with great care.