Starting a small business can be exciting and overwhelming. Finding an innovative idea or a new market is just the beginning: after inspiration comes perspiration. New business owners wander through a maze of regulations, requirements and potential liabilities. When you are launching a small business, you need a skilled advisor you can trust to guide you.
M&R offers services to help alleviate the pressure on entrepreneurs and keep them focused on the business of business. You concentrate on developing new products, services, and customers; we’ll handle the forms, contracts, and interactions with federal, state and local governments.
We offer short- term business counseling packages to get new companies underway and apprised of the challenges ahead. Some start-ups need just a brief overview of the legal landscape and help creating inaugural contracts and forms; it can be difficult for those small companies to get individualized attention from law firms that specialize in large transactions. At M&R, we provide thoughtful legal services to small businesses at a reasonable rate. Our strategy is to earn your trust and keep your business for the long haul.
Our representation begins with a planning session to articulate your business’ goals, budget, and timeframe. We will identify what services you will need to get started and what issues might arise down the road. Our overarching goal is to give you the freedom to be creative, knowing that we will handle the legal minutiae of getting a business up and running.
Through our Small Business practice, we counsel owners of new and expanding businesses on a host of issues related to business development, including:
- Business formation: Helping to find a business structure that protects your assets and makes sense for your long-term goals.
- 501(c)(3) applications and board counseling: Guiding non-profit entities to tax-exempt status with effective and informed leadership in place.
- Permits and licenses: Identifying the state and local agencies that track local businesses and require specialized filings.
- Business plan review: Assessing the documents that are at the heart of your presentation to investors small and large.
- Contracts: Reviewing current agreements and drafting new agreements for your use with customers, vendors, employees, and others.
- Real Estate: Reviewing leases and other real estate agreements to make sure you understand them before you sign.
- Employment: Providing advice on the best way to hire, deploy, and manage employees to minimize potential liability.
- Immigration: Recruiting and retaining necessary employees in compliance with ever-changing federal rules.
- Litigation and Dispute Resolution: Representing clients in court, in front of hearing boards, and at arbitrations.
M&R attorneys are Berks County homeowners and community members committed to the region’s growth and good economic health. We offer flexible fee agreements for small business owner working in Berks County, with special rates and packages for artists and for businesses located within the city limits of Reading. Our goal is simple: we want to be long-term advisors to Berks County’s next generation of business leaders and creative professionals.
If you have a question about forming or expanding a small business in Berks County, call or click to schedule an appointment.