From small family-run businesses to large, publicly traded companies, Alperin Law has helped organizations of all sizes succeed in Virginia. Whether you are in the process of forming a new company, preparing to sell your existing business, or planning for what will happen to your business after you’re gone, put our extensive experience to work for you. Whatever your business objectives are, you need an experienced business attorney to produce positive results. You need Alperin Law.

Sound Legal Counsel as You Start and Operate Your Business Venture

From the day you decide to start a business, your decisions have legal implications. When you work with us, we will advise you on the appropriate business entity to select to best meet your objectives, and we will also help you to understand the tax-related consequences associated with each of your business formation and operations decisions. Our job is to help you meet and exceed the goals you have for your company, and we will make sure the proper legal groundwork is laid to protect your investments and enhance their future performance. Some of the many business legal services we offer include:

  • Business planning and counseling
  • Business succession planning
  • Buy-sell agreements
  • Joint ventures
  • Assistance and counseling to franchisees and franchisors
  • Operating and shareholder agreements
  • Tax planning
  • Business contracts
  • Contract negotiation and review
  • Asset purchase and sale transactions
  • Stock purchase and sale transactions
  • Reorganizations and business successions
  • Mergers and acquisitions
  • Business dissolution
  • Transfer of corporate or partnership interests
  • Drafting of contracts and employment agreements

Our attorneys also provide ongoing legal counsel services to businesses, so once your company is up and running, we can continue to work with you on any legal issue that might arise. We are experienced in drafting, reviewing, and negotiating employee and vendor contracts; shareholder issues; business transactions; non-compete and separation agreements; and much more.

We provide the advice and prepare the documents that will help your business operate smoothly, keep your assets and profits protected, and minimize the possibility of future litigation. Regardless of the size of your business, we remain mindful of the unique needs of each individual client. We will get to know you and your business so we can provide the tailored legal services you need to be successful. In addition to our business services, we also provide specialized estate planning for business owners.

Our Succession Planning Attorneys Can Help You Protect Your Business

When you think about a family business, you might picture a small mom-and-pop operation, but the reality is that 90 percent of all businesses in the U.S. are family owned or family controlled. Not all family businesses are small, either. In fact, about one-third of companies on the Fortune 500 list are family businesses. It is not an exaggeration to say that family business is the backbone of the American economy.

However, the sad fact is that most family businesses will not outlive their founders. At any given moment, 40 percent of family businesses are in the process of transferring their ownership. Unfortunately, two-thirds of all initial transfers fail. Of the one-third that survive an initial transfer, only one-half will survive a second transfer. Why such a dismal success rate? The reasons are as varied and unique as the businesses and business owners themselves. Nevertheless, many of the failed transfers can be traced to the following three causes:

People

Have you thought about what you want to have happen to your business after you are gone? Are you hoping to pass it on to your children or a trusted employee? Do you want it to be sold so your family can enjoy the profits? Whatever your goals are, they won’t happen if you don’t plan for it while you are alive and healthy.

Taxes 

Federal and state estate taxes can be a huge burden for a small business, depending on the political climate at the time of your death. Without proper estate-liquidity planning, your family may have to sell the business just to meet an estate tax cash call.

Cash

If your financial and estate plans are not carefully coordinated, there may not be enough cash to fund your objectives. An appropriately-funded estate plan can meet all of your people-planning objectives, provide liquidity for estate taxes, and pay off business debts.

We understand that all of this information might be overwhelming, but that’s what we’re here for. If you own a business—no matter what size it is—contact our business attorneys to discuss your legal needs and business succession goals. From our offices in Virginia Beach and Norfolk, we serve all communities in Eastern Virginia, including Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Newport News, Isle of Wight County, Hampton, and the Eastern Shore.

Scott Alperin
Experienced Estate Planning & Elder Law Attorney Serving Virginia Beach Area Clients Since 1994.