New York City - NYC

Small Business Law Firm

You may call yourself a founder, an entrepreneur, a creator, a digital nomad, a blogger, a therapist, a lawyer, a business owner, a startup, an agency. No matter what industry you’re in, we can help.

At our firm, we know that you’ve put everything on the line for your business. And LegalZoom just won’t cut it. Online incorporation services are not a law firm and they cannot give you legal advice. We can. We want to develop a relationship with our clients before things go wrong.

Lawyers are not doomsday prophets. We are not here to scare you with all of the things that could go wrong in your business. What we want to do instead is show you how doing things properly the first time around is much more cost effective than having to go back and fix a mistake later on.

We know what can go wrong. We’ve seen distressed clients come to our office with a conflict or with a letter from opposing counsel. And usually, the problems could have been solved through a written agreement or good legal counsel from the outset saving time, stress, and money.

Get your business off to the right start. You will be glad you did.

What we do

Business name | Trademarks

We advise our clients on using the correct name for their business before they invest significant resources in building their brand.

Limited Liability Protection

We advise our clients on managing their businesses properly so that business registration actually does what it was meant to do—protect the business owner’s personal assets from the business’s liabilities and vice versa.

Employment Agreements

We advise our clients on how to properly hire and let go of employees.

Advertising Law

We advise our clients on advertising legally.

Startup Law

We advise startups who are raising capital.

Shareholders Agreements | Buy-Sell Agreements

We advise business partners or co-founders on their legal rights and remedies.

How much does it cost to form a business in NYC?

The costs of forming a business in NYC depend on several different factors including whether you will be forming an LLC or a corporation, where the business’ principal office is located, and whether you hire an attorney to form your NYC LLC or corporation for you or you do it yourself. Forming a business in NYC is not as simple as filing a form with the Division of Corporations. You will need a tax ID number, an Operating Agreement, and business name clearance. If you plan to form a New York PLLC, you will have additional requirements to meet depending on your profession. If you form a NY PLLC or a NY LLC, you must follow publication requirements. If you plan to go into business with a partner, we strongly advise that you hire legal counsel to draft an agreement.

How long does it take to set up a business in NYC?

If you are a single member NY LLC or NY corporation, comprehensively setting up a business from beginning to end will take approximately 2 months. But that doesn’t mean you have to wait 2 months to start your business. You can open a business account and begin to operate under your business name within 24 hours depending on your bank’s paperwork requirements.

Should I form a NY LLC or a NY Corporation?

It depends on the business purpose, industry, business plans, tax strategies, and the riskiness of the business. We recommend consulting with a professional when making this determination.

Do I need an Operating Agreement in New York City?

All New York LLCs are required to adopt an Operating Agreement (also called an LLC Agreement). The Operating Agreement sets forth the business of the limited liability company; its business conduct; and the rights, powers, preferences, limitations or responsibilities of its members, managers, employees or agents. Drafting the Operating Agreement carefully can benefit LLC owners by reducing the personal liability of managers to the limited liability company or its members for damages for any breach of duty with some exceptions for acts taken in bad faith, for example. NY’s LLC laws require newly formed LLC’s to adopt an Operating Agreement within 90 days of business formation.

I’m going into business with someone. Do I need a NYC business lawyer?

Absolutely. While you’re not statutorily required to retain an attorney, we strongly urge business partners to hire an attorney (or two) to represent their interests in the business. Spend some time answering the difficult questions about how you will split the profits and losses; whether each partner will be required to contribute capital, property, talent, or services, what you will do when you can’t agree and are deadlocked; how you will manage the dissolution of the business; how you will manage the growth of the business; etc. The number one problem that our firm has seen that destroys businesses are internal conflicts among founders and business owners.

If you need a business lawyer who is experienced in forming New York businesses, contact our firm today. We offer comprehensive services that do more than the bare minimum to protect your business and personal assets.