Business Law
FBLG Law
Business Law
Whether you’re running a one-person dog walking business, operating a small single location retail business, or managing a company with hundreds of employees, business law shapes how you operate, hire, sell, and grow. It’s the rulebook for doing business and is designed to help companies avoid trouble and solve problems when they arise.
Whether you’re just starting your business or expanding to new markets, understanding the legal basics gives you an edge. The skilled business law attorneys with The Franchise & Business Law Group can help navigate the countless issues you and your business may face during the life of the business, including:
- Entity Formation
- Contracts and Contract law
- Intellectual Property
- Joint Ventures
- Asset Purchase Agreements
- Commercial Lease Transactions
- Employment Agreements
- Vendor Contracts
- And more…
Other Business Law Services
Franchise Business Law Group extends its expertise beyond franchising to offer a full range of business law services. We support entrepreneurs, startups, and established businesses with entity formation, contract drafting and negotiation, partnership agreements, and corporate governance. Our attorneys provide counsel on mergers and acquisitions, employment law compliance, commercial leases, and intellectual property protection. Whether you’re launching a new venture or managing ongoing operations, we deliver strategic legal solutions tailored to your business goals. With a deep understanding of both legal and business landscapes, we help clients minimize risk, resolve disputes, and build a strong legal foundation for growth.
Choosing the Right Entity
Choosing the right type of business entity (e.g. an LLC, corporation, or sole proprietorship) is one of the most important early decisions you’ll make when starting a business. The choice affects everything from how much personal liability you’ll have for business debts to how your business income will be taxed.
The best entity structure for your business depends on a number of factors, including the size of the business, the number of owners, tax strategies, and the level of investment involved.
At The Franchise & Business Law Group, we help business owners determine the best entity for their business based on their goals, industry, number of owners, and growth plans. We also handle the formation process from start to finish, including drafting and filing the formation documents, drafting the governing documents, and any agreements between the owners. We also help in obtaining your Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN).
With our help, you can move forward confidently knowing your business is set up the right way from the start. For additional resources to determine which type of entity is best for your business, read the article “Should I Incorporate?” on our blog.
Buying and Selling a Business
The attorneys at The Franchise & Business Law Group have guided clients through a wide range of business sale transactions. We can provide assistance whether it is related to a buyer purchasing ownership in the company itself (a stock purchase), or just the business’s assets (an asset purchase). In addition, we can help you navigate important issues such as, will the seller stay on temporarily to support the transition? Is the buyer paying upfront or over time? Is there a third party that needs to consent to the transaction like a landlord or a franchisor? Are there any potential liabilities that might be passed on to the buyer?
At The Franchise & Business Law Group, we work closely with our clients to identify the issues specifically related to the purchase or sale of a business, and to draft and negotiate purchase and sale structures to support our client’s goals, whether they’re selling a business or buying one.
Buy-Sell Agreements
For businesses with more than one owner, having a buy-sell agreement in place is essential. Life events like a co-owner’s death, disability, retirement, or even divorce can create major disruptions, and in some cases, can threaten the future of the business. Yet, many small business owners overlook this critical planning tool.
A well-drafted buy-sell agreement provides stability and peace of mind. It outlines what happens if an owner needs or wants to exit the business and often includes a plan for how the buyout will be funded. In cases involving death or incapacity, these agreements are commonly backed by insurance, ensuring that the business maintains its cash flow while the departing owner or their family is compensated fairly.
Putting a thoughtful buy-sell agreement in place protects all owners and helps ensure the business remains strong, no matter what the future brings.
Business Exit Strategies
Many business owners do not have a clear exit strategy in place and often find themselves unprepared when it’s time to move on. It’s important to start thinking early about your long-term goals with the business. Do you want to pass the business on to a family member, sell it to an outside buyer, go public, or be acquired by a larger company? Maybe you’d prefer to keep ownership but step away from day-to-day operations.
Clarifying your end goal now allows you to make the right decisions while you’re still running the business. At The Franchise & Business Law Group, we help business owners explore their options, build a practical exit plan, and put the right legal and operational structures in place to make that plan happen when the time is right.
Contracts
Contracts can cover anything from a lease to a partnership agreement or a sale of goods. But for a contract to hold up, it has to meet certain requirements, such as offer, acceptance, consideration, and clearly understood terms and obligations for all parties to the contract.
Getting the details of a contract right matters. Even a small mistake or vague language can lead to misunderstandings, disputes, or expensive legal problems down the road. That’s why working with an experienced contract attorney is so important. A good lawyer doesn’t just “fill in the blanks”; they help tailor the agreement to your specific situation, protect your interests, and make sure everything is enforceable.
The attorneys at The Franchise & Business Law Group draft, review, and negotiate contracts of all types. Whether you’re running a business, launching a new venture, or just need help understanding what you’re signing, our team will make sure your contracts are solid and clear from the start.
Commercial Leases
Commercial leases can be complicated documents, often filled with terms that are difficult for both landlords and tenants to fully understand. These agreements typically involve large financial commitments over an extended period, so it’s important that the lease is clearly written and that responsibilities and risks are fairly divided.
Many landlords and tenants rely on “standard form” leases found online, but these templates are usually drafted to favor landlords and often place too many burdens on the tenant. They also tend to overlook the unique circumstances or goals of the landlord, making them less effective in practice.
Before signing a lease, both parties benefit from having an experienced attorney review and negotiate the terms. At The Franchise & Business Law Group, our attorneys work with landlords and tenants alike to ensure the lease meets their needs, protects their interests, and avoids unnecessary risk.
Joint Ventures
A joint venture is when two or more businesses team up to work on a specific project or share resources to pursue a common goal—without merging into one company. Each party brings something to the table, like funding, expertise, or access to new markets, and they typically share profits and risks based on what they agreed to. Unlike franchising, where one business licenses its brand and system to another, joint ventures involve more equal partnerships and shared control. And unlike expanding your own company, a joint venture doesn’t require you to make the business ownership leap alone because you’re growing with a partner.
Joint ventures can be a smart move when entering a new market, developing a new product, or combining strengths to compete more effectively. But getting the details right from the beginning is critical to avoid future conflicts.
At The Franchise & Business Law Group, we help entrepreneurs and businesses structure joint ventures that make sense by clearly defining roles, responsibilities, and how to handle profits, losses, or an exit. If you’re thinking about teaming up with another company, we can help you set up the right foundation for success.
FBLG Law
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Our business and franchising attorneys are honored to be the recipient of multiple national and state awards for our law firm and our attorneys. Since 2014 The Franchise & Business Law Group has been awarded with the US News Best Law Firms for Franchise Law; for the second consecutive year, The Franchise & Business Law Group has been awarded “Best of State” for legal services in the State of Utah, and our attorneys are recognized as Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, Legal Eagles, and as Utah Legal Elite by Utah Business Magazine, among other awards and honors.
