In a complex economic and regulatory environment that evolves at a rapid pace, legal challenges are a fact of life for every business. As a result, your business needs a trusted legal partner who understands both the current laws governing your operations and the practical implications for how these laws will impact your business. The Law Office of E.C. Lewis provides the comprehensive legal services that are essential for your business to thrive over time.
Many of the legal issues business owners face can be minimized or avoided entirely by securing proper legal representation. When you work with Elizabeth Lewis, you’ll benefit from the knowledge and experience of a seasoned attorney who has been assisting small and medium sized businesses in Denver and throughout Colorado since 2007. Her creative and strategic solutions are tailored to the specific needs of your business, ensuring you receive the proper guidance to set your business up for success today and into the future.
The Comprehensive Legal Services Denver Business Owners Need
Elizabeth Lewis provides robust legal services for startups and established businesses. She’s helped companies in a wide range of industries manage all of the legal matters they face in order to avoid costly issues and position themselves for greater success over time. Whether you’re a sole entrepreneur just starting out or an established company with 500 employees and a thriving customer base, Elizabeth will recommend the customized legal solutions necessary to position you for ongoing success.
Our comprehensive legal services for Colorado businesses include:
- Business formation
- Contracts
- Negotiating commercial leases
- Buying commercial buildings
- Real estate law matters
- Retail store legal services
- Buying a business
- Selling a business
- IT and online business legal matters
- Employment law matters
- Home and startup business services
- Software licensing
Business Formation
There are many important legal matters to be addressed when starting a new business, and navigating them properly is critical to your ability to sidestep potentially crippling legal issues down the road. Elizabeth Lewis can guide you through the startup phase of your business to ensure all these legal matters are handled correctly.
Some of the business formation services we provide include:
- Selecting right legal structure for your new company
- Selecting the right tax structure for your new company
- Completion of all paperwork required to get your business started
- Working with multiple partners to ensure that all the owners understand their rights and obligations to the business
- Help buying a business
- Handling all contracts associated with running your business
Business Contracts
As a business owner, you’ll need to enter into a variety of contracts as part of your everyday operations. Some of these contracts can govern smaller aspects of your operations, such as the purchase or lease of office equipment. Other contracts can have major implications on your business for years to come, such as a multi-year lease on office or retail space. You may also have contracts governing service agreements with customers or third-party vendors. All of these agreements are legally binding, and they will have a variety of short- and long-term effects on your business.
We provide the legal guidance necessary to ensure these contracts are written properly and protect your best interests.
Legal Matters for IT and Online Businesses
We live in a digital age, and many businesses now operate online to address the changing needs and preferences of consumers. The legal landscape for online businesses and information technology (IT) companies can be both confusing and overwhelming. These businesses face a wide range of legal challenges that aren’t present for brick-and-mortar businesses.
Elizabeth Lewis has extensive experience helping internet-related businesses navigate these challenges so that their interests are protected at all times. These services are essential to the ongoing growth and success of your business.
For businesses that are not IT or online businesses, but have given up a physical office space, we can also help you tailor contracts for customers, employees, and other legal matters to navigate the new work-from-home environment.
Employment Law Matters
Employees are the lifeblood of every business. Whether you’re a new business hiring employees for the first time or an established business that is fully staffed, there are a variety of employment law matters to navigate. It’s critical to work with an attorney who knows the most current employment laws impacting businesses in the Denver area.
Elizabeth Lewis can provide the guidance you need to ensure you’re compliant with all Colorado employment laws associated with:
- Hiring
- Managing relationships with employees
- Employment contracts
- Determining whether someone is designated as an employee or an independent contractor
- Help with firing employees
Home and Startup Business Services
There are a variety of legal considerations associated with owning a home-based or startup business. Elizabeth Lewis can provide the advice and guidance you need to ensure you remain compliant with all the laws impacting your business. She can help your home or startup business with a variety of matters, including:
- Choosing a business form
- Creating a registered agent
- Registering your business
- Crafting or reviewing contracts
- Reviewing legal aspects associated with raising capital
- Addressing multi-state business issues
- Understanding and limiting your legal liability
- Reviewing and drafting loan agreements
Software Licensing
If your business has created proprietary software used by your customers, it’s critical to protect your intellectual property with licensing. Elizabeth Lewis can help you protect your applications, ideas and websites with software licenses to ensure your business receives the proper revenue for the use of these products.
Real Estate Law Matters
The legal considerations associated with buying or leasing commercial real estate properties are much different than those involved in buying or renting a residential property. If your business is entering into a real estate transaction, it’s critical to have an experienced attorney who can help you navigate this complex process.
Elizabeth Lewis can provide you with the legal guidance you need to make real estate-related decisions with confidence. Some of the areas where we regularly assist businesses include:
- Purchase or sale of commercial real estate property
- Legal review of leases
- Choosing a business location
- Asset protection strategies
Retail Store Legal Services
There are a wide range of legal issues that can have a significant impact on the long-term success of a retail business. Elizabeth Lewis can help you navigate these issues to position your retail store for ongoing success. Whether you need help getting your retail business up and running or need ongoing assistance with the legal aspects of running an established retail business, Elizabeth will make sure your best interests are protected at all times.
Business Legal Services FAQs
What does a business legal counsel do?
A business lawyer assists companies and corporations with a wide range of legal matters to ensure their best interests are protected and the company remains compliant with all laws and regulations.
Is business litigation the same as business law?
Business litigation refers to legal cases involving non-criminal disputes associated with business-related transactions. Common matters handled as part of business litigation include breach of contract, intellectual property disputes, non-compete issues, breach of fiduciary duty and insurance coverage disputes. While Elizabeth Lewis is not a litigator, she helps the businesses she represents in finding a business litigator when necessary and provides additional guidance throughout the litigation process.
The practice of transactional business law, on the other hand, encompasses all legal aspects of running a business. This can include the legal issues associated with starting and running a business, any contracts a business enters into, and compliance with all government regulations.
Why should a business have a lawyer?
There are a wide range of legal issues involved in running any business. All your relationships with your customers, employees, suppliers, and contractors are governed by contracts. There are legal regulations that must be complied with. Working with a lawyer who can make sure these matters are handled properly and in accordance with the law will help you avoid costly legal issues which can derail your business.
How much does a Colorado business lawyer cost?
There are a variety of different types of fee agreements used for business legal services in Colorado. These include:
- Hourly rate – The attorney will charge you a set rate per hour for their services. These rates are typically billed in six-minute, ten-minute, or fifteen-minute increments.
- Flat fee – The attorney charges a set fee for all services provided, regardless of how long it takes to perform these services.
- Contingent fee – The attorney takes a percentage of the amount that the client receives as an award in court or through some other mechanism. This is typically used in litigation cases.
For most services, other than contingent fee cases, attorneys take a retainer prior to providing legal services. This is a pre-paid amount prior to performing any legal services. This money is placed in a trust account overseen by the Colorado Supreme Court, and the lawyer will withdraw money as work is completed. Any funds left in the retainer after all legal services are completed will be returned to the client.
Elizabeth Lewis will typically charge a flat fee for services associated with the initial setup of a business for businesses with one owner or owned by a married couple, and hourly rates for setup of multi-owner businesses and all additional services provided after setup is complete.
Contact us today to schedule an initial consultation. The Law Office of E.C. Lewis serves clients in Denver, the surrounding areas of Colorado and businesses outside of Colorado that are looking to do business in Colorado.