Our Areas of Practice
As your premier business law firm in Houston, we provide the most thorough and significant legal services to individuals and businesses throughout the area. Here are our areas of expertise:
Business Planning & Entity Formation
The business planning process is one best tackled by experienced professionals. We are able to help with your business formation and can help you form a business entity well suited for your business. There are many decisions to be made and different structures to consider. The attorneys at the Chawla Law Firm are able to guide you through the initial considerations (state of formation, pre-formation logistics, considerations regarding ownership interests, post-formation matters, and tax) for the following legal entities:
Corporations
LLCs
LPs
Private Equity Funds
Portfolio Companies
Depending on your area of business, tax desires, or scalability requirements, let us help you form your business into what you’ve always dreamed it would be.
Your business deserves the best and many times, trying to run your business and perform all of the legal duties attached to your business entity becomes overwhelming. Whether you are setting up trade services, a hard-goods company, or any number of other services, we specialize in advising and recommending different legal solutions that best fit your needs. If you are looking for scalability, liability protection, shareholder assistance, or help with any other area of business law, Reach out to the Chawla Law Firm today!
Business Purchase and Sales
Whether you are trying to sell the stock in your company, or just the assets, we have the knowledge and know-how to help. The sale of any business can be a complex process filled with state and federal filings, transfer of ownership paperwork, intellectual property assignments, and many other legal aspects. Letting a professional care for your transactions saves you time and stress by caring for the details. In any business sale, we help with preparing the term sheet, purchase agreement, disclosure schedules, and other miscellaneous documents required to complete the transaction (e.g., Assignment Agreements, Licensing Agreements, Promissory Notes, Security Agreements etc.). We are able to provide all of the services needed for you to seamlessly move through the process.
Joint Ventures
Forming a joint venture requires combining two legal entities, whether they be individuals or other single legal entities, to pursue one goal. With the legal formation of joint ventures comes the commitment of assets, labor, skill, experience, and many other resources. All of these, to some extent, should be outlined in the initial agreement and need clarification in legal terms. The most successful ventures are ones that are clearly defined and established. Let The Chawla Law Firm help you to clarify your joint venture agreement and pursue your business interests.
Private Mergers
Private and public companies operate under different legal terms. When acquiring a private company, it’s important those terms are all taken into account. Most acquisitions of private companies are structured as stock acquisitions although private mergers are occasionally used. Most private companies have a small number of stockholders which make stock acquisitions a simpler alternative. The merger structure is more commonly used when a public company is the target company. The three most common types of mergers are:
Forward mergers
Forward triangular mergers
Reverse triangular mergers
These processes can be overwhelming and distract from leadership goals and a successful merging process. Hiring a law firm to take care of the legal aspects of a merger allows you to focus on workforce combination and leadership during a time of big changes. We will guide you through the most suitable approach, commercial considerations, process and consents, tax (always giving deference to your tax professional), preliminary documentation (e.g., term sheet, confidentiality agreement, exclusivity agreement), post-closing matters, and more. Give yourself the time to focus on the right things during major business decisions, contact The Chawla Law Firm today!
Tax-Free Reorganizations
Tax-free reorganizations are best tackled by experienced professionals. We are able to help with acquisitive reorganizations (A, B, C, and D reorganizations as well as triangular reorganizations), divisive reorganizations (spin-offs, split-offs, split-ups), and corporate restructuring reorganizations (E and F reorganizations) depending on your needs. While not typically an aspect of business planning, we recognize reorganization as a valuable and necessary part of the life of some businesses. Doing this correctly is invaluable and it takes experience and commitment to get it right. The Chawla Law Firm has years of experience in this area of business law and will provide you with accurate and thorough reorganization services.
Corporate Governance
Corporate governance is a vital part of the formation of your corporation. From the board of directors to the shareholders, there is plenty to consider during the development and maintenance processes of your company. The Chawla Law Firm can help you determine the structure of your leadership and the roles of the people leading your organization. It’s important that you get everything right to protect from fraud, poor leadership, and poor decision-making. From a legal point of view, attention to detail, just like every other area of business, is vital. As a part of the business planning process, we provide you with all the knowledge and experience we can to ensure your business runs smoothly.
Equity Incentive Plans
Equity incentive plans make for great rewards programs for employees, directors, and service providers that contribute to your company’s success. Equity compensation awards help in attracting and retaining talented employees and make service providers feel valued. The Chawla Law Firm can help you navigate through the various equity-based awards that are commonly provided to employees, directors, and service providers (e.g., Restricted Stock, RSUs, Stock Options, SARs, Phantom Stock, and Performance Awards); and can further guide you through vesting, tax, and securities considerations.
Securities Law
The capital markets and capital formation activities in the US are regulated at both the federal and state levels. The federal regulatory framework governing securities was enacted in the US in the 1930s. Although it has undergone several amendments since then in response to legal and market developments, the structure of securities regulation remains largely the same today. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) are the principal regulatory agencies that oversee various aspects of the US capital markets and capital markets transactions, issue new rules and regulations, and enforce the securities laws.
A major part of your business planning is setting up your business and preventing fraud or other forms of financial manipulation. We play a significant role in this area and help to protect your investments.
Business Disputes and Litigation
Disagreements are going to happen and they tend to take up a lot of energy, especially as a business scales and you operate in a much larger area. A major service that we offer is representation and mediation between parties. From everyday disputes to large-scale litigation, we’ve got you covered.
No matter your industry, you should make sure that you have business disputes and litigation covered to save you time, stress, and business function. To keep your business running smoothly, contact The Chawla Law Firm today!
Business planning and litigation is a complex and intricate topic. At The Chawla Law Firm, we help you with all of your business planning needs from filing with the state to claims of fraud and dispute representation. For complete business planning and business law advice and representation, reach out to us today.