| The Simmons Firm, ALC, counsels individuals and businesses.
Our clients face a wide variety of legal needs, including contract
drafting and review, labor compliance matters, routine tax analyses,
real estate transactions and title matters, leasing and sales, and
a sundry array of other concerns. The cornerstone of this practice
is in assisting start-up ventures in entity selection, founders’
issues, transactions and documentation, and thereafter, maintaining
a business through their periodic transactional tasks.
Corporate Law / Small Business Counseling / General
Business Matters
It is difficult to avoid encountering legal issues in your road
to success. The expertise of this firm lies in advising and assisting
clients with the numerous legal and financial challenges facing
today’s businesses. Although we work mostly with small to
medium-size corporations, The Simmons Firm, ALC, presently represents
a number of Fortune 500 companies, has appeared in court in several
federal and state jurisdictions, and has successfully closed corporate
and real estate transactions in over half of the fifty states. Its
services are in:
- Contract Drafting
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Corporate Finance and Securities Law
- Banking Transactions
- Taxes
- Bankruptcy Matters
- Business Reorganizations
- Business Sales
- Dissolutions
Business & Real Estate Transactions
This firm’s practice deals significantly with a broad range
of real estate matters. We provide representation from companies
to retail clients, to individuals who are in the business of purchasing,
selling, managing and leasing various types of property. Matters
of concern may involve:
- Environmental, land use and zoning regulations associated with
real estate transactions
- Purchase and sale of various types of property
- Reviewing, negotiating and drafting of residential, office and
commercial leases
Entity Formation & Maintenance
When starting your own business, there are, indeed, other alternatives
to the method by which you chose to form your entity, such as doing
it yourself online. However, we at The Simmons Firm, ALC, believe
that it is vital for any business to form the entity most suited
for its needs, preferably through consultations with legal professionals.
Although conventional wisdom dictates it is inconsequential, it
has been our experience that the cost of seeking expert legal advice
from the very start pales in comparison to the cost associated with
cleaning up should liability issues or litigations arise due to
ineffectual formation.
In the same regard, we do not always advise clients to form entities
when we believe there is no reason to incur the ongoing expense
of entity formation and maintenance. The expense does not always
justify the benefits. In some cases, clients may have reasons to
form an entity other than with rigid legal concerns. Our job is
to ensure that the clients are aware of the best option for them
along with the pros and cons associated with the type of formation,
as well as the tax ramifications. Attention may need focus on any,
if not most, of the following:
- Secretary of State filings of organizational and annual documents
for corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies, and
non-profits
- Maintenance of corporate records, annual shareholder and board
of directors meeting minutes, etc.
- Drafting of organizational and operational documents such as
operating agreements, bylaws, partnership agreements, stock option
agreements, shareholder agreements, etc.
- Fictitious business name filings
Labor & Employment Law Guidance
Labor law compliance matters are vital to today’s businesses.
There are severe legal and financial consequences involved in noncompliance.
The Simmons Firm, ALC, pays special attention on anticipating and
avoiding employment problems before they result in legal action
or costly litigation. Matters to consider and prepare for may include:
- Preventive Employee Relations (development of employee handbook
and policies, human resources audits, sexual harassment prevention,
diversity training, workplace health and safety compliance)
- Business Transactions (reviewing of contracts and drafting of
employment, compensation, severance agreements, etc.)
- Employment-At-Will (Counseling and drafting of policies and
measure to protect employers from accountability for tort or contract
claims liability)
- Dispute Resolution
Risk-Minimization Strategies
We pride ourselves on our breadth of experience in preventive law,
which helps protect our clients’ interests and confidentiality
and avoid lawsuits or reduce liability should claims arise. Our
attorneys are prepared to approach any form of legal situation in
any area of law. We understand that each client is different, each
industry is different, each deal is different, and each circumstance
is different. We identify and address these differences, creating
a product specifically tailored for the client and the legal issues
they face.
We have the confidence and the expertise to create an end product
that will be as good as or superior to that which is available anywhere
else. Our billing rates are intentionally under-market to permit
our practitioners the extra time it takes to dig just a little deeper,
to know just a little more, and to be just a little better.
Trademarks & Copyrights
The Simmons Firm, ALC, offers an array of intellectual property
and technology services, including, when necessary, prosecution.
We have expert knowledge concerning the legal guidelines associated
with trademark, copyright, and licensing, as well as extensive
experience in dealing with the United States Patent and Trademark
Office. Our expertise includes legal and investigative research
to discover, resolve and challenge infringements.
Dispute Resolution
The Simmons Firm, ALC, has a published, successful appellate opinion
to its credit. Even though we are not an appellate firm, we have
skillfully represented companies in litigation matters from California
to New York.
Ultimately, the firm is about people, and we want people to stay
out of harm’s way. We strive to find an effective and expedient
way to resolve issues keeping litigation a last resort either through
us or with our assistance in selecting the appropriate legal representatives.
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