Members of closely held LLCs often assume they will have access to the company's financial information and records. In reality, disputes frequently arise when the managers or controlling members refuse to provide documents or access to information. When that happens, minority members can feel stu...
Business Law Blog
Why Your Insurance Quote Exploded After You Moved the Property into an LLC
Many business owners are advised to move property into an LLC for liability protection. That advice is often sound. But many owners are shocked to discover that after transferring property into an LLC, their insurance premium increases dramatically—or coverage becomes harder to obtain. If that...
Minority Owners Get Burned Every Day: 7 Contract Terms That Actually Protect Them
Buying into a business as a minority owner can be exciting. It can also be dangerous. Minority owners often assume: they will be treated fairly, they will receive distributions, they will have access to information, and the majority owner will act reasonably. But without...
S Corp Salary Mistakes: How Owners Trigger IRS Problems Without Realizing It
S corporations can be one of the most powerful tax tools available to business owners. But they come with a rule that many owners misunderstand: you must pay yourself a reasonable salary. If you don't, you may be saving money in the short term—while creating an IRS audit problem that can cost fa...
What Happens to a Business When an Owner Dies? (And Why Most Plans Fail)
Most business owners assume that if they die, their spouse or children will “take over” or “get the business.” But legally, that's not always what happens. In fact, when an owner dies without a clear succession plan, the business often enters a dangerous phase where: ownership is unclear, ...
The 5 Most Common LLC Operating Agreement Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)
Most business owners form an LLC because they want protection, flexibility, and simplicity. But many skip the most important document the LLC has: the Operating Agreement. An Operating Agreement is not just paperwork. It's the rulebook that controls what happens when money is made, when owners d...
Understanding USERRA: What Employers and Service Members Need to Know
The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) is a federal law that protects the civilian employment rights of individuals who serve in the uniformed services. While many employers are generally aware that military leave is protected, fewer fully understand the scope of t...
Associate Employment Agreements: Best Practices for Louisiana Law Firm Owners
Hiring an associate attorney is a major step for any law firm. The terms you set at the outset shape the firm's culture, protect your business interests, and lay the foundation for a productive long-term professional relationship. At Business Law Group, we are proud to represent law firm owners ...
Do Living Wills Need to Be Notarized in Louisiana?
When clients are working through estate planning or end-of-life decisions, one of the most common questions we hear is deceptively simple: “Does a living will have to be notarized in Louisiana?” The short answer is no — but the details matter. What Is a Living Will Under Louisiana Law? In Lou...
ICE Is Renewing I-9 Enforcement Efforts: What Immigrant-Owned Businesses Need to Know Now
At Business Law Group, we are proud to represent immigrant-owned companies across a wide range of industries. Our clients include green card holders, visa holders, and naturalized citizens who have lawfully built businesses, created jobs, and contributed meaningfully to their communities and the ...
Do I Have to Pay My Louisiana Employee for Jury Duty service?
Louisiana employers are often surprised to learn that the state does require some paid jury duty leave, but that requirement is far more limited than many people assume. Here's what Louisiana law actually says—and just as importantly, what it does not say. The Short Answer Yes—but only for one ...
FMLA Coverage vs. Employee Eligibility: Where Employers Most Often Get It Wrong
Employers regularly misunderstand their obligations under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)—especially when they operate across multiple locations, use remote employees, or experience high employee turnover. The most common mistake is failing to distinguish between whether the employer is c...
How to Revoke an S-Corporation Election for Your LLC (and What Louisiana Requires)
Many business owners elect S-corporation tax status to reduce self-employment taxes and optimize compensation. But circumstances change—income fluctuates, payroll becomes burdensome, or a simpler tax structure makes more sense.If your LLC elected to be taxed as an S-corporation and you now want t...
Putting the Cart Before the Horse: The Top 5 Mistakes Founders Make When Starting a Company
Starting a business is exhilarating. Founders are fueled by ideas, adrenaline, and the vision of what could be. But in that rush, it's easy to misallocate time, money, and energy—often focusing on the wrong things too early. At Business Law Group, we see this pattern again and again: well-meaning...
Using a 1031 Exchange With the New Accelerated Depreciation Rules: A High-Impact Strategy for Real Estate Investors
Real estate investors have long relied on §1031 like-kind exchanges to defer capital gains taxes when selling investment property. With the advent of new accelerated depreciation rules—including expanded opportunities for bonus depreciation and faster cost-segregation classifications—investors no...
Can Managers Share Tips in a Tip Pool? What Employers and Employees Need to Know
Tip pooling is common in restaurants, bars, salons, and other service-driven industries. But one question regularly causes confusion—and legal trouble: Can managers or supervisors participate in a tip pool? The short answer is almost always no. But like most wage-and-hour rules, the details matt...
Can I Gift My Employee Ownership in My Company?
Business owners often ask us: “Can I give my employee an ownership interest in my company for free?” It's a great question — and one that comes up often when employers want to reward loyalty or incentivize key team members. The short answer is: you can, but it's not truly “free.” Giving an emplo...
What Hospitality Operators Need to Know about the IRS’s New Information-Reporting Guidance on Tips & Overtime
If you run a restaurant, hotel, resort or other hospitality business, the recent release of Public Law 119‑21 (the “OBBBA”) and the resulting IRS guidance in Notice 2025-62 mark important new compliance developments around reporting of tips and overtime pay. While many of the changes will not ful...
2025 Louisiana Successions Update: What Families Need to Know
Louisiana's 2025 legislative session brought important updates to succession and estate law. These changes affect how wills are executed, how probate proceedings unfold, and how heirs can protect their rights. At Business Law Group, we stay on top of these developments so you can plan with confid...
ADA Website Lawsuits Are Spiking Again—Here’s How to Stay Out of the Crosshairs
Businesses are getting sued because their websites are hard for people with disabilities—especially blind customers using screen readers—to use. The fixes are usually simple. The legal costs aren't. Here's how to stay out of trouble. Why are businesses being sued? Think of your website like you...
It's Almost Q4: Why you Need a Legal Audit
The more you know about your company, your competition and your customers, the faster you can adapt to marketplace changes and capitalize on opportunities. If you aren't regularly looking at the key operational areas of your business from a legal perspective, you're exposing yourself to unnecessa...
The Hidden Advantage of an Employee Handbook: Clarity on Employer Obligations
Most business owners think of an employee handbook as a tool for communicating company policies to employees: dress codes, vacation policies, disciplinary procedures, and other HR essentials. While that's true, one of the most valuable—and often overlooked—benefits of creating an employee handboo...
How Doctors Save Thousands by Electing S-Corp Status (Part 2 of 3)
If you're a physician earning significant 1099 income, chances are you've already felt the sting of self-employment taxes. In Part 1 of this series, we explained how the default LLC leaves every dollar exposed to a 15.3% tax bite. The good news? You don't have to settle for that. By electing S-C...
Entity Selection for Physicians – Building Smarter Practices (Part 1 of 3)
Why Most Physicians Start With an LLC – and Why That Might Be Costing You When you step into the world of independent contracting as a physician—whether taking 1099 income from a hospital or running a side practice—the first legal question you face is usually: “What entity should I form?” For m...
LLC vs. Living Trust: How Unmarried Couples in Louisiana Can Protect Their Shared Property
For one Louisiana couple we recently met, the scenario was familiar: they purchased land together, are building a home, and plan to live there someday. Their goal? Put a legal structure in place now so that, if they split up or one passes away, the process for handling the house is clear and conf...