If you're like most founders, the S-corp election felt like a clear win: less self-employment tax, more money staying in the business. What often gets left out of that conversation is the trade-off that comes with it — once you elect S-corp status, the IRS expects you, the owner, to be on payroll...
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What Is an Exclusive Use Clause in a Louisiana Commercial Lease and Do You Need One?
What Is an Exclusive Use Clause in a Louisiana Commercial Lease and Do You Need One? Business Law Group | Commercial Leases An exclusive use clause is a lease provision that prohibits the landlord from...
How Do You Structure a Joint Venture Agreement Between Louisiana Business Owners?
How Do You Structure a Joint Venture Agreement Between Louisiana Business Owners? Business Law Group | Business Contracts A joint venture is an arrangement where two or more businesses or individuals agree to...
What Are the Ongoing Compliance Requirements for a Louisiana ATC Permit Holder?
What Are the Ongoing Compliance Requirements for a Louisiana ATC Permit Holder? Business Law Group | ATC & Liquor Licensing Getting a Louisiana ATC permit is the beginning of a compliance obligation that runs for the life of the permit. Most permittees focus heavily...
How Do You Transfer a Louisiana Business to a Family Member Without Creating a Legal or Tax Mess?
How Do You Transfer a Louisiana Business to a Family Member Without Creating a Legal or Tax Mess? Business Law Group | Estate Planning & Business Succession Transferring a business to a family member is one of the most emotionally significant...
What Is a Tenant Improvement Allowance in a Louisiana Commercial Lease and How Do You Negotiate It?
What Is a Tenant Improvement Allowance in a Louisiana Commercial Lease and How Do You Negotiate It? Business Law Group | Commercial Leases A tenant improvement allowance — or TIA — is money the landlord contributes...
What Happens to Employees When You Buy a Louisiana Business?
What Happens to Employees When You Buy a Louisiana Business? Business Law Group | Buying & Selling a Business Employee matters are one of the most overlooked areas of due diligence in...
What Should You Do When Someone Files a Trademark That Conflicts with Yours?
What Should You Do When Someone Files a Trademark That Conflicts with Yours? Business Law Group | Trademarks & Intellectual Property The USPTO publishes every trademark application in its Official Gazette for a 30-day opposition window before it proceeds to registration. If a third party files an application for a mark that conflicts with yours...
What Is a Master Service Agreement and When Does Your Louisiana Business Need One?
What Is a Master Service Agreement and When Does Your Louisiana Business Need One? Business Law Group | Business Contracts A master service agreement — or MSA — is a contract that sets the standing terms between...
Buying a Louisiana Business? The Seller's Unpaid Taxes Can Become Your Problem
You've found the business. The price is right, the lease looks solid, and you're ready to sign. Then, somewhere in due diligence, a line item surfaces that everyone wants to wave away: the seller hasn't filed or paid their business personal property tax in the parish where they are located. It's...
What Is an Asset Purchase Agreement and What Should It Include in a Louisiana Business Sale?
What Is an Asset Purchase Agreement and What Should It Include in a Louisiana Business Sale? Business Law Group | Buying / Selling a Business The asset purchase agreement is the central transaction document in most Louisiana small business sales. It defines what is...
How Do Louisiana Forced Heirship Laws Affect a Business Owner's Estate Plan?
How Do Louisiana Forced Heirship Laws Affect a Business Owner's Estate Plan? Business Law Group | Estate Planning & Business Succession Louisiana is the only state in the country with forced heirship laws — a Civil Law inheritance concept that gives certain heirs a legally protected...
What Happens to a Louisiana Liquor License When a Business Is Sold?
What Happens to a Louisiana Liquor License When a Business Is Sold? Business Law Group | ATC & Liquor Licensing A Louisiana ATC permit does not automatically transfer when...
What Happens After You File a Trademark Application with the USPTO?
What Happens After You File a Trademark Application with the USPTO? Business Law Group | Trademarks & Intellectual Property Filing a trademark application with the USPTO is not the end of the process — it's the beginning...
Why NDAs Fail in Louisiana — and What Your Confidentiality Agreement Should Actually Say
Why NDAs Fail in Louisiana — and What Your Confidentiality Agreement Should Actually Say Business Law Group | Business Contracts A non-disclosure agreement is only useful if it's enforceable — and a surprising number of NDAs used by Louisiana businesses aren't. The failures...
What Happens If You Break a Commercial Lease Early in Louisiana?
What Happens If You Break a Commercial Lease Early in Louisiana? Business Law Group | Commercial Leases Breaking a commercial lease early in Louisiana is almost always expensive — but how expensive depends entirely on ...
Can You Enforce a Non-Compete Agreement Against a Contractor or Employee in Louisiana?
Can You Enforce a Non-Compete Agreement Against a Contractor or Employee in Louisiana? Business Law Group | Business Contracts Louisiana has some of the most restrictive non-compete laws in the country. Unlike the majority of states where...
What Are the Most Common Reasons the Louisiana ATC Denies a Liquor License Application?
What Are the Most Common Reasons the Louisiana ATC Denies a Liquor License Application? Business Law Group | ATC & Liquor Licensing Louisiana ATC permit applications are denied every year for reasons that, in most cases, were identifiable and addressable before the application...
What Happens When a Client Doesn't Pay in Louisiana — and What Your Contract Should Say About It
What Happens When a Client Doesn't Pay in Louisiana — and What Your Contract Should Say About It Business Law Group | Business Contracts Non-payment is one of the most common legal problems small and mid-size businesses face, and it's also one of the most preventable...
What Is a Buy-Sell Agreement for a Louisiana Business and Do You Actually Need One?
What Is a Buy-Sell Agreement for a Louisiana Business and Do You Actually Need One? Business Law Group | Estate Planning & Business Succession A buy-sell agreement is a contract among the co-owners of a business that governs what happens to an owner's interest when a...
What Is Trademark Infringement and What Can a Louisiana Business Owner Actually Do About It?
What Is Trademark Infringement and What Can a Louisiana Business Owner Actually Do About It? Business Law Group | Trademarks & Intellectual Property Trademark infringement occurs when someone uses a name, logo, or other brand identifier that is likely to cause confusion with yours — regardless of whether...
What Is a CAM Charge in a Louisiana Commercial Lease and Can You Actually Negotiate It?
What Is a CAM Charge in a Louisiana Commercial Lease and Can You Actually Negotiate It? Business Law Group | Commercial Leases CAM charges — common area maintenance charges — are the portion of a...
What Should a Louisiana Business Contract Actually Include to Hold Up in Court?
What Should a Louisiana Business Contract Actually Include to Hold Up in Court? Business Law Group | Business Contracts A business contract in Louisiana is only as useful as its enforceability — and a surprisingly high number...
How Do Louisiana Buyers and Sellers Actually Set the Purchase Price for a Small Business?
How Do Louisiana Buyers and Sellers Actually Set the Purchase Price for a Small Business? Business Law Group | Buying / Selling a Business The purchase price in a Louisiana small business acquisition is almost never...
Still an S-Corp? Why Growing Businesses Should Revisit That Election
Plenty of businesses elect S-corp status early on and never look at it again. That's usually fine — until the business changes shape and the election that made sense at $150,000 in revenue starts creating friction at $1.5 million, or when a sale, new partner, or expansion is on the horizon. An S...