How do you go from a great business idea to a great business? The attorneys at Curtis Legal Group have helped countless businesses start up and go forward to success.

There are a number of choices that any forming business has to make. Chief among them is the choice of what kind of business to be.

California law allows the formation of five different kinds of business entities: the corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships, general partnerships, and limited liability partnerships.

Corporations. These have historically been the single most popular way to form and run a company. On the other hand, a corporation may or may not be right for your needs.

Corporations are created under state law, and are a separate business entity from the people who form them. They can remain in existence in perpetuity, and successful corporations far outlast their founders.

Curtis Legal Group can advise you on all of the pros and cons of forming a corporation. If you decide that you want to go in that direction, we can create all of the necessary legal documents to form your corporation, including writing and filing the Articles of Incorporation and creating your corporate bylaws.

We can also walk you through the steps to dissolve a corporation, if that is what you need.

Limited Liability Companies (LLC). This is the most rapidly growing type of business in the country, taking the place of various kinds of partnerships and S corporations. In an LLC, you can take advantage of many of the liability limits and tax benefits of those kinds of entities, without many of the restrictions.

General Partnerships. Many small companies that are just starting out begin life as a partnership. These organizations are really like a sole proprietorship which is in the hands of more than one person. While there can be advantages to partnerships, each individual retains full responsibility for all of the debts of the company, and there are also other tax consequences. We form very few general partnerships now that LLC's are available.

Limited Partnerships. These are most commonly used for real estate related entities.

Limited Liability Partnerships. This is the equivalent of an LLC for certain professions (like doctors).

Once Your Business Is Created, We Continue to Work With You:

We will continue to work with you to make sure that your business is structured and run in the right way.

We can help with how to internally structure your organization. We provide sound advice on regulatory issues, and work with you on all employment issues through our Employment Law Group. And, if necessary, we can work with you on all issues connected with dissolving your company and moving on with your life.