The business lawyer provides legal advice in nearly all aspects of a business, being an asset for burgeoning small businesses who may not be familiar with the bureaucratic process of enacting their business model. Generally, the business lawyer will ensure that a company complies with local laws and regulations, offering advice from the formation to the dissolution of a business. Business lawyers can also be an asset for handling lawsuits, reviewing contracts, overlooking staff manuals, and enforcing policies.
Specialties of a Business Lawyer
- Writing a business plan to represent to potential investors.
- Researching a name or logo for your business that is free of copyright or trademarks.
- Creating partnership agreements.
- Describing the sometimes confusing aspects of submitting necessary IRS forms and maneuvering taxes.
- Dealing with federal entities filing complaints or investigating a business.
- Lawsuits where your business is involved, directly or indirectly.
A corporate lawyer works within a corporate setting, usually representing larger businesses. Sometimes deemed as transactional lawyers, corporate lawyers help write contracts, avoid litigation, and help with behind the scenes legal work of emerging companies. Litigators can also be corporate attorneys, as they are lawyers who represent corporations, either bringing a suit against an identity or defending the corporation if it is being sued.
Corporate lawyers are typically found in large law firms, with seasoned experts working as an in-house counsel. This means they operate within the legal department of a business, working adjacent with other departments helping the corporation make sound business decisions compliant with local and international laws.
Specialties of a Corporate Lawyer
- You may need a corporate lawyer if you want to incorporate your business or you have already incorporated, and you need further advice.
- If you have a business model that deals with contracts, especially with international identities, then a corporate lawyer will help to ensure that both parties are compliant and that the contract is legally valid.
- Corporate lawyers check investor rights, acquisitions, and issues involving corporate structure.
Business Lawyer vs. Corporate Lawyer
One of the significant differences between corporate and business lawyers is that corporate law tends to provide guidelines in purchases and selling of items, who are savvy in the sometimes bureaucratic process of selling services in an international market. Corporate law affects businesses significantly, with many companies involved in legal troubles due to a breach of a corporate mandate. In business law, lawyers cover areas such as employment and taxes.
Corporate law embodies corporate identities and how they are managed and formed. Business law covers several areas of law such as employment and commercial transactions. Both affect business and business entities and can be an asset in any business, regardless of its size. These entities include limited liability partnerships, sole proprietorships, and mergers.
An easy way to differentiate between corporate lawyers and business lawyers is seeing that business is an activity – it involves the selling and buying of goods. In contrast, corporate law is concerned with the operations, activities, and validity of a corporation only. To find out more or to have your questions answered, contact us today.