BUSINESS FORMATION

Business and Corporate Lawyers

Serving Akron, Canton, Summit County, Portage and Medina, Ohio.

If you own a business as a sole proprietor or a partnership, are starting a business, or are thinking about starting a business, our business attorneys can help advise you on forming a legal entity that fits your needs. Our team of business lawyers can help you select the type of business entity that will both protect you from personal liability for your company’s debts and give you the best possible tax treatment. As business attorneys, we also consider issues of ownership, and how new owners can be added or old owners be bought out as well as what happens if your partner dies, or gets divorced.

A well thought out company formation can handle these issues and a lot more. If you’re currently running a business as a sole-proprietor, you can be sued personally for the actions and debts of the business. Meaning that your house and other personal assets are at risk. Having a legal entity created will limited the liability for the company’s actions to the company’s assets. We call this the corporate veil. There are several types of entities and each one has its pros and cons. Too many people, however, think that merely filing a piece of paper with the Secretary of State is enough to form a company. This just isn’t the case. The filing is only the first step. That’s why it’s important to speak to a business attorney when you form a company.

How do you form a business in Ohio? Our business attorneys can help you choose the business type that’s best for you. Then our lawyers will file that entity with the state, register any trade names or DBA’s. After that, we’ll secure a taxpayer identification number for the new company, create a corporate record book, and fill out the share certificates, operating agreement, and other documents. 

If you are wondering whether the name you want for your business is available, you can check here (https://businesssearch.ohiosos.gov/) at the Ohio Secretary of State.