With Martin & Squires, you will receive strategic legal counsel that allows you to weigh opportunities against risks to make informed decisions that are right for your company. Your Martin & Squires business attorney will work with you to evaluate your business and then proceed in a proactive manner toward your goals while minimizing risk.  We will help you:

• Capitalize on business opportunities while understanding the risks.
• Build company value while managing the related costs.
• Protect against liability without hindering operations and growth.

We represent small, emerging, and medium sized companies in their day-to-day business matters. We work to understand our client’s business and then craft the best legal structure and solutions to the challenges that the client’s individual situation presents.

Martin & Squires attorneys will plan and organize your business, whether you elect to become a C-Corporation, S-Corporation, Limited Liability Company (LLC), Professional Association (P.A.), Professional Services Corporation (S.C.), nonprofit, or other legal entity under Minnesota law, Wisconsin law, or the law of another state.  The types of organizational documents involved in the creation and maintenance of these entities include:

• Articles of incorporation and bylaws
• Articles of Organization for a Limited Liability Company (LLC)
• Limited partnership and limited liability partnership agreements (LLP)
• Corporate governance documents
• Member control agreements
• Resolutions and corporate actions

The ability of individuals, partnerships, corporations and other types of entities to enter into binding and legally enforceable contractual obligations is truly one of the cornerstones of a civilized society. Contract law has evolved into an immensely complex and intricate component of our modern legal system. Although many types of contracts can be handled in the routine course of business, as contracts increase in size, scope, value or complexity, the need for competent legal advice also correspondingly increases. Written contractual instruments that are ambiguous or poorly drafted, can create more problems than they solve.  Preventative counsel is the most cost effective way to mitigate or avoid the costs of litigating a contract gone south.  By having a qualified attorney from Martin & Squires draft and review your contracts, you can save your company from exposure to large potential costs. A good contracts attorney provides preventative counsel, precise language, and is a deal maker not a deal breaker. Examples of contracts that may well need the advice of an attorney are:

• Buy-sell agreements
• Contracts for the purchase or sale of goods
• Promissory notes
• Security agreements
• Asset purchase and sale agreements
• Guarantees

Many businesses are involved in real estate transactions for themselves, their clients or customers.  There are legal as well as business aspects to these transactions.  We provide legal real estate support for the strategy and negotiation of:

• Contracts for sale and contracts for deeds
• Purchase agreements
• Offers and options for real estate purchase
• Mechanic’s liens and foreclosure of those liens
• Indemnity agreements
• Mortgages and pledge agreements
• Affidavits
• Escrow agreements
• Easements
• Lis Pendens
• Deeds
• Negotiation of lease agreements for landlord or tenant
• Agency and broker agreements

Frequently real estate issues involve coordination with local government authorities.  We provide liaison and representation with local governments including planning and zoning commissions (and staff), city councils and county boards, and state agencies, including the Department of Natural Resources and environmental agencies