Free Consultation
(323) 300-4184
info@omnilawpc.com

Mon – Fri: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm PST

Free Consultation

Los Angeles Business Lawyer

Caption Placed Here

At The Hollywood Lawyer, a Los Angeles business law firm, we provide a broad range of cost-effective corporate legal services to individuals in the entertainment industry. Our clients include emerging and established companies, entrepreneurs, buyers, sellers, investors, and creative talent.

Business Attorneys have expertise in assisting small, mid-size, and large corporations. In Los Angeles, California, and elsewhere, business legal services comprise contracts, compliance, business dissolution, and much more. Our services include:

  • Business Formation
  • Business Contracts
  • Breach of Contract
  • Business Dissolution
  • Partnership Disputes
Los Angeles Business Lawyer

Our Business lawyers in Los Angeles have extensive experience, skills, and legal knowledge. They are uniquely positioned to meet entertainment sector clients’ evolving business needs.

Common Types of Entity Formation

The first step toward creating a legally recognized business is determining which type of business entity you wish to establish. Your decision at this phase will have legal and tax implications for years to come. Our Los Angeles business lawyers frequently work on entertainment industry clients’ behalf to establish companies including:

  • Partnerships
  • Corporations
  • Limited Liability Companies
  • Joint Ventures

Partnerships

In a partnership, two or more individuals enter into a relationship to create a business, financial operation, trade, or venture as partners. Each partner is responsible for contributing money, labor, property, knowledge, or skills to the business based on the agreement among the partners. 

 

Additionally, the partners share in the business’s profits and losses depending on how the business performs. Therefore, one of the most important benefits a seasoned corporate attorney can provide is drafting a partnership agreement in accordance with business law. Some of the elements an effective partnership agreement should spell out include:

  • Business entity’s name
  • Capital, time, and resources for which each partner will be responsible
  • Roles, responsibilities, and authority level of each partner
  • How and whether new partners may be incorporated into the existing partnership
  • How and when will the partnership allocates profit and losses
  • Provisions for partnership dissolution
  • The jurisdiction’s law that will govern the agreement
  • Non-compete, non-disclosure, and non-solicitation clauses

Corporations

Corporations offer protection for the individuals who create them by forming a new legal entity under state law. It shields investors from any liability that would extend beyond their financial contributions. A corporation must pay taxes and can do business under its own name.

Los Angeles business attorneys may recommend that an entertainment industry client incorporate rather than form a partnership for several reasons, including personal protection against the business entity’s liabilities and debts. Additionally, a corporation can continue to exist even when key personnel die or leave for other reasons. Some other benefits of choosing a corporation as a business entity include easy transfer of assets, the ability to issue shares of ownership through stocks, and certain tax advantages.

Limited Liability Companies

A limited liability company, or LLC, is a business entity that can be formed under state law by filing a copy of its articles of organization. An LLC has similarities to corporations and partnerships in their most basic form. The benefit of forming an LLC is that none of its members are personally liable for any of the debts that the LLC entity incurs, similar to a corporation.

You only need one person to form an LLC under state law across the United States. But like a partnership, the LLC retains flexibility about operations, and any profits the LLC generates are passed through to the LLC’s members, who are responsible for paying taxes on them. 

They can assist with drawing up the documentation that the members file with the state. It is essential to seek a competent business law attorney’s advice if your LLC wishes to offer a stake in the business to a foreign investor, if you plan to go public and issue publicly traded stock eventually, or if you think you may seek funding from a venture capitalist.

Joint Ventures

Joint ventures are contractual agreements involving two or more businesses that wish to engage in a common business enterprise. They will share the venture’s expenses, profits, personnel, intellectual property, facilities, and management. 

Especially in the entertainment industry, these contracts can have many moving parts. A business attorney in Los Angeles can advise clients on how to protect their interests within the required memorandum of understanding and letter of intent, which all parties to the joint venture must sign.

Common Types of Business Agreements

Once a business entity is up and running, an experienced lawyer can assist with drafting and negotiating the company’s contracts to continue its operations. Below are some of the most common business agreements we draft and negotiate for entertainment industry clients. Two of the main types of business agreements:

  • Term sheets and investment agreements
  • Operating agreements, bylaws, and shareholder agreements
  • Employment, officer, and independent contractor agreements

Term Sheets and Investment Agreements

A term sheet is nonbinding and outlines the terms and conditions that will apply to a potential business agreement, especially in the context of an agreement for venture capital financing for a new company. 

In most cases, the term sheet is the initial communication that summarizes the company’s valuation, who will retain what percentage of control, when the founders’ rights will vest, voting rights, and preferences for company liquidation. Once agreed upon, these terms are finalized in a binding investment agreement.

Operating Agreements, Bylaws, and Shareholder Agreements

In an LLC, an operating agreement is a binding contract that governs the business’s internal operations, including how the company will make financial and functional decisions. Operating agreements are required by law in several states, and it is recommended to create one even where not explicitly necessary.

Its board of directors usually establishes a corporation’s bylaws after the articles of incorporation are filed. Similar to an operating agreement, the bylaws dictate how a corporation will run and includes board duties and responsibilities, procedures for modifying existing bylaws, and decision-making procedures.

Corporations also create shareholder agreements, which ensure that shareholders’ rights are protected regarding decision-making and share pricing, among other essential terms. A business entity may additionally create similar terms for agreements relating to a company’s founders, members, and owners.

Employment, officer, and independent contractor agreements

Employment, officer, and independent contractor agreements are designed to specify the terms relating to that individual’s title and duties, how they will be compensated, how the company will handle expenses, the benefits to which the individual is entitled, and contingencies for termination of the arrangement between the individual and the company.

Need Legal Help? Contact a Los Angeles Business Attorney

In addition to the business needs relating to entity formation listed above, our experienced legal team also regularly assists entertainment industry clients concerning advising on fundraising and corporate structure, negotiating purchase and sale agreements, and negotiating and reviewing leases. 

Contact a business attorney for a free case consultation, if you need legal assistance and live in the Los Angeles area.


Client Review

The Hollywood Lawyer has been my lawyer going on 5+ years now and there is no one else I will take my business to. From the unbeatable professionalism to fast and thorough responses, Alex and the team have done a phenomenal job of building a business that prioritizes client needs and paint points above all else. The pricing is fair, the services robust, and I can’t recommend The Hollywood Lawyer team enough, particularly for those in the entertainment and media production industry.

Gregory Frank

Let us help you!

If you need any help, please feel free to contact us. We will get back to you within one business day. Or if you’re in a hurry, please
call us now.

Call : (323)-300-4184

info@omnilawpc.comMon – Fri: 9:00 am PST – 6:00 pm PST

     

    Are you looking for someone to help?

    info@thehollywoodlawyer.com Mon – Fri: 9:00 am PST – 6:00 pm PST

    Free Consultation