Business and Tax
Scholten Fant provides a comprehensive array of legal services to all types and sizes of businesses. Our attorneys combine the highest level of legal expertise with practical advice to provide our clients with sound business choices and solutions.
Our attorneys believe it is important to work with our clients and their other professional advisors to develop strategies and implement their business objectives. The extensive experience of our business and tax attorneys in planning and tax techniques permits us to suggest innovative and creative solutions to our clients. We pride ourselves in helping our clients avoid the problems and obstacles which occur in business and help clients make informed and appropriate business decisions.
The following is a description of just some of our areas of expertise:
Business Organization
We counsel clients in the formation of a business (e.g. corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships and associations), including the proper choice of entity, tax structure, capitalization and agreements that define the relationship between owners of the business.Business Operations and Contracts
We provide ongoing advice and counseling to clients on legal compliance and for the day-to-day operations as well as for growth and strategic business planning. We also provide our clients with advice on contractual issues facing business in today’s challenging environment, including the drafting of business contracts with lenders, customers, suppliers, equipment and software vendors, landlords and/or tenants and construction matters.Business Transactions; Mergers and Acquisitions; Dissolutions
We counsel clients on the sale and purchase of both healthy and troubled businesses with appropriate tax minimization planning, asset and stock acquisitions, tax-free reorganization, recapitalizations, mergers, joint ventures, strategic alliances and liquidations/dissolutions.Business Succession Planning
We advise and assist our clients in the implementation of business succession planning for family-owned and closely-held businesses, including transfers to the next generation or key employees. We recognize the fragile and complicated dynamics of business succession and use our expertise to help clients sort through and balance the issues involved to develop appropriate plans.Taxation
We provide strategic tax planning for businesses and owners, and we assist clients with matters before the Internal Revenue Service, Michigan Department of Treasury and other taxing authorities. Our attorneys keep abreast of the ever-changing tax landscape to help clients, in conjunction with accounting firms and financial professionals, minimize their tax burden and resolve tax disputes.Banking, Commercial Law and Creditor’s Rights
We represent lenders, including financial institutions, and borrowers in all aspects of the loan process, including negotiating loan documents and loan workouts. We assist clients with commercial matters, including sales, leases and secured transactions. We provide representation to creditors, secured and unsecured, to enforce their rights, preserve their claims and effect remedies.Employment
We counsel clients as to employee benefits, executive and key employee compensation, employment discrimination, employee handbooks and personnel policies, labor negotiations and confidentiality policies, noncompetition agreements and employment agreements.E-commerce
We assist clients with software licenses, privacy issues, internet and e-mail usage policies, electronic transactions and a variety of legal matters related to their websites and the internet.Non-Profit Organizations
We counsel clients as to the organization of non-profit entities and obtaining tax exemptions. We provide ongoing advice for proper legal operation of non-profit entities.
The attorneys in our Business and Tax Law Section work closely with the attorneys in the Real Estate, Labor/Employment, Environmental and Estate Planning Sections at Scholten Fant to accomplish the best results for our clients.
Whatever your business planning needs, the Business and Tax Law Section strives to provide you and your business the services necessary for success.