Though any business is profit-oriented, what determines its reputation is its business ethics. Their reputation is usually reflected in its accounting procedures.
Even if a business organization follows ethical accounting standards, there is a chance it will face a financial loss due to external factors, such as a decrease in purchase orders, shortage of raw materials, transport problems and so on. These are times when businesses need guidance. This guidance is offered by business lawyers.
Unlike injury lawyers or civil and criminal lawyers, who work in courts of law, a great majority of business lawyers work in private firms as legal advisors on consultancy terms, or for the Federal and state government.
Business lawyers help businesses grow without any problems with Federal and state rules and regulations. For example, one business lawyer may help a business firm to raise its capital. Another business lawyer may help a commercial firm by letting all employees sign an agreement so as to prevent its employees from starting their own competing businesses using the firm’s trade secrets.
Business lawyers are specialized in handling all important aspects of running a good and effective business enterprise on ethical principles. They handle dealer practices, contracts of employment, mergers and acquisitions, securities, shareholder issues, trade secrets, business fraud and all other related issues. Many business lawyers represent the business organization for which they work, in any dispute.
Some business lawyers also handle cases for individual employees in business houses, for example in a case when a worker is fired without being paid the compensation that he deserves. Business lawyers in Florida work in specialized areas such as antitrust and trade regulations, business litigation, labor and employment, taxes, workers’ compensation and other related matters.
All lawyers working in Florida are obligated to be members of the Florida Bar Association, an official organ of the Supreme Court of Florida. The bar regulates the functioning of all certified lawyers in the state.
The official website of the Florida Bar Association, http://www.floridabar.org, is an excellent resource for finding business lawyers in the Sunshine State. Apart from guiding interested businesses and individuals to locate business lawyers in Florida, the website hosts pamphlets of information on `Buying a Business Opportunity,’ `Buying a Franchise,’ `Client’s Security Fund,’ and other topics which will be of immense use to a business owner or a prospective business owner.
By: Peter Emerson
Atlanta Bankruptcy Lawyers April 25th, 2010
Bankruptcy derives its meaning from the Italian word “banca rotta”, which means broken bench. Broken bench represents the ancient Italian custom of breaking a businessman’s trading bench if he did not pay his debts. Over the centuries, the law has been framed to protect the interests of both creditors as well as debtors as a decent way to manage the debtor’s financial crisis. The US bankruptcy law is a court process for managing bankruptcy that may hit both consumers as well as businesses. A bankruptcy lawyer would help to eliminate and repay debts as per the bankruptcy court’s protection system.
Bankruptcy is of two kinds: liquidation and reorganization. Liquidation bankruptcy, covered under Chapter 7, involves the wiping out of the debts by selling nonexempt property and using the credits to pay the creditors. On the other hand, in a reorganization bankruptcy, which is covered under Chapters 11, 12 and 13, the debtor makes a plan to repay either a part of the debt or the entire debt. The pay off period under reorganized bankruptcy is usually around 3 to 5 years.
Hiring a lawyer in a bankruptcy case would prove to be very useful at all stages of the bankruptcy process. Bankruptcy lawyers would help in settling unsecured accounts like credit cards, personal loans, utility bills etc for less than the debt amount, thus providing an alternative to bankruptcy. Bankruptcy lawyers would also help to evaluate the options as to the kind of bankruptcy that has to be filed. They also help to settle assets in order and handle the files if the debts are too large and involve considerable assets.
Bankruptcy forms in Georgia are also similar to those in other states, though some additional forms may be required as per local rules. Atlanta bankruptcy lawyers are bound by the fee guidelines given by the Atlanta bankruptcy court. These fees are similar to those paid to bankruptcy lawyers in other major metropolitan area in the US. While choosing a bankruptcy lawyer in Atlanta, care should be taken to select one who has experience in handling bankruptcy cases and who has a proven track record of handling such cases successfully.
Information about Atlanta bankruptcy lawyers is available in yellow pages, via search engines like Google and Yahoo, and through advertisements of law firms. There are also attorney directories available on the internet which would provide comprehensive information about Atlanta bankruptcy lawyers. Information about Atlanta bankruptcy lawyers is also available through the county bar association and the state Bar Association, which is a part of the American Bar Association. Friends and family members may also provide useful referrals for good bankruptcy lawyers.
By: Alison Cole