Business owners want a law firm that will work with them to solve their legal problems, advise them on business strategy and growth, and make their lives easier. Our clients know they can call us for whatever they need. We will help them with most of their business needs, but if more technical expertise is required, we will provide guidance and help in locating and working with the appropriate professional experts. Many conversations from our clients begin with, "I'm thinking about doing something and want to run it by you."
Clients look to us for legal advice that is practical and takes into account their specific situation and needs. Often the client isn’t even aware of the legal and other pitfalls they may encounter. The client may be:
- Entering into a new contract and wanting us to prepare it, or reviewing someone else’s draft, keeping in mind that the parties will want and need a good working relationship after they sign the documents. It may be a contract with a vendor, customer, subcontractor, or even their bank.
- Thinking about a new business venture and wanting to know what to watch out for before they get too far down the road.
- Opening a new location, buying a franchise, evaluating a joint venture, or otherwise expanding an existing business.
- Hiring someone to help with a company’s finances or some other aspect of its operations.
- Applying for a bank loan.
- Looking for a referral to another subject matter expert or professional.
Our clients know that we are entrepreneurial lawyers who take a holistic view, considering not only the needs of the business but also the personal goals of each business owner. We pride ourselves on our reputation for practical application of our technical legal skills, business acumen, and experience. We add value in each encounter with them, providing trusted business advice and guidance -- whether it involves technical legal application or not. Thanks to our collegial culture, efficient size, focus on Colorado and our region, and ability to simply walk down the hall or pick up the phone to get immediate answers for a client, Minor & Brown is prepared – no matter what the question or issue.
MB Law in Action – Featured Client Case Studies
Case Study: Investing in a New Business is not for the Faint of Heart
Our Client’s Objective: A business owner has been offered the opportunity to invest in a strip mall with a friend, and wants to know what questions to ask.
MB Approach: We quickly reviewed the materials provided by the friend and then came up with a list of things to watch out for. It started with “How well do you know this friend,” went on to address how much business acumen and specific applicable experience that a friend has to run this type of business, and then looked at other more technical practical and legal questions, such as, “How do you get your money back,” "What if you and your friend have different plans for the property;” and “What if all of the leases come up for renewal at the same time,” and “Do you have personal beliefs about the types of businesses operated on the property?”
What’s Next? The client is off and running, talking to the friend (and yes, they are still friends) and looking at the investment opportunity with a much better understanding and knowledge of the framework of their business relationship and the questions to be asked.
Case Study: When an Agreement is really a “Hidden Franchise”
Our Client’s Objective: Our client wanted to allow another business to operate under its name and use its logo, and just wanted a simple license agreement.
MB Approach: Licenses for names and logos are tricky because sometimes they really are franchises under federal and state law. If so, then that “simple license” just opened up a massive liability for the client. We talked about what the client really wanted, what type of controls they wanted over the business licensee, and then reviewed the law to see how far the client could go without stepping over that franchise line.
What’s Next? We talked with the client to ensure that they were still willing to do the deal, with the limitations and requirements that we needed to include. It was a “GO,” so we drafted the agreement, and the parties are happily working together.
Practice Strengths
A key attribute that sets us apart is our reputation for smart and relevant business advice across a wide variety of business issues, such as:
- Review of contracts, bank loan documents, and other business agreements
- Considering someone for a joint venture or another type of business relationship
- Expanding the business, with people or locations or both
- Terminating a contract
- A personal dispute or divorce referral