General Counsel Services
Lustig & Wickert provides outside general counsel services to small to medium size businesses in Illinois. Most of our clients can’t afford to hire a full-time in-house lawyer, so we give them the edge of having a focused business law firm on-call without the expense of having a full-time business attorney on staff.
Corporations~Limited Liability Companies
We form new corporations and limited liability companies for our clients on a same day basis at no extra charge. This means that your new business can be up and running in 24 hours with all the necessary formalities. You will be able to open a bank account, hire personnel, sign contracts and conduct business immediately.
Common Business Legal Needs
Lustig & Wickert assists its clients with the legal needs that are common to most businesses, such as preparing or reviewing leases, employment agreements, non-disclosure agreements, independent contractors agreements and vendor contracts. We routinely advise our clients on employment matters including hiring and termination, and help them navigate the minefield of laws and regulations regarding independent contractors, non-competition agreements, non-solicitation agreements, non-disclosure agreements, trade secrets, trademarks and intellectual property rights. When the time comes to terminate an employee, we can recommend severance or termination agreements and advise our clients through the myriad laws impacting this relationship. We can also help you structure new business relationships and create the agreements that make them work. We can answer your legal questions and give you solid business advice you can rely on. Whatever your business legal needs, trust Lustig & Wickert to handle them properly.
Business Purchases and Sales
We are also skilled at handling the purchase and sale of our clients business interests, including stock purchases, asset purchases and mergers. We are experienced at everything from negotiations and contracting, to closing. We work closely with our clients tax advisor to structure the proposed transaction in a tax advantaged way. We can review critical documents such as real estate leases, loan documents, employment agreements, non-competition agreements, vendor contracts and insurance policies and help develop transactional strategies. Once a contract has been signed and the deal formalized, we work closely with our clients and their accountants to close the transaction and transfer the business interest.
Shareholder Agreements
Lustig & Wickert can also recommend shareholder agreements and operating agreements which impose rights, obligations and restrictions upon the individual shareholders and owners of a businesses. These types of agreements frequently determine the outcome in the event of death, disability, divorce, termination of employment, purchase or sale of an interest in the business, deadlock and failure to agree.
Corporate Compliance
No matter what industry your business is in, corporate compliance affects your business regularly.From filing required reports with governmental agencies to conducting at least annual meetings of the owners or corporations and LLC’s, corporate compliance is is an essential part of your operations. Corporate compliance is name we give the process of making sure your company management and employees follow the laws, regulations, standards, and ethical practices that apply to your business.
Effective corporate compliance will cover both internal policies and rules and federal and state laws. Enforcing compliance in corporate policy will help your company prevent and detect violations of rules and laws. This can save your business from fines and lawsuits and protect the owners and operators from personal liability. Corporate compliance also lays out expectations for company management and employee behavior, helps your staff stay focused on your company’s broader goals, and helps operations run smoothly. Ask us how we can assist your business with its corporate compliance obligations.
Franchises
If you are an existing franchisor or franchisee, or are considering becoming one of them, we can help. Unlike many law firms, we take a balanced approach by representing both franchisees and franchisors (not of the same system of course). By knowing both sides, we are better able to help our clients navigate difficult issues. We have a deep understanding of the relationship dynamics that underpin all franchise systems. Even the best franchises have disputes and issues with their franchisor. We know franchising and we can help.
Registered Agents
All business entices with a presence in Illinois are required by law to have a resident of the State of Illinois act as the official Registered Agent of the business to receive service of process and other official communications. Most of our business clients request that we serve as their Registered agent in the State of Illinois and we have developed special systems and procedures for handling this responsibility and to maintain the requisite documentation to keep the business in good legal standing. We also serve as Registered Agent for foreign businesses that also have a physical presence in Illinois.
