Breaking up a business can be difficult — both emotionally and financially. You may have spent years planning your business, building it from the ground up and working 80 hours a week to achieve some level of success. When you realize your business partners, associates or fellow stakeholders no longer have the same goals and aspirations as you, it might be time for a business divorce.
Put simply, business divorce is the legal separation of the owners of a privately held business entity. If the benefits of continuing a business relationship with your co-owners are outweighed by the costs, ending the relationship may be your best option. At Weiner Law Group LLP, our business divorce group is on the cutting-edge of business divorce law, and our business and corporate law attorneys can help you explore options for making your business arrangement more palatable.
You Can Preserve Your Business And Its Assets
Even if the differences between you and your co-owners are beyond repair — and resolving the conflict through amending the ownership agreements is not an option — you can move forward in a way that preserves the business and its assets, along with your investment of time and money. However, business divorce matters are often too complex and emotionally draining to attempt without experienced legal help.
Weiner Law Group LLP has been helping business owners throughout New Jersey since 1988 — we go above and beyond for our clients to ensure they get the solid, results-driven legal help they deserve. Our business divorce law attorneys pay personal attention to every client’s needs and help them navigate the treacherous waters of business divorce with confidence and results-driven representation. We represent individuals, business owners, and closely held businesses in a variety of litigated and transactional business divorce matters. We will help with issues such as:
- Expulsion of limited liability company members — We frequently litigate the expulsion of members from limited liability companies, both on behalf of the majority owners and the minority members sought to be removed.
- Minority shareholder oppression claims — We assist closely held corporations and their individual shareholders in litigation involving oppression claims such as management freeze-outs and squeeze outs, dismissals and termination of employment, payment of dividends other claims involving allegations of unfair or unlawful behavior.
- Limited liability company minority oppression lawsuits — Our attorneys have extensive experience representing limited liability companies and their majority and minority members in claims asserting unfair treatment by those in control of the company.
- Business valuation — Our team has extensive experience working with the right experts to properly value your business’s assets, debts and other obligations, and good will to give you a true picture of the worth of the enterprise. We counsel clients on valuation in litigation as well as transactional matters.
- Deadlock among owners — We assist closely held businesses and their owners in coping with deadlock and other decision making issues.
- Methods of dissolution — Our lawyers guide closely held businesses and their owners through the dissolution process, be it voluntary or involuntary.
- Breach of fiduciary duty — Our attorneys have extensive experience prosecuting and defendant claims of breach of fiduciary duty involving such claims as mergers, acquisitions, self-dealing, misappropriation and competition.
- Misappropriation and prohibited competition — We assist companies in finding and battling the misappropriation of the business assets or prohibited competition by officers, directors or key employees.
- Termination of partnerships and joint ventures — Our attorneys counsel clients in a variety of partnership and joint ventures on the termination of the relations, related issues of partnership accounting, winding up and distribution of assets
- Dissenter’s rights and valuation — We are counsel to corporations and their shareholders in matters involving the exercise of a shareholder’s right of dissent and compulsory purchase of shares.
- Breach of owners’ agreements — We frequently counsel clients in matters alleging the breach of key management agreements including operating agreement, buy-sell agreements, shareholder agreements and partnership agreements.
- Succession planning — We assist the owners of closely-held businesses to plan for their retirement, withdrawal or sale of the enterprise.
Vast Business Law Experience At Your Disposal
Our attorneys’ vast experience in business law matters is at the core of our success in representing clients in business divorce matters. Whether you have mutually agreed to dissolve your business or need to forcibly strip a co-owner of their rights and obligations, we will fully represent your interests and offer creative solutions that satisfy your needs.
To find out more about business divorce — and how our attorneys can help you — call our office in Parsippany at 973-403-1100 or contact us online to schedule an appointment.