Areas of Practice / General Business Law & Planning / Business Law Experience

Joel's Business Law Experience:

Joel's experience in business law goes back to the beginning of his legal career in 1980. Joel has worked with businesses of all sizes, but since 1994 has specialized in small-to-medium-sized closely-held businesses.

Joel has extensive experience handling startup business issues, client maintenance and problem-solving. Among areas of expertise are: choice of entity, financing, contract drafting (including confidentiality, non-compete, employment and other commercial contracts), employment issues, shareholder/buy-sell agreements, lease review/drafting, and representing the business owner in purchase and sale of existing businesses.

The objective has been to build a client base of regular, ongoing clients, rather than clients who use him for “one-shot” matters. Following this philosophy, Joel learns of the strengths, weaknesses, and preferences of his clients. This makes representation of them more efficient, as he knows where they require help and how they prefer dealing with situations. Similarly, clients learn what Joel can do for them, and are more likely to call before a situation gets out of hand.

Besides transactional experience, Joel has a litigation background in the business arena. This experience enables more effective drafting and negotiation of business documents, and assists in representation of commercial clients when disputes arise. In any dispute situation, Joel tries to negotiate a fair and reasonable settlement--allowing the parties to reach an agreement quickly and inexpensively, avoiding costly and time-consuming litigation whenever possible.