Miami General Counsel Attorney

Most successful corporations maintain an in-house general counsel to handle the vast legal needs associated with running a business in Miami. From choosing the right business entity to managing employee disputes, your company will require assistance from an experienced lawyer as it grows.

At Trembly Law Firm, attorney Brett Trembly and his team of dedicated Miami general counsel attorneys understand that most small and mid-sized businesses cannot afford to keep full-time, in-house counsel on staff. That’s why our firm pioneered a General Counsel Program that allows Miami businesses to obtain all the benefits of having a dedicated general counsel lawyer for a fraction of the cost.

Discuss our corporate counsel package, which permits you to get tailored legal services on an ‘as-needed’ basis, with our Miami general counsel attorney today by calling (305) 614-8137.

In-House Counsel v. Outside Counsel

Businesses employ in-house lawyers on a full-time basis. Instead of working for a law firm, corporate counsel works exclusively for your company. These legal generalists handle basic business matters, such as reviewing employee contracts and responding to information requests, but refer more challenging legal issues to outside counsel.

Outside counsel, such as a tax or employment lawyer, works for a law firm and handles complex questions and litigation in certain areas. Businesses may choose to retain both in-house and outside counsel, but this is cost-prohibitive for most small and mid-sized companies in Miami. We offer a different solution at the Trembly Law Firm: Outside general counsel.

Legal Services Provided by Our General Counsel Lawyers in Miami

Our award-winning firm offers local businesses dedicated general counsel services on an ‘as-needed’ basis, meaning you obtain all the benefits of having an established general counsel lawyer without the additional employee management expenses. Services our Miami general counsel attorneys provided include the following:

Business Planning and Formation: Florida recognizes six types of business entities, each with its benefits, drawbacks, and formation requirements. Our attorneys might help prospective business owners choose the right Florida business entity for their endeavors and execute binding formation paperwork to protect their future interests. This often includes articles of incorporation and initial stock offerings.
Financing: From structuring investments to selling stock, general counsel lawyers can help you obtain needed business financing while protecting your profits and financial future.
Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A): Many successful small businesses in Miami draw attention from investment firms or larger corporations seeking to acquire the company. Our experienced M&A lawyers can help you analyze any offers and structure the best deal for you and your family.
Liquidations and Dispositions: This complicated process often involves various tax, corporate, and property laws. We provide disposition services on an ‘as-needed’ basis.
Regulation: Both federal, state and local regulations will impact your business. Understanding these regulations now can protect you from unmanageable fines and government interference in the future.
Business Succession: As your business assets and liabilities grow, it’s important to consider what happens when trusted owners and management retire. We help successful Miami family-owned businesses plan for the future and grow to support the next generation.

Whether you have questions about the wording of a website development contract or have received a large offer to purchase your business, our dedicated Miami general counsel attorneys act as the go-to lawyers for your company.

Benefits of Retaining Outside General Counsel

We believe that every small business deserves a dedicated attorney who understands its core values and unique needs. While in-house counsel provides this level of representation, it’s often a financial net negative structure. This is especially true because most in-house attorneys only handle general matters, costing you more when complex matters are referred to a law firm. Our Miami General Counsel Program provides local businesses with the following benefits.

Adding Legal Representation to Your Business Development Team

Partners and clients take businesses with established counsel more seriously than those without dedicated representation. At the Trembly Law Firm, our qualified Miami general counsel lawyers provide established services as outside legal support as part of your business organization’s development and leadership team. This allows you to ensure investors, partners, and clients that you have experienced counsel on your side without the unmanageable expenses of maintaining an in-house corporate attorney.

Reducing Unnecessary Legal Costs

Many successful attorneys transition to in-house counsel after gaining experience at prominent business law firms. As such, a quality in-house lawyer will generally demand a salary and benefits comparable to those provided by big law. This structure financially prevents most small and mid-sized businesses in Miami from obtaining high-quality in-house counsel on a full-time basis.

By retaining outside counsel from the Trembly Law Firm, you receive all the benefits of having a dedicated general counsel lawyer without the added costs. We provide businesses with as-needed legal services throughout the greater Miami area after establishing an individual relationship with your company. This cost-effective approach allows you to obtain legal counsel contractually without the financial burden of employing an experienced corporate lawyer.

Access to Top-Quality Miami Business Litigators

Though litigation services are not included in our General Counsel Package, having an established relationship with our law firm gives you immediate access to qualified legal representation in the event you need to involve the courts. You do not have to waste valuable time interviewing attorneys. Instead, our experienced Miami corporate litigators will quickly send time-sensitive legal notices and respond to lawsuits as would dedicated in-house counsel. We also provide litigation defense services, saving you the additional time and expense of retaining another attorney to defend your interests in court.

Miami General Counsel Attorney for Employers

Employee, contractor, and applicant disputes are a leading cause of business litigation in Florida. The following are only a few of the numerous legal schemes potentially applicable to businesses with employees:

Equal Employment Opportunity Act (EEO)
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Affordable Care Act (ACA)
Federal wage, labor, and overtime laws
Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
Florida workers’ compensation insurance laws
Vicarious liability (employer liability for employee acts)
Anti-harassment and equal pay laws
Federal business immigration laws
IRS regulations
At-will employment laws
OSHA (federal workplace health and safety regulations)

By working with outside general counsel for small businesses in Miami, you can drastically reduce your liability exposure. This often involves drafting binding employee handbooks and learning how to enforce your policies consistently while complying with federal, state, and local laws. Examples of liability-reducing documents that the experienced business attorneys at the Trembly Law Firm can tailor to your business needs include the following:

Employee Handbooks

An employee handbook sets forth the rules and regulations for employees at your business, including dress codes, language use, disciplinary actions, and performance expectations. By having your employees diligently review the handbooks, allowing them to seek independent legal advice, and signing each provision, you establish legal grounds for termination, discipline, and even promotion. However, you may waive your right to refer back to the handbook if you do not equally and consistently enforce the provisions.

Our experienced general counsel lawyers may help you draft a binding employee handbook and work with you to enforce its provisions, ensuring you have documented legal grounds for making future employment decisions.

Employee Contracts

Florida is an at-will employment state. This means you can generally fire employees at any time and for any legal reason. However, when you send offer letters or set forth the terms of employment in writing, you must ensure that you’re not unintentionally creating a binding contractual relationship. Experienced general counsel lawyers will help you draft offer letters and employee documents to ensure you preserve your at-will employment rights and do not terminate employees in violation of federal or state law.

Severance Agreements

If you need to terminate an employee who may claim protection under federal anti-discrimination laws, our employment team might help you draft severance and waiver agreements. Investing in these agreements now can protect you from protracted and expensive litigation.

Independent Contractor/Vendor Agreements

Vendors are often the heart of Miami businesses. Vendor issues or delays can drastically impact your revenue and business reputation. Drafting strong vendor agreements now can ensure you’re indemnified and insured against vendor issues outside your control. Though you cannot prevent vendor negligence, our lawyer might help protect you from the potential financial fallout of vendor mistakes and identify risky relationships.

Computer and Phone Use Policies

Most businesses require technology to operate, which means giving certain employees access to corporate phones and computers. Having a strict computer and phone use policy is essential for protecting yourself from liability for unlawful employee actions online.

You can get ahead of employee disputes by working with our legal team to draft and enforce strong employment policies. They might also protect you from significant liability for unlawful employee actions and negligent hiring claims.

Counsel for Business Transactions and Contracts

Every contract matters when it comes to small businesses. Our General Counsel Program gives you access to dedicated legal advice for every agreement and contract related to your business, especially human resource policies and enforcement. These agreements may cover the following:

Confidentiality
Non-compete
Procurement
Terms and conditions
Manufacturing
Distribution
Website development
Equipment leases
Software licenses
Franchises
Loans

Obtaining the right contract now can save small and mid-sized businesses from potentially bankrupting disputes in the future. Discuss how our lawyers might negotiate and draft these agreements without requiring a long-term representation contract or unmanageable retainer fees.

Advantages of Our Unique Miami General Counsel Program

Unlike other small business firms, we’re not afraid to explain why the Trembly Law Firm is different.

Focusing Resources on the Five Danger Zones

As the first law firm to institute this program in the greater Miami area, our experienced business attorneys have identified what we call the ‘Five Danger Zones’ for small and mid-sized businesses. By understanding how these danger zones apply to your business, our legal professionals can design a dedicated plan to help protect employers, lower insurance rates, and reduce litigation risks. This system also allows you to strategically allocate legal resources to high-risk areas.

Retention

Our General Counsel Program boasts a 95% retention rate. Client satisfaction, and not law firm politics, are at the core of our representation strategy. Small businesses in Miami, FL, are already saving on fees and obtaining quality legal representation by retaining experienced outside general counsel.

Alignment

Unlike other law firms, we do not require long-term contracts for our General Counsel Program. Our system is truly designed to provide you with ‘as-needed’ legal services without charging you veiled costs for long-term contracts.

Core Values

Every morning, our law firm reinforces its Core Values with all our employees. Each attorney and staff member is required to maintain a strict system of Core Values that are reviewed and enforced each quarter. As part of these values, we invest heavily in team building, legal training, and developmental workshops to ensure you’re receiving quality representation from quality attorneys.

Communication Policies

According to the American Bar Association, the top bar complaints against attorneys are neglect and failure to communicate. In other words, business lawyers often fail to respond to client calls and emails. We are proactive about this common concern at the Trembly Law Firm and use an in-house controller and tracking system that allows us to maintain manageable staff-to-client ratios. This means you don’t get pushed to the side because you’re a small business in Miami.

We have a high retention rate because we maintain the right policies and training to ensure client satisfaction. If you need legal assistance for your business, connect with our reputable legal team today.

Miami Corporate Counsel Lawyers for Small Businesses

For more information on the unique Miami General Counsel Attorney Program offered by the Trembly Law Firm, connect with our dedicated Florida business attorneys today. We offer legal support to business owners, board members, management, HR, staff, and shareholders in greater Miami at a fraction of the cost associated with hiring in-house counsel.

Discuss the right representation package for your business with our experienced general counsel lawyers in south Florida by calling (305) 614-8137 or connecting with our legal support team online.