Business Entities

At QRG, we do not require large retainer payments or fixed fee contracts because we know the legal needs of a small business can ebb and flow. We will represent your business as much or as little as it needs legal representation. No list can fully document the services QRG can provide to your business, but below are a few of the most common reasons small businesses come to us.

Limited Liability Entities: We help business owners choose and create a legal form that best suits the needs of the business. QRG attorneys know how to create and maintain corporations, LLCs, LLPs, and many more entity forms. We can guide you through the process of incorporation, organization, and electing the proper status for business income taxation. We will also help draft shareholder, partner, or membership agreements if the owners agree about its terms (please note: if you have a dispute with your business partners, D.C. ethics rules will not permit us to represent both the business and you as one of its owners).

Corporate Governance: Who is eligible to serve as a corporate officer? How can the board pass a resolution when the directors are unavailable to meet? What do I have to file annually to keep my business active? How does the Board of Directors approve a contract with an individual who also sits on the Board? These are the type of questions that sometimes arise in managing a small business entity. QRG has the answers and will make your question a priority.

Financing: Whether your business is looking to build operating capital by bringing on investors or by securing loans, QRG will help guide you through the regulatory complexities. Our firm includes counsel experienced in securities regulation and litigation.

Contract Review/Negotiation: From commercial leases to licensing agreements to vendor contracts, we know what clauses to watch out for and will tell you what every paragraph means in plain language. If you need our attorneys to negotiate contract terms on your behalf or even draft a contract from scratch, we can provide those services as well. QRG can counsel your business in contract matters in all three DMV jurisdictions.

Dispute Resolution: At QRG, we help our clients avoid the waste and hassle of litigation through zealous representation in resolving business disputes. Whether that involves serving as arbitration counsel or merely writing a well-researched and persuasive letter, we will do everything we can to resolve the matter in your favor. On occasion, we will agree to represent our business clients in litigation. Our attorneys are admitted to practice in state and federal courts in D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia, including the U.S. Tax Court.

Tax Compliance: The statutes, regulations, and rulings governing business income taxation can seem impenetrable, but we have the experience to help you make sense of the IRS labyrinth. QRG also employs a staff accountant who works with our attorneys to review financial records to make sure our clients receive the most targeted advice.

Intellectual Property: If you think your business’s trade name or logo should be protected from use by competitors, we can assess your case for federal registration and walk you through the application process.

Employment Law: The District of Columbia boasts of some of the most worker-friendly laws in the country. The Virginia and Maryland counties around D.C. have recently adopted similar measures. The requirements imposed on employers tend to be progressive and change with relative swiftness. No business owner wants to find out through an audit that the company is not giving its employees benefits to which they are entitled. QRG can help you make sure your business is compliant with the latest changes in law. We can also assist with employment law issues involving wage garnishment orders, employee hiring or termination, and the payment of payroll and withholding taxes.

Regulatory Compliance: Sometimes businesses can encounter very specific regulatory questions, such as how to execute a contract in a foreign territory so that the transaction complies with regulations governing U.S. companies operating abroad. QRG attorneys have the experience to answer the most difficult compliance questions and, if compliance ultimately requires the assistance of a specialist or an attorney outside of the DMV, our clients benefit from our vast referral network.