Sheppard Law

SLIDELL BUSINESS LAWYER FOR YOUR LOCAL BUSINESS LAW NEEDS

Think hiring a business lawyer/general counsel in Louisiana and Mississippi for your company or to file a trademark for you is out of your budget?

Want to start a business of your own but don’t know where to even begin?

Own a business now and want to see it expand?

Whether you have been in business for quite some time or you just thought about starting a business today, Sheppard Law can help.

The Business Law Division offers business and commercial law services for areas like Slidell, Lacombe, Covington, Bush, Sun, Mandeville, Madisonville, Pearl River, Hammond, and Baton Rouge at affordable rates that won’t blow your budget for the year.

What Makes Our Business Law Firm Different?

For starters, we’re local just like you and your business. Why does that matter? Well, it means you don’t have to travel across the Lake just to see your business lawyer. Don’t worry New Orleans clients- we are a Skype, phone call, or drive away to you as well for your corporate needs

Amber is an active member of multiple national American Bar Association committees and of the Internatioanl Trademark Association, so she is constantly talking with peers across the world and gaining litigation and strategy insight.
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1. USPTO Trademark Practice and Policy Committee
2. ABA- IPL Trademark Litigation Committee
3. ABA-IPL Trademark Legislation Committee
4. ABA-IPL Young Lawyer's Action Group, where she is Trademark Subcommittee chair
5. Louisiana State Bar Association IPL Committee

Amber has real-world experience managing, operating, and owning businesses. Business law wasn’t just a class she took in school or read about online.

As a busy person herself, Amber and Sheppard Law value your time. That’s why at Sheppard Law we keep your real life schedule in mind. You should be able to do what you love: spend time with loved ones and manage your business. Need to meet with a business contract lawyer or business formation attorney before you head to the office or after the office closes? Just ask for an early morning or evening appointment--- we will do our best to accommodate you.

"Y'all means all". We accept clients of all walks of life, gender, sexual orientation, and race. You will never feel out of place or less than at our office.

Do you prefer to communicate via email, text, phone, or in person? Let us know. We will do our best to work with you how you prefer to handle matters. Of course there are times where we have to meet or speak on the phone but for those who live and die by their email and texts, we got you covered too.

Unique Legal Solutions, Authentic Advocacy™

Business Law Services:

Types of Louisiana and Mississippi Business Law Issues Sheppard Law Can Handle

· In-house counsel (otherwise known as General Counsel)

· Business Formation or Modifications
o Sole proprietor
o Partnerships
o Limited liability corporations (LLC)
o Corporations
o LLPs, PLLCs
o Nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) status applications)
o Preparation of related documentation (Articles of Incorporation, Operating Agreements, Resolutions, Filing with Secretary of State, Generating a Tax ID Number)

· Document drafting and document review
     o Buy Sell Agreements
     o Noncompete, non-solicitation, and confidentiality agreements (nondisclosure)
     o Commercial contracts, including services agreements, partnering agreements, vendor/supplier agreements and resale agreements
     o Employment contracts
     o Employee manuals
     o Independent contractor agreements
     o Corporate governance, including board of director matters and stockholders’/leases voting agreements
     o Liability Waivers
     o Model Release Waivers

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· LGBTQIA+ business friendly
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· POC business friendly

· Agent for service of process
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· Managing and Negotiating Corporate Transactions
     o Strategic alliances, joint ventures and other partnering transactions
     o Leveraged buy-outs
     o Sales of businesses
     o Dissolutions

· Intellectual Property
     o Louisiana Trademark and service marks
   o Louisiana trademark knockout search
  o Missisippi trademark knockout search
o Louisiana small business copyrights
o Mississippi small business copyrights
   o Mississippi Trademark and service marks
     o Trademark and service mark enforcement via cease and desist letters (enforcement of trademark)

· Worker’s Compensation policy review

· Contract Negotiations

· Securing Licenses and Permits

· Zoning Hearings
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· Deciding whether someone should be employee or independent contractor

· Family Law Services specifically for business owners
o Pre-nuptial agreements,
o Antenuptial agreements
o Divorce (uncontested)
o Community property partitions
· Wills and Successions specifically for business owners (will, power of attorney, healthcare power of attorney, successions) specifically for business owners
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Business Law Service Methods

Business Subscription Services (Retainer)

.Understanding you have limited resources but may need an attorney more often than you think in your business endeavors, we offer monthly legal services subscriptions for our small business and corporate clients that includes.·

· Monthly meeting with you and your attorney
· Document review
· Legal opinions
· Included Notary service
· Discounts on our other services

Flat Fee and Hourly Services.

Have a limited budget for your commercial business legal services (like generating a document, forming a business, contract negotiations)? Then you likely need our flat fee service. If you have a legal issue that may require more time and attention but isn't in our flat rate service package don't worry-- we have hourly rates that won’t break your bank.

Our most popular service flat rate services for a majority of legal items your business may need, such as a single document drafting, formation of your organization and filing with the secretary of state, or nonprofit formations, just to name a few.

Some of our flat fee services for our Slidell, Louisiana business law clients or our Lacombe, Louisiana contract law clients include:

· Trademark applications
· Notarized documents
· Document review
· Document creation
· Liability waive
· Model release waive
· Buy/Sell agreements
· Confidentiality agreements
· Nonsolicitation agreements
· Noncompete agreements
· Operating agreements
· Bylaws
· Minutes and resolutions
· Demand letters

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· Copyright applications
· Board of Director manuals and practices
· Employment applications
· Employee or independent contractor agreements and contracts
· Employee manuals, policies, and procedures
· Standard Operating Procedures
· Business formations
· Nonprofit formation
· 501(c)(3) nonprofit application
· Consultations
· Review of documents and legal opinions
· Appeals
· Settlement negotiations

Business formations, modifications of existing business entities, trademarks, and consultations:

You need to make sure you, your business, and your assets are properly protected. Whether you are a Slidell, Louisiana one woman (or man) operation or run a team of thousands, the best way protect yourself is to set up your business correctly right from the start.

Sheppard Law offers a variety of flat fee business formation or modification options for our Northshore Louisiana and Mississippi clients.

1. Simple Formation: This is the best option for simple businesses which do not require discussion or those wishing to save costs. do not have a consultation and you simply fill out a form for me (with a bunch of questions) to register you with the LA or MS SOS and we will get you your EIN number/tax ID number. There are no questions answered except for very nominal questions

2. Consultation: If you aren't sure what the best route for your business or nonprofit is then this is the choice for you. We will meet via phone or Zoom about your business for up to an hour, discuss long term and short term goals, employees v. 1099, simple trademark search for the proposed business name, discuss insurance, lease agreements if you’re renting a space, client or customer agreements if you need that, auto-draft policies if necessary in those agreements, cancellation policies, intellectual property ownership, partnership agreements with magazines, vendors, or organizations…..essentially anything you want to talk about.

This is also the option for you if you got served with something by the Sheriff for your business or were sent a letter from a former employee. Maybe you are not sure what your legal questions are yet or you have some legal questions and want to know your options moving forward.

3. Basic business or nonprofit protection: includes up to a 30 minute virtual consultation, articles of incorporation with the LA or MS SOS, and an EIN number/tax ID number.

4. Advanced Business Protection: this includes up to a 30 minute virtual consultation, articles of incorporation with the LA or MS SOS, EIN number/tax ID number, BOI report filing, and an operating agreement for the LLC with one round of edits.

5. Advanced Nonprofit Formation and Application Drafting: creation of articles of incorporation, up to one hour virtual consultation, by laws, tax identification number, registration with Secretary of State, liability forms, and drafting of legal materials related to the IRS 501(c)(3) application.

6. Elite business protection: this includes up to a 30 minute virtual consultation, articles of incorporation with the LA or MS SOS, EIN number/tax ID number, an operating agreement for the LLC or bylaws for the corporation with one round of edits, and your choice of: client contract, employee agreement, independent contractor agreement, or partnership agreement.

Schedule your paid consultation and we will walk you through your legal issue and help you pick a short-term and long-term plan specific to you, your needs, and your business. Make sure to bring all documents we may need to review so we can be cost-effective with your time and resources.

Give Us a Call

YOUR SHEPPARD LAW BUSINESS LAW TEAM

Not only is Amber a licensed attorney in Louisiana and Mississippi but she has first-hand knowledge of starting, operating, and managing companies. Before becoming a full time attorney she spent her time running national companies both big and small. During that time she implemented employee training and practices that doubled a national company’s profits and grew a nonprofit into the largest organized sports club of its kind in Mississippi. In fact she’s been nationally published (over 20 times) in multiple news outlets on sports or business related matters. As an attorney, Amber has helped a wide range of business clients from one person start ups to international companies. Whether the company is big or small, her attention to your case remains the same. She knows the metaphorical blood, sweat, and tears that goes into owning a company. Amber works hard to keep your legal headaches to a minimum by offering a variety of legal services for her clients.

Affordable Hourly Rates

Sheppard Law can also do work at hourly rates for our commercial clients. If you need our services, whether it be for a contract lawyer, buy sell lawyer, noncompete lawyer, or for pursuing a claim on your business’ behalf or defending your business, then you’ll most likely utilize our services at an hourly rate.

This includes things like:

· Negotiations
· Depositions
· Pre-trial (discovery, motions, responses)
· Trial work
· Post-trial work (appeals)

However, we can offer flat rates for these types of matters if it’s something we can do for you. Example: a flat rate through discovery, a flat rate through a certain amount of hours in negotiations, a flat rate from discovery through trial, etc. To see what works best for your budget and your needs, we recommend you give us a call and schedule a consultation.

PREVIOUS LOCAL BUSINESSES WHO TRUSTED AMBER TO HELP THEM

· Jewelers
· National IT firm
· Architect Firm
· Certified Public Accountant Agency
· Food Truck
· Governmental Entities
· Private Schools· Realty Company
· Property Management
· Counseling Services
· Fitness App
· Fitness Brand
· Fitness Centers
· Coffee Shop
· Medispa
· Clothing Company

· Edutainment services
· Fiberoptics and Programming
· Functional Fitness Gyms
· Organized Sports Teams
· Hair Salons
· Clothing boutiques
· Partnerships
· Product Development
· Fence & Landscaping Company
· Assisted Living Home
· Restaurants
· Online Services
· MLM consultants
· Authors
· Artists

· Digital Creators and Social Media Influencers
· Meal Preparation & Distribution
· Service Trade
· Graphic Design Company
· Nonprofits
· Personal Training Company
· Construction Company
· Nutrition Consulting
· Dance Studio
· Cleaning Company
· Beauty salon
· Photographers
· Social media management company
· Animal Shelters and Rescues

Business Law