All businesses, from sole proprietorships to large corporations, benefit from dedicated and experienced business counsel at every stage in the lifecycle of the business. Collins & Hyman assists business clients with entity choice and formation; contracts drafting, review and negotiation; sale or reorganization of the business; and commercial litigation. The attorneys of Collins & Hyman include a former in-house counsel for a Fortune 500 company as well as seasoned litigators, ensuring that we are able to provide exceptional, personalized service for all types of business matters.
Collins & Hyman provides advice and counsel in the formation of new businesses including choice of entity (corporation, limited liability company, etc.), start-up filings and documentation, and drafting of operational documents (by-laws, partnership agreements, etc.). We regularly partner with businesses’ other advisors, including accountants, bankers and insurance agents, to ensure that all facets of the strategic plan are addressed.
Attorney review of business contracts is critically important to ensure thorough understanding of the business’s rights and responsibilities and to minimize risk to the business. All business transactions should be documented with a contract; in fact, the best way to avoid a business dispute is by having a comprehensive and fully-negotiated agreement in place. Whether your business is purchasing a product or service, negotiating the lease of office space, or hiring a consultant, Collins & Hyman can provide experienced and efficient legal advice.
Our attorneys have years of high-level experience in drafting, reviewing and negotiating the following types of contracts:
- Leases
- Telecommunications Agreements
- Employment and Consulting Agreements
- Purchase Agreements
- Software License Agreements
- Partnership/Shareholder/Operating Agreements
Disputes arise from time to time even within the most thoughtfully negotiated business relationship. In the event of a breach of contract because another party failed to meet their obligations, Collins & Hyman can employ a variety of tactics to make your business whole. In addition to representing local companies, our attorneys routinely act as local counsel for large companies and law firms seeking knowledgeable litigators for cases in Central and Southeastern Virginia.
Establishing liability is an important step, but it is only a step. At Collins & Hyman, we help judgment creditors enforce their rights in a variety of ways, including debtor interrogatories, wage and bank garnishments, and when advisable, foreclosure actions on debtors’ real estate. As part of our service as local counsel for non-Virginia entities, we have experience registering and enforcing foreign (non-Virginia) judgments. Once properly registered, foreign judgments are enforceable as if they had been granted in Virginia.
Our attorneys’ experience representing creditors provides us with insights valuable to clients seeking defense against collection actions. Whether the goal is to demonstrate the falsity of a collection claim, or to work out a debt collection in a way that promotes the clients’ continuing financial viability, our attorneys are able to effectively assist debtors in a range of matters.