Business Law
Starting or running a business shouldn't mean guessing at legal requirements or hoping a contract you found online covers you. We help entrepreneurs and small business owners build on solid legal ground from day one, through the inevitable bumps along the way. Because Genzler Tax & Legal is both a law practice and a tax practice, every business decision we help you make is considered from both angles at once.
Business Formation and Entity Selection
The entity you choose: LLC, corporation, or nonprofit shapes your liability exposure, your tax bill, and your paperwork for years to come, and the “right” answer depends entirely on your circumstances. A single-member LLC that elects S corporation treatment is taxed very differently from one that doesn't. A nonprofit that skips the tax-exemption application is a nonprofit in name only. We walk you through the tradeoffs in plain language, prepare and file your formation documents with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, and draft the internal document, operating agreements, bylaws, initial resolutions that most online formation services leave out. Then, because entity choice is ultimately a tax decision as much as a legal one, we can prepare the returns that follow from it.
Contract Drafting and Review
A good contract prevents disputes; a bad one creates them. We draft and review the agreements small businesses actually use: independent contractor agreements, vendor and supplier contracts, service agreements, partnership and operating agreements, and non-disclosure agreements. Our contracts are written in plain language, if you can't understand what you're signing, the contract isn't doing its job. And if someone hands you a contract to sign, we will read it before you do, tell you what it actually says, and flag the terms worth negotiating.
Ongoing Counsel for Growing Businesses
Legal needs don't end at formation. As your business grows, we help with the questions that come up along the way: bringing on a partner or contractor, changing your entity or tax election as revenue grows, keeping corporate records current, and understanding your obligations before you sign a lease or take on a new commitment. Small business owners shouldn't have to choose between guessing and paying big-firm rates, our practice is built for exactly this kind of accessible, ongoing counsel.
Whether you're launching a venture or navigating a hard stretch, we bring the same standard of care to every matter: careful, honest, and grounded in your actual circumstances.