Beginning-to-end legal services for small and mid-sized businesses
The advice of a lawyer can be invaluable to you as you form, operate and expand your business. Protecting your legal rights depends on an in-depth knowledge of industry and trade practices. Don A. Peterson is an experienced corporate lawyer who can help you gain the advantage of insight into risks and liabilities that may result from particular conduct and then take the steps necessary to limit your exposure to liability or lawsuit. The scope of his business law practice encompasses:
- Business formation: Selecting the right business entity can have a tremendous impact on your business’ long-term success. Don A. Peterson is an attorney who balances your financial goals and management preferences against the risks of exposure to personal injury lawsuits and taxable liabilities. He delivers the qualified counsel and knowledgeable advice you need to differentiate between a sole proprietorship, a partnership, a limited liability company (LLC), a limited liability partnership (LLP) and a corporation during the beginning stages of business formation – and provides ongoing legal services to help chart a course for your business over the long term.
- Contract negotiations: Delays in delivery and errors in shipment can cost your business hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Preparing for such contingencies is part of what makes Don A. Peterson so successful in negotiations with vendors, suppliers, distributors, retailers, manufacturers, licensees, customers and others with whom you may do business.
- Marketing and merchandising agreements: Licensing a brand name, character, persona or logo is the first step toward earning a return on investment in your intellectual property. If you own a patent, trademark, copyright or trade secret, our firm can help you negotiate marketing and merchandising agreements that contain favorable terms for royalty payments, quality control, creative control, excess inventory, representations, warranties, and indemnity to lawsuits arising out of the reproduction, manufacture or distribution of a product under a licensing agreement. We conduct the appropriate due diligence so that you can keep your focus where it belongs — on your business’ bottom line.
- Intellectual property disputes: When your creative works have been duplicated, pirated or hijacked, you have legal recourse. Don Peterson is an experienced IP lawyer who can help you exercise your patent, copyright or trademark so as to either secure payment for the use of your creative work and/or to put a stop to the impermissible use.
- Trade secret litigation: When you have independently developed a process, idea or invention that gives you an edge in the marketplace, losing the idea can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenues. If your innovation has been duplicated by your competitors and you suspect that an employee has leaked the information to a competitor, you can sue for money damages. Your claim may have a basis in a claim for unfair competition or misappropriation.
- Business litigation: Understanding your legal rights and obligations under a contract is essential to seeking resolution to disputes that arise out of performance or nonperformance. Don A. Peterson can help you explore your legal options under the contract to secure a just settlement, and alternatively to pursue your day in court.
- Commercial real estate: Attorney Don Peterson has negotiated lease agreements, sale agreements and real estate agreements incidental thereto — from forming consortiums to buy real estate to selling off real estate assets in an investment fund. In addition, Don has helped banks and commercial property owners in their negotiation of debt reorganization workouts that fall short of bankruptcy.
Providing comprehensive elder law and estate planning services
Contemplating the possibility of death or incapacitation can be unsettling for everyone involved but consider this: Who will take care of your minor children in the event of death or incapacity? Who will protect your finances? Can you trust your family to honor your preferences without valid legal documentation to support your choices? Don A. Peterson can help you manage these concerns while constructing an estate plan. He offers you the advice and counsel you need to make the best possible decisions for your future.
- Wills, estates, and trusts: An estate plan can help you preserve a legacy of wealth for your heirs while avoiding taxable liabilities at the time of your passing. An estate plan also provides you with the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your family will be taken care of at the time of your passing. Don A. Peterson is an experienced wills, trusts and estates lawyer you can help you make decisions about your children, your family and your heirs.
- Elder law: Most elder law cases arise when family members seek to intervene to help an elderly parent, grandparent or relative. While the concern may be misplaced, a judge could be convinced that it has not feasible for a loved one to maintain physical and financial independence based on bodily frailties including loss of vision or adult-onset illnesses. In some ways, your future depends on the determination of a judge. Don Peterson is a skilled trial lawyer who can help you seek resolution to family conflicts whether that involves defending your rights or seeking an out-of-court resolution.
Representing consumers in consumer protection actions
A lawyer is your ultimate advocate when you have been a victim of identity theft, breach of warranty, food safety violations, other product defects, fraud or misrepresentation by a seller or company. Don A. Peterson is an attorney who can help you take action against companies whose business practices cost you thousands of dollars in medical bills, replacement costs or damage to your credit. The Federal Trade Commission is the regulatory authority that generally regulates consumer protection actions and Don Peterson can help you exhaust your administrative remedies. Don is experienced with all manner of claims and legal filings in consumer protection actions.
- Consumer protection actions: Consumer protection laws exist to protect consumers from unfair or deceptive trade practices. False or misleading statements or claims made by manufacturers or sellers that cause you to suffer needless injury provide a basis for a consumer protection claim. You can bring a consumer protection claim if a product does not work as promised, if you have been overcharged for an item, or if you get charged for items you have never bought because you were a victim of identity theft. Don Peterson can help you pursue these types of claims.
- Deceptive trade practices: Lemon laws and other similar statutes exist to protect consumers from false and misleading statements that result in harm to the person who relies on such statements. If you have been deceived by a seller, dealership, manufacturer, distributor, retailer or business and you have suffered physical or financial losses as a result of the deception, you may have a valid legal claim. Don Peterson can help you enforce your legal rights through litigation.
Contact our lawyer today to schedule a free case evaluation: 913.322.0322
Discuss your legal matter with Don A. Peterson at a free, no-risk, no-obligation initial consultation today. Call us at 913.322.0322 or contact us online to schedule a free initial consultation. You have nothing to lose and only information to gain.