Business

North Carolina contractors who provide labor, services or supplies to improve real property are eligible for a “mechanic’s lien”.  This includes electricians, plumbers and carpenters — just about anyone hired to work on real property. So what is a materialman’s or mechanic’s lien? Well, a lien is a legal claim against real property.  A materialman’s…

A business settles and finalizes its deals with contracts.  These are the written documents that represent a business’s risk management and are signed to prevent future business litigation.  Contracts are used for deals like new partnerships, confidentiality agreements, shareholders agreements and customer contracts.  In more simple terms, a contract is an agreement to do something…

The New Year brings new requirements for businesses located in North Carolina. Effective January 1, 2014, North Carolina taxpayers may no longer claim a personal exemption on their taxes for themselves, their spouse, their children or any other qualifying dependents.  Because of this recently enacted legislation, House Bill 998, every North Carolina employer must have…

Dissolution of a company means you are permanently closing your North Carolina corporation or LLC.  If properly closed, you officially end the existence of your company and are no longer required to pay or file further annual fees and/or taxes on the company.  However, closing a North Carolina corporation or business is not as easy…

Any reputable disability lawyer will tell you that when ERISA is concerned you have a full range of legal rights, but the procedures for enforcing those rights are very complex.  Many plans have arbitration clauses that limit your ability to get relief in court.  The best way to avoid hidden dangers and successfully pursue your…

Commercial leases in Western North Carolina are frequently used to rent an office of warehouse.  Most people are pretty familiar with the concept of leasing; most people experience leases when they rent an apartment or a car.  Commercial leases are almost no different; they just involve space for a business.   A commercial lease acts just…

Once you decide to start a North Carolina corporation, one of the first things you will have to determine is the type of entity for your business structure.  There are several typical entities you can choose from: (1) a C corporation (2) a subchapter S corporation (3) a limited liability company (LLC); or (4) a…

Starting and running a small business not only takes business savvy, but also some legal knowledge.  There are classes available that can teach you about possible legal issues, but even those can’t give you the full spectrum of issues that small business owners face on a daily basis.  Protecting your small business will contribute to…

In today’s economic climate contractors and design professionals are finding it more and more difficult to get paid for the work they do.

A construction project will inevitably go through some if not many changes that could bring about a need for dispute resolution.  A lot can happen between the time you sign a contract and the time is takes to complete the project.  Changes can mean extra work, time and money for the contractors and subcontractors.  This…