GC.
Good Counsel.
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Practice area

Business.

Forming an entity, drafting a contract, suing on one that's been broken, untangling a partnership, closing a sale of the business — business law spans planning, transactions, and litigation, and the right attorney depends on which one you're in and how much is at stake. We match you to a Utah, Idaho, or Wyoming attorney whose case history fits the specific posture.

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What we cover

Sub-specialties within this area.

Formation & governance

Choosing the right entity (LLC, S-corp, C-corp, partnership, sole proprietorship), drafting the operating agreement or bylaws, member or shareholder agreements, buy-sell provisions, and equity-grant or vesting documents. The decisions made at formation — capital contributions, voting rights, transfer restrictions, dispute-resolution clauses — often control what happens 5 or 10 years later when something goes wrong.

Breach of contract & commercial litigation

Suing on a written or oral agreement that wasn't performed — or defending against the same. The contract usually controls: integration clauses, choice-of-law and forum, attorneys'-fees provisions, arbitration clauses, and cure-period requirements all shape strategy. Statutes of limitations differ by state and contract type: Utah is 6 years written / 4 oral, Idaho 5 / 4, Wyoming 10 / 8. UCC sale-of-goods is 4 years across all three.

Partnership, shareholder & member disputes

Deadlock, buyout demands, freeze-outs of minority owners, breach of fiduciary duty, derivative claims, accounting and inspection demands, dissolution petitions. The operating or shareholder agreement usually has a dispute-resolution path (mandatory mediation, valuation methodology, right of first refusal) that has to be followed before court. Internal investigations and corporate housekeeping often come first.

Commercial collections

B2B unpaid invoices, judgments to collect on, post-judgment enforcement (writ of execution, garnishment, asset discovery, debtor's exam, charging orders against LLC interests), and foreign-judgment domestication. Collectibility analysis matters as much as liability — a $250,000 judgment against a defunct LLC with no assets is worth less than a $25,000 judgment against a solvent counterparty with personal guaranties.

Construction disputes & mechanic's liens

General contractor vs. sub disputes, mechanic's-lien filings and foreclosure, payment-bond claims, delay and scope-change claims, retainage fights, and warranty disputes. Lien deadlines are short and unforgiving — Utah requires a preliminary notice within 20 days for many subs and a final lien within 180 days of completion; Idaho is 90 days from last work; Wyoming windows are tighter than commonly assumed. Missing a notice usually kills the lien.

M&A & corporate transactions

Buying or selling a business — asset purchase or stock purchase, letter of intent, due-diligence work, definitive agreement, representations and warranties, indemnification, escrow holdbacks, non-compete, transition services. Small-deal M&A (under $25M) is its own market, with cleaner structures and tighter timelines than larger transactions. Earn-outs and post-closing adjustments are where most disputes later originate.

Business fraud & UCC

Fraudulent inducement and misrepresentation in a deal, conversion, breach of fiduciary duty by an officer or partner, secured-transaction disputes under Article 9, letter-of-credit and negotiable-instrument problems. These cases often need urgent injunctive relief (TRO, asset freeze) before the wrongdoer can move money. Personal guaranties and veil-piercing exposure usually decide who's actually on the hook.

What to expect

Three steps to the right specialist.

  1. Tell us what's at issue

    A careful AI conversation walks through the facts. Your entity (LLC, S-corp, sole prop, partnership), state of formation and where business is conducted, the other side's entity, the operative document, the dispute or transaction at hand, dollar amount in play, any forum or arbitration clause, what notice has been given, whether litigation has been threatened or filed, and whether any urgent injunctive relief is needed.

  2. We identify the sub-specialty

    Not just "business law" — formation, contract dispute, partnership or shareholder fight, commercial collections, construction dispute, M&A, business fraud. A transactional attorney handles a sale of business very differently than a commercial litigator handles a partnership freeze-out.

  3. Warm introduction to the right firm

    We match you to the firm whose case history fits your sub-type. You're introduced, not handed off. The firm knows about your matter before they call — and they know any lien deadline, contract SOL, cure-period notice, or M&A signing date already running.

What matters in your story

What we'll ask about.

  • Your entity type and the other side's — LLC, S-corp, sole prop, partnership. This drives liability exposure, personal-guaranty analysis, and who can be sued.
  • The operative document — written contract, operating agreement, shareholder agreement, LOI, NDA, employment agreement, mechanic's-lien preliminary notice. The contract often controls more than equity does, including forum, choice of law, fee-shifting, and arbitration.
  • The dollar amount in controversy — drives whether litigation makes economic sense vs. a negotiated resolution. Below a threshold the legal fees outrun the case.
  • Cure-period and notice requirements — many contracts require written notice and an opportunity to cure before suit; missing the notice step can sink an otherwise strong case.
  • Personal guaranties and veil-piercing exposure — even an LLC owner can be personally on the hook for signed guaranties, commingled funds, or undercapitalization. Knowing the exposure on both sides changes settlement value.
  • Insurance that might cover the dispute — CGL, E&O, D&O, EPLI, cyber. The carrier often owes a duty to defend on covered claims, which changes who pays for the lawyer.
When time matters

Deadlines to know.

Business deadlines hide in contracts and statutes. Contract statutes of limitations are 6 years written / 4 oral in Utah, 5 / 4 in Idaho, 10 / 8 in Wyoming; UCC sale-of-goods is 4 years across all three. Mechanic's-lien windows are short and unforgiving: Utah requires a preliminary notice within 20 days for many subs and a final lien within 180 days of completion, Idaho 90 days from last work, Wyoming windows are tighter than commonly assumed (verify against the current statute). Contract cure-period and notice-of-default provisions usually run on the order of 10 to 30 days and can preclude suit if skipped. TRO and preliminary-injunction work for departing employees, trade-secret theft, or asset dissipation is measured in days, not weeks — the longer you wait the harder the irreparable-harm showing becomes. Receivership or bankruptcy by a counterparty changes the timeline overnight: a creditor must file a proof of claim within the bar date and may need to move quickly on a stay-relief motion. Foreign-judgment domestication under the UEFJA has its own response window. M&A deals have signing-to-closing windows where a no-shop clause and outside-date provisions control. A non-compete dispute is faster than most lawsuits — TRO hearings can come within days of filing.

Common questions

What people ask.

  • Most business work is hourly with a retainer. Hourly rates in Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming typically run $275–$550 depending on experience and the matter. Formation packages (LLC, S-corp setup with operating agreement) are usually flat-fee at $1,500–$4,000. M&A and complex litigation are billed hourly. If you have insurance that owes a duty to defend (CGL, E&O, D&O), the carrier pays your attorney. There's no fee for talking to us or for the introduction.

A private conversation

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