Business Planning Lawyers
3,917 verified business planning attorneys across the United States. Find experienced Business Planning counsel to evaluate your case, explain your options, and represent you through every stage of the legal process.
While I am a lawyer and my career is a large part of my life, its only a small part of who I am. So let me start off by telling you a little bit about...
Ara C. Khorozian is a lawyer practicing real estate contracts, real estate acquisitions, real estate investments and 18 other areas of law.
Randell Doane is board certified in the law of wills, trusts and estates by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education. Mr.
Colin Tobias Smith is a lawyer practicing estate planning, estate administration, probate and 3 other areas of law. Colin received a B.A. degree from ...
About Damian Michael Nash View website Awards Client Reviewed This badge is granted to attorneys who have been reviewed by a past client. AV Preeminen...
Mr. Reznik has successfully represented a wide array of clients from inception of a case through trial.
Attorney Susan Hankins is a lawyer with considerable expertise in handling complex civil matters. Susan Hankins obtained her undergraduate degree from...
My name is Jeremy T. Cranford.
Mr. James Russell Frost is a lawyer practicing civil litigation, estate planning, commercial litigation and 19 other areas of law.
Casey B. Green practices at Sidkoff, Pincus & Green, P.C.
Ryan Gressett Reiffert is a lawyer practicing business law, small business law, business formation and 30 other areas of law. Ryan received a B.A. deg...
Louis Steven Haskell is a lawyer practicing automobile accidents, car accidents, personal injury and 57 other areas of law. Louis has been licensed fo...
Jason E. Barth practices law in the field of real estate, construction, trust, and estate planning, business law, and general civil litigation.
Jason E. Barth practices law in the field of real estate, construction, trust, and estate planning, business law, and general civil litigation.
Mr. Andrew Fleet Ford is a lawyer practicing real estate, finance, corporate law and 8 other areas of law.
Marc F. Warncke practices at Clemens, Korhn, Liming & Warncke, Ltd.
Paul Nardulli is the President and CEO of Optima Law Group where he provides strategic counsel to emerging and well-established companies in the areas...
Matthew Wayne Gibson practices at Pappas Gibson LLC Read Full Bio
John Beuford Laszlo is a lawyer practicing taxation, trusts & estates, probate and 9 other areas of law. John received a B.S. degree from Valparaiso U...
Matthew Aaron Wiley is a lawyer practicing estate planning, trusts, probate and 4 other areas of law. Matthew received a B.S. degree from Drexel Unive...
Lori Ashmore Peters was admitted to practice law in Texas in 1996. She has spent her career focusing on estate planning and trusts, probate, business ...
Brad Mitchell Kaplan is a lawyer practicing probate, real estate, business planning and 4 other areas of law. Brad received a B.A. degree from Brandei...
Michael T. McGahan practices at Coogan Smith, LLP Read Full Bio
J David Jeans is a lawyer practicing business formation, business planning, buying and selling of businesses and 12 other areas of law. J received a B...
Stephen Joseph Putnoki-Higgins is a lawyer practicing estate planning, estate litigation, charitable giving and 15 other areas of law. Stephen receive...
John Callahan Hale is a lawyer practicing corporate law, wills, trusts and estates and 50 other areas of law. John received a B.A. degree from George ...
Among innumerable others, Mr. Altman’s professional accomplishments include: ● Resolving a $10 million oceanfront construction fire loss for a Wainsco...
Susan G Parker is a lawyer practicing estate planning, wills, living trusts and 24 other areas of law. Susan received a B.A. degree from University of...
Kevin Andrew Kane is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, business acquisitions, business divestitures and 16 other areas of law. Kevin received a B.A...
Thompson Kurrie, Jr. joined the firm in 1986 and currently is resident in the Atlanta office. He is a partner practicing in the areas of municipal law...
Member Riverhead Chamber of Commerce Board from 2011—2013. Director of the Suffolk County Women's Bar Association from 2012-2015.
Justin G Klimko is a lawyer practicing business, financial services, regulatory compliance and 13 other areas of law. Justin received a B.A. degree fr...
Joshua O. Dorcey has a heritage deeply ingrained in Southwest Florida as his Great Grandfather homesteaded on Bokeelia nearly a hundred years ago.
Steven J. Fromm is a lawyer practicing probate, trusts, corporate & incorporation and 14 other areas of law.
Robert Van Uden is a Member and Manager of Stubblefield, Yelverton & Van Uden, PLLC. Robert received his Bachelor’s Degree in History from Louisiana S...
Damian graduated from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1997 and later that same year, was admitted to the North Dakota Bar. In addition...
Katrina Hofstetter is a lawyer practicing estate planning, trusts and estates, wills and probate and 11 other areas of law. Katrina received a B.A. de...
Sammid Joseph Mansoor is a lawyer practicing estate planning, business planning, real estate and 1 other area of law. Sammid received a B.S. degree fr...
Robert Benton Baumgartner is a lawyer practicing commercial leasing, franchise law, bankruptcy collections and 78 other areas of law. Robert received ...
Julia S. Gold is a lawyer practicing probate law, estate planning, business planning and 3 other areas of law.
Mr. Samuel David Hodson is a lawyer practicing commercial bankruptcy, bankruptcy chapter 11, taxation and 12 other areas of law.
Stephen Michael Doniger is a lawyer practicing general practice, copyright infringement, employment & labor and 67 other areas of law. Stephen receive...
Joshua Robert M Driskell is a lawyer practicing bankruptcy chapter 7, bankruptcy chapter 13, bankruptcy litigation and 59 other areas of law. Joshua r...
Timothy Jacob Denker is a lawyer practicing wills and probate, estate planning, trusts and estates and 10 other areas of law. Timothy has been license...
Eric Michael Leander is a lawyer practicing business law, securities law, business start-ups and 60 other areas of law. Eric received a B.A. degree fr...
As Managing Shareholder and founder of MDK Law, Attorney Mark Kimball has been serving Seattle and Eastside clients for more than thirty five years. H...
Ms. Eva Marie Monroe is a lawyer practicing taxation, estate planning, corporate law and 133 other areas of law.
Thomason Blake Bush is a lawyer practicing mediation/arbitration, business enteties, business formation and 23 other areas of law. Thomason has been l...
Ms. Flynn believes her attorneys and staff should come from a wide range of legal backgrounds and experience.
Small but scrappy. This description could be describing me or the small businesses and startups I represent.
Jeremy Steven Piccini is a lawyer practicing asset protection, agency and distributorships, banks and banking and 63 other areas of law. Jeremy receiv...
David M. Radner is a lawyer practicing business formation, business litigation, business planning and 5 other areas of law.
Mr. Perron is recognized by the State of Florida Bar Association as a specialist in business litigation having met the standards of certification.
Attorney Bryan M. Etter, a native of Southington, Connecticut, has built his career around the core values of family, commitment, and protection.
James Jay Lanham is a lawyer practicing estate planning, probate and trust administration, business planning and 3 other areas of law. James received ...
Introducing Jay C. Elliott, a distinguished attorney practicing at Elliott Law Office in North Platte.
David Ross Nachman is a lawyer practicing property law, quiet title, commercial real estate and 39 other areas of law. David received a B.A. degree fr...
William Frederick Fawcett, Jr. is a lawyer practicing insurance, corporate litigation, arbitration and 14 other areas of law. William received a B.A. ...
Maurine C. Evans is a Martindale Hubbell AV-rated trial attorney in Birmingham, Alabama.
Gerald M Morello, Jr is a lawyer practicing estate planning, business planning, probate and 7 other areas of law. Gerald received a B.S.A. degree from...
What is Business Planning?
Business Planning is the branch of law that governs the rights, obligations, and disputes that arise within its subject matter. In the United States, business planning sits at the intersection of statutes enacted by Congress, the regulations issued by federal agencies, the laws passed by all fifty state legislatures, and the body of judge-made decisions known as the common law. Because every state writes its own version of the rules, the way business planning works in one jurisdiction can look noticeably different from how it works in another, and that is one of the main reasons attorneys in this area focus their practice geographically — to stay fluent in the local statutes, court rules, and judicial preferences that shape outcomes.
At a practical level, Business Planning attorneys spend their time on three categories of work. The first is advice and prevention: counselling clients on how to structure transactions, draft documents, and conduct business so that legal risk is minimised before a dispute ever begins. The second is transactional execution: producing the contracts, filings, notices, and registrations that the law actually requires to make a decision legally binding. The third is contested representation: defending or pursuing a client's interests when a dispute escalates to negotiation, regulatory enforcement, arbitration, or litigation in court.
The clients who hire Business Planning lawyers range from individuals navigating a single life event to multinational corporations with complex regulatory exposure. What unifies them is the need for an experienced lawyer who knows the relevant code sections, has appeared in the relevant courts, and can translate the strategic options into language a client can act on. AttorneyQnA currently lists 3,917 verified business planning attorneys across the United States, each with a public profile showing their bar admissions, years in practice, and the kinds of matters they have handled — with the deepest concentration of practitioners in Alabama.
When do you need a Business Planning attorney?
Most people contact a business planning lawyer for one of two reasons: something is about to happen that they want done correctly the first time, or something has gone wrong and they need it fixed before it gets worse. The earlier you involve counsel, the more options you usually have, and the lower the cost of getting to a resolution tends to be. The scenarios below are the ones we see most often on AttorneyQnA from prospective clients searching for business planning representation.
Once your signature is on a contract, settlement, lease, or release, your bargaining leverage drops sharply. A short pre-signature review by a business planning lawyer is the cheapest insurance you can buy.
Cease-and-desist letters, regulatory notices, and demand letters all start clocks. Missing the response window can convert a manageable problem into a default judgment or formal enforcement action.
Statutes of limitations, filing windows, and appeal periods are jurisdictional — courts cannot extend them as a favour. If you can identify a date that matters, you need a lawyer before that date arrives.
The moment opposing counsel appears, the conversation moves out of normal English and into procedural language. Continuing unrepresented usually means losing ground you cannot recover later.
Forming an entity, choosing a venue, structuring a deal, or selecting a remedy each has long-term consequences. A consultation at the planning stage is far cheaper than redoing it after the fact.
Multi-state matters bring conflict-of-laws questions that change which statutes apply and which court has authority. An attorney licensed in the right jurisdiction is not optional.
If any of the situations above describes where you are right now, the next step is a focused consultation. Use the Ask a Lawyer tool for short written questions, or browse the 3,917 business planning attorneys listed above to book a paid consultation directly.
How to choose a Business Planning attorney
The single biggest factor in choosing a business planning lawyer is fit with your specific matter. A lawyer with twenty years of business planning experience but no exposure to your particular sub-issue can easily be a worse choice than a five-year associate who has handled the same problem repeatedly. We recommend running every prospective lawyer through the same five-step checklist before signing an engagement letter.
- Bar admission in the correct jurisdiction. Confirm the lawyer is admitted in the state — and where relevant, the federal district — where your matter sits. The lawyer's profile on AttorneyQnA shows every bar admission on file, and the underlying state bar's "lawyer lookup" tool will confirm active standing in under a minute.
- Direct experience with your fact pattern. Ask plainly: "How many matters like mine have you handled in the last three years, and how did they resolve?" An honest answer reveals more than years-in-practice alone.
- A written fee agreement. Whether hourly, flat fee, contingent, or hybrid, the engagement letter should specify what is included, what triggers additional charges, and how disputes are handled. Avoid lawyers who resist writing the terms down.
- Communication cadence. Decide upfront how often you expect updates, who your day-to-day contact will be, and what response time is reasonable. The number-one complaint filed with state bar grievance committees is not malpractice — it is non-communication.
- Conflict check + reputation pulse. Make sure the lawyer has run a formal conflict check, then spend ten minutes reading independent reviews and any public disciplinary history. The state bar's website is authoritative for the second; the lawyer's AttorneyQnA profile collects the first.
Once you have a shortlist, schedule consultations with two or three. Lawyers vary widely in temperament, and the right strategic match for your case is sometimes the second or third lawyer you meet — not the first.
How much does a Business Planning lawyer cost?
Legal fees in the United States are not regulated by a uniform schedule, so what you pay a business planning lawyer depends on the billing model the lawyer offers, the complexity of your matter, and the local market. There are four billing structures used in this practice area; most engagements use one, but hybrid arrangements are increasingly common.
1. Hourly billing
The default model for most non-contingent matters. Rates for business planning attorneys in the U.S. typically range from $150–$250/hour in smaller markets to $400–$700/hour in major metropolitan areas, with senior partners at large firms commanding $900/hour and above. Hourly billing is fairest when the scope of work is genuinely unpredictable, but it creates an incentive structure that the client has to monitor.
2. Flat fee
Increasingly used for well-defined transactions — incorporations, will drafting, single-issue filings, uncontested matters. A flat fee tells you exactly what the deliverable will cost, and the lawyer absorbs the risk of unexpected complexity. Ask whether the flat fee includes filing fees, third-party costs, and any post-filing follow-up.
3. Contingency
Where it is permitted by the rules of professional conduct — most often in plaintiff-side business planning work involving monetary recovery — the lawyer is paid a percentage of the proceeds, typically 33% before suit is filed and 40% after. The client pays nothing if there is no recovery. Contingency fees align the lawyer's economics with yours, but the percentage compounds across time, so very strong cases sometimes do better on hourly billing.
4. Retainer / subscription
A monthly fee that buys a defined block of access or hours. This is common for businesses with ongoing business planning needs — contract review, employee questions, regulatory check-ins. A subscription smooths out spending and gives the lawyer a reason to know your operation in depth.
Whichever model you choose, ask for an itemised written estimate before the engagement begins, and ask explicitly what is not covered. Surprise expenses are the most common source of attorney-client friction.
Frequently asked questions about business planning
How quickly can a business planning lawyer review my matter?
Most lawyers can schedule an initial consultation within 1–3 business days. Urgent matters — pending deadlines, time-sensitive notices, court-ordered hearings — should be flagged in your first message; many lawyers reserve emergency consultation slots for that reason. If you need a written answer faster, the Ask a Lawyer tool typically returns answers in under 24 hours.
Do I need a business planning lawyer in my exact city, or anywhere in my state?
Bar admission is the controlling rule: any attorney licensed in your state can represent you in that state's courts and agencies, regardless of which city they're based in. Practical proximity still matters for in-person meetings, local court familiarity, and access to the local bench and bar. For state-level filings and remote-friendly matters, an attorney elsewhere in the same state often works fine.
Will an initial consultation cost me anything?
Many business planning attorneys offer a free 15- to 30-minute initial consultation; others charge a flat consultation fee that may be credited against the engagement if you hire them. The lawyer's profile lists the consultation policy. Free does not always mean better — a fee-based consultation is sometimes the sign of a lawyer who treats their time, and yours, seriously.
What documents should I bring to the first meeting?
Bring every contract, notice, letter, filing, or written communication connected to the matter; a written timeline of events with dates; the names and contact details of every other party involved; and any deadlines or hearing dates you are already aware of. Even an incomplete file is more useful than a verbal summary alone.
Can I change lawyers if I am not happy with mine?
Yes. Clients can discharge their lawyer at any time, for any reason, by written notice. Your case file belongs to you and must be transferred to your new counsel. Any unpaid fees through the date of discharge remain owed; any unearned advance must be refunded. If you are mid-litigation, the court typically must approve the substitution, but approval is routine.
How long does a typical business planning matter take?
It depends almost entirely on whether the matter is transactional or contested. A transactional matter — a contract, a filing, a single-step transaction — can resolve in days to weeks. A contested matter — anything involving disputed facts, court intervention, or regulatory action — typically takes months at minimum, and complex cases can run multiple years. Your lawyer should give you a realistic outside estimate at intake.
Are business planning lawyer fees tax-deductible?
It depends on the nature of the matter and current tax law. Fees connected to producing or collecting taxable income, managing investment property, or operating a business are often deductible; fees for personal matters generally are not. Because rules change, confirm deductibility with a tax professional for the year in which the fees are paid.
What is the difference between business planning and the related practice areas?
Business Planning overlaps with several adjacent areas — see the related-practice-area grid below for direct links. Choosing the right lawyer often means picking the one whose primary focus matches the heart of your problem, even if multiple labels could technically apply. When you are unsure, list your situation in your own words to two lawyers from neighbouring areas and ask which one of them is the better fit; honest lawyers will tell you.
Find business planning attorneys by state
Each state link below opens the business planning roster for that jurisdiction, with the local statute of limitations, court-system overview, and verified attorneys.
Business Planning Law Firms
Main Law Firm
Winter Park
Walton Law Firm
San Marcos
Bruner Law Firm
Fort Walton Beach
J&Y Law Firm
Los Angeles
West Law Firm
Charleston
John T. Floyd Law Firm
Houston
Business Planning by State
All states →Find business planning attorneys in every US state. Each state link opens a hub with verified attorneys, the state filing deadline, and a free attorney match.