FAQs

Estate planning is more than a series of documents. You should make sure that you have a comprehensive plan that includes a will, a trust, powers of attorney and health care directives. Most importantly, you should make sure that you fund your trust with appropriate assets to protect yourself and your family. You should also review your estate planning with each marriage, divorce, birth or death. At a minimum, you should have a comprehensive review of your estate plan every 3-5 years. 

The first and most important tip is to know that you need an estate plan.  If you have minor children, you will need to make sure your estate plan covers temporary and permanent guardianship.  If you have children, a home or a business, you need a trust.  Beyond that, you should have a trust that helps to protect your wishes, your loved ones and your assets.  Know that any estate plan should include powers of attorney to address disability as well as estate and asset protection.

Estate planning is vital to control your wishes in the event of your disability or death.  Those wishes will include decision-making in the event you are unable to say what you want along with the protection of your family, assets and legacy.  Ultimately, estate planning is a gift to those whom you love.  You remove uncertainty as to who is going to take care of your family and how your assets are going to be protected and passed on.  Without estate planning, you will through those whom you love into having to navigate the probate system when they are most vulnerable.

Well, the easy answer is Gordon Law! The more serious answer is that the best estate planning lawyer in Las Vegas is the best estate planning lawyer for you and your family.  You should make sure that while searching for an estate planning lawyer, you look for someone who listens to your unique story.  Estate planning is more than creation of wills or trusts.  Valuable estate planning creates a path for you, your family, your business and your legacy to be honored and fulfilled.

There are a number of factors that you need to consider when choosing a business lawyer. Fundamental to the process is the understanding that your relationship with your lawyer is exactly that – a relationship. Your business lawyer works for you. Your business lawyer should spend more time listening to you than talking. Beyond the human skills, your business lawyer should be transparent about attorney’s fees. Once you get past those things, retaining a lawyer who is knowledgeable about all aspects of business law – she should be able to advise you on business formation; commercial transactions; commercial litigation; and mergers and acquisitions along with all of the items that happen in between.

When you are first searching, lean into your community. Whether you get a referral from a business advisor, like a CPA or insurance agent, or from a networking organization like a Chamber of Commerce, learning the lawyer by her reputation is the best start.

Las Vegas is one of the best places to do business.  Formation of a corporation or limited liability company is easy and our laws are very business friendly.  Leverage of Nevada’s business friendly laws in your commercial transaction can make and enormous difference in terms of liability protection along with mitigation of taxation.

The most important factor is to look to resolution and not winning.  Winning is a relative term that, ultimately, does not solve the problem.  In looking toward resolution, determine what your best, worst and middle outcomes include.  Dispute resolution can include mediation, arbitration or, ultimately, litigation.  Even if you are knee-deep in commercial litigation, know that there will be opportunities to resolve the business dispute.  Having an experienced business lawyer will help you to identify and exploit those opportunities.

Starting a new business can be both exciting and overwhelming.  From a legal standpoint, you should decide the type of business (corporation, limited liability company, etc.).  Such business entities are formed through the Nevada Secretary of State and have very specific differences and information required.  Each will require a Resident Agent.  Additionally, you may need other documents like an operating agreement, bylaws, or a shareholders’ agreement.  You may also need a fictitious filing name.

You will need to make sure that you have a business license.  You will need to know whether you need a business license in Clark County, Las Vegas, Henderson or North Las Vegas – as they each have different requirements.  You will need to secure a Tax Identification Number to open a bank account.

All of the above is required before you start doing any business.

If you have employees, you will need to secure workers’ compensation insurance.   You may need other insurance as well such as commercial liability insurance, errors and omissions insurance, directors and officers’ insurance and insurance if you have a brick and mortar operation.

Finding a business lawyer can be a challenge.  Not all lawyers do all things.  You should not rely upon an accident lawyer or a criminal lawyer to help you with your business.  As it relates to Henderson, having a lawyer that is plugged into the business community is vital.  I have committed my professional life to the Henderson business community.  I have served as the Chairperson of the Henderson Chamber of Commerce (representing nearly 2000 businesses).  I serve on the Henderson Community Foundation – an umbrella organization overseen by business leaders within the community.  I have been actively involved in advocating for businesses within Henderson before the City of Henderson and the Nevada Legislature.

I see my role as a business transaction lawyer very broadly.  I am involved in helping clients with the startup of their company through formation and initial creation of organizational agreements.  I help my clients through all of their transactions which include operating agreements; buy-sell agreements; real estate purchase and lease agreements; financing and loan agreements; business purchase and sale agreements; asset purchase agreements; stock purchase agreements; non-disclosure agreements; employment agreements; independent contractor agreements; agreements among the owners of the business and agreements the business has with its vendors and customers.

Gordon Law offers “cradle to grave” or “formation to acquisition” services.  In other words, we provide holistic legal services for the life of your business.  Whether you are just beginning with a start-up and forming a limited liability company or corporation or expanding and need business and commercial agreements for internal or external needs.  Gordon Law can help you.  If you find your business in a commercial dispute, Gordon Law can help with dispute resolution and litigation.  Finally, Gordon Law can help with exit planning for a merger or acquisition.  In concert with that, Gordon Law’s estate planning services are geared directly to business owners to ensure that the legacy of your business endures.

Business disputes can come in all shapes and sizes.  You can have a partnership dispute; an employee dispute; a dispute with a vendor; a dispute with a customer or anything in between.  Some disputes can be resolved by simple and straightforward negotiation.  If you cannot resolve the commercial dispute yourself, an experienced business lawyer can help you to achieve dispute resolution.  That can take the form of mediation, a settlement conference or commercial litigation.  Anywhere along the journey, you can negotiate a resolution to the dispute.

There is an old saying that all politics are local.  The same is true with business.  Even though Henderson is the second largest city in Nevada, our business community is a close knit one.  As such, hiring a local Henderson business lawyer is key to ensuring that your business transactions, operations and liability protection are kept in tact.

While each lawsuit is unique, business litigation in Nevada can follow certain expected paths. A knowledgeable commercial litigator will explore Clark County’s unique business court. Beyond that, she may discuss mediation, arbitration or other alternative dispute resolution possibilities. If you proceed with litigation, it will likely start with the filing of a complaint. If you file the complaint, you are the plaintiff. If the complaint is filed against you, you are the defendant. While it is not always that simple, that is usually how litigation starts. There will, likely, be a flurry of activity in the beginning. Once you are into the litigation, the discovery phase starts. This is often the longest period in the life of the lawsuit. Along the way, there may be motions that are filed. Generally, these can be considered as interim requests for court intervention. Ultimately, there will be a trial. In Southern Nevada, the time period for commercial litigation is expected to be between 18 and 24 months. At any time during the process, you can find a way to settle the dispute and end the litigation. 

Ideally, you will have established a relationship with a business attorney long before litigation rears its head.  If you have not, it is best to hire a business litigation attorney as soon as you are aware there is a dispute.  It is better to hire a lawyer earlier than later so that the lawyer can advise you on ways to simultaneously prepare for commercial litigation as well as consider dispute resolution.  The dispute resolution may be in the form of a mediation, a settlement, or changing the nature of the relationship so that you can move forward in your business without the distraction of the litigation.

Henderson has such a robust business community.  When searching for a business litigation attorney in Henderson, go to sources that you trust.  Whether that is the Henderson Chamber of Commerce or other businesses that operate in Henderson, those referrals will help you to find a litigation attorney who has meaningful litigation experience along with the confidence of others in the community.