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Business Law

  • Agencies
  • Business Entities / Starting A Business
    • Forms
    • General
      • Business Development in Wisconsin (WI Dept. of Commerce)
      • Ownership Structures (Nolo.com)
        Discusses choosing the best structure. Includes sole proprietor, partnership, corporation & limited liability company.
      • Primer on Selection of a Business Entity (Foley & Lardner, 2002)
        Offers factors to consider when selecting a form of business organization. Discusses the most common forms of business entities: sole proprietorships, general partnerships, limited partnerships, limited liability companies, and S, C and Close corporations. Includes checklists of advantages and disadvantages of the various forms of business organization.
      • Starting a Business Questions & Answers (State Bar of WI)
      • Starting a Business (Nolo.com)
        Discusses evaluating your business idea, writing your business plan, naming your business, finding & renting space, obtaining permits, etc.
      • Starting a Business (U.S. Internal Revenue Service)
        What a new business owner needs to know about federal taxes.
      • Types of Business Entities, Wisconsin (WI Dept. of Financial Institutions)
        Provides brief summary of several types of entities. Includes information about forms, filing instructions, company names, documenting your entity & continuing requirements.
    • Specific Entities
  • Buying / Selling / Maintaining a Business
    • Business Owner's Tool Kit (CCH Incorporated)
      A website for the small business owner. Contains a small business guide to information on starting & planning a business, getting financing & managing business finances, marketing a product, employees, etc. Access business tools for employee management, starting a business, worker safety, marketing, and more. Seek advice from Ask Alice.
    • Business Resources on the Web
      Resources on accounting & taxation; banking & finance; business law; statistics; company directories; company financials, stocks & investments; e-commerce & e-business; economics; government; international business; marketing & advertising; business portals; news & journals; nonprofit information; and the small business & home office.
    • Business Wizard (State of Wisconsin)
      "Using a series of five question-and-answer pages, the Wizard provides customized information to help you start and operate a Wisconsin-based business." The Wizard will help you determine state licensing, permitting, and regulatory requirements; get application forms; and locate other state resources. Covers over 750 regulations and 500 business types.
    • Buying and Selling of Businesses (Lawyers.com)
    • Buying or Selling a Business (Nolo.com)
      Learn what to investigate before you buy a business, ten reasons why not to buy a franchise, key steps for selling your business, what to do if you can't pay your business debts, etc.
    • Forms
    • Accounting, Bookkeeping & Taxes (Nolo.com)
      • Business Taxes
        Understand small business tax deductions, current vs. capitalized expenses, how to prepare for an audit, why the self-employed are audit targets, etc.
      • Bookkeeping and Accounting
        Learn basics including difference between cash vs. accrual accounting.
      • Business Financing, Loans & Capital
        Learn the advantages & disadvantages of loans vs. equity investments, understand promissory notes, find out how to get a lender to say "yes", etc.
      • Selling Goods & Services
        Inlcudes: Ten Tips for Making Solid Business Agreements and Contracts.
    • Primer on Early Stage Financing (Foley & Lardner, 2002)
      Guide for business entities in the early stages of their structuring.
    • Resources Related to Business (State Bar of WI)
      Answers to questions about starting a business. Information about the Business Assistance Program and the Nonprofit Business Assistance Program..
    • WI Small Business Development Center
      Provides one-on-one counseling, workshops, and other services for small business owners and managers.
  • Employees
    For information about hiring & firing employees and various employment-related issues, visit our Employment Law page or select a specific Legal Topic.

  • Forms
    • Business Forms (Wisconsin.gov)
      Includes types of organizations, tax, unemployment insurance & workers compensation
    • Forms (WI Dept. of Financial Institutions)
      Covers nonprofits, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, limited liability companies, cemetary associations, cooperative associations, common law trusts, service corporations, close corporations, etc. Specific topics include: articles of incorporation & dissolution, registered agent, articles of merger, articles of share exchange, articles of correction, unincorporated nonprofit association, certificate of domestic limited partnership including amendment & cancellation, foreign limited partnership including amendment & cancellation, articles of organization for limited liability companies, and limited liability partnerships, etc.
    • Small Business Forms (U.S. Small Business Administration)
    • WI Consumer Act Registration Form (WI Dept. of Financial Institutions)

  • Red Flags Rule

The Law (Additional statutes, regulations & opinions may apply to your specific situation.)

Last Updated: June 3, 2010 | Up to Top
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