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Business Law

• Agencies
  • Wisconsin
    • WI Dept. of Commerce
      Access wide-range of resources for the business owner in Wisconsin:
      • Business Development in Wisconsin
    • WI Dept. of Safety & Professional Services
    • WI Dept. of Financial Institutions Small Business Information Center
      Securities information aimed at the small business owner.
    • WI District Office (U.S. Small Business Administration)
      Determine if you qualify for a small business loan & learn how to apply. Access resources for the small business owner in Wisconsin.
    • WI Economic Development Corporation
  • Federal
    SBA.gov (U.S. Small Business Administration)
    "A one-stop, common access point for Federal Government services and information needed to assist with starting, running, and growing a business." Access information on business development, financial assistance, taxes, laws & regulations, international trade, workplace issues, buying & selling goods, and forms.
    
    
• Business Entities / Starting A Business
  • Forms
  • General
    • Business Creation Resources (WI Dept. of Financial Institutions)
    • 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
    • Limited Liability Companies
      • Drafting an LLC Agreement (Legal Assistant Today, 2007)
        Information and "practice-tested forms".
      • Limited Liability Company: The Importance of Choosing the Correct Business Vehicles (LLRX article, 2006)
        Compares the limited liability company to other business entities. Discusses the various LLC structures, tax implications and advantages of a family-run limited liability company.
      • Wisconsin Limited Liability Company (WI Dept. of Financial Institutions)
        Allows the organizer of a Wisconsin LLC to complete articles of organization online.
        
        
• 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.

    Business Cash Flow & Bankruptcy Marketing & Advertising Includes 7 rules for legal advertising, marketing without spam, etc. e-Commerce & Website Development Learn about making contracts online, sales tax--who pays, who doesn't, etc.

  • 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
  • Fighting Fraud with the Red Flags Rule: A How-To Guide for Business (Federal Trade Commission)
    Does the red flag rule apply to your business?  Guides on protecting personal information.  Articles tailored to business industries including health care, telecom companies, and utilities.  Assistance in creating your own identity theft prevention program.

• Specific Business Issues
  • Registration Under the WI Consumer Act
    Who must file & penalties for noncompliance. Registration form.

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

• WI Statutes: ch. 178-226 "Partnerships and Corporations..."
  
  Search for more statutes, regulations & opinions.

Last Updated: December 1, 2011 | Up to Top