At the Bernard Law Group, our attorneys represent small businesses and individuals across Connecticut in a variety of business and personal financial matters. Below is an overview of the areas in which we can help you and/or your business.
Small Business Legal Issues
We work with small businesses across the state in the following areas:
- Business Formation: Whether you are an entrepreneur starting a side business or creating the next billion-dollar enterprise, our attorneys can help you comply with all local, state, and federal guidelines while finding the proper legal structure that is financially right for you and your business. We will guide through all organizational and tax implications to help you determine whether to form a Sole Proprietorship, General Partnership, Limited Partnership, C-Corporation, S-Corporation, or LLC, and then take you through the steps necessary to form your preferred entity and get your business started.
- Contracts: We will work with your company to negotiate and draw up contracts – whether related to sales of goods or services, employment, and so on – that best meet your business’s needs and safeguard and protect your interests. We also work with businesses in resolving contract disputes.
- Compliance: With every passing year, small businesses face a host of federal, state, and local compliance requirements related to employment, health care, environmental issues, and a host of industry-specific. Call us to see how we can work with your business to make sure all your compliance requirements are met.
Consumer Financial Protection
It can often seem like retailers, salespersons, and manufacturers have all the power when it comes to consumer transactions, leaving the consumer with little recourse when they have been defrauded or misled. But, in many cases, state and federal law is on the consumers’ side, and at The Bernard Law Group, we represent consumers in navigating the legal system to get the just recovery they are owed. We work with consumers who have been defrauded, misled, or otherwise mistreated by sellers, servicers, and manufacturers in the following areas:
- Fraudulent/Illegal Auto Sales (Lemon Laws)
- Improper Student Loan Practices
- Improper Home Foreclosure Practices
- Predatory Lending Practices
Estate Planning and Advanced Directives
For many individuals, thinking about what happens to their assets after they die, or what should happen to them in the case they are medically incapacitated is not at the top of their priority lists. But death or medical emergencies can happen at any time. At The Bernard Law Group, we work with individuals and their families to effectively plan for their future in the following areas:
- Wills: If you die without a will executed properly under Connecticut law, your assets will be distributed according to state law. We will work with you to draft a legally valid document reflecting your goals and minimizing taxes and probate costs.
- Living Wills: A living will, also called an advanced healthcare directive, is a legal document which gives you the ability to make decisions regarding your health care, including whether life-extending measures should be taken, should you become incapacitated.
- Powers of Attorney: When you create a power of attorney, you will designate a specific person whom you trust to take care of your medical and financial decisions should you become unable to do so. Many people utilize a power of attorney to appoint a family member, friend, or business associate in this role, thereby giving them security that a trusted individual will be in charge of these important decisions.
Military and Veteran Services
Members of the armed services and veterans face a range of legal matters specific to their past and present service to our country. Firm founder Wendy Bernard is herself a military veteran, having been honored with the Bronze Star for her service in Iraq, and so she is both intimately familiar with the legal issues facing her fellow servicemembers and veterans and dedicated to helping them. The attorneys at The Bernard Law Group help military service members, veterans, and their families, in the following matters:
- Obtaining benefits from the Veterans’ Administration
- Understanding and obtaining educational benefits
- Obtaining other government benefits and housing
- Guiding veterans through government assistance programs
Contact Us Today For Help With Your Small Business or Individual Legal Matter
Whether you are seeking assistance with any of the above issues or any other issues related to your business or personal affairs, contact The Bernard Law Group today to see how we can help you with your small business or individual legal matter.