Ciancio Ciancio Brown, P.C., is a boutique litigation firm with Colorado offices in Denver, Westminster, Breckenridge, and Denver Tech Center (DTC); along with an office in Olympia, Washington. We represent individuals, businesses, municipalities, and commercial clients in a broad range of legal matters. Our Denver business attorneys focus their practices on niche areas of law while also drawing on the collective wealth of experience, insight and knowledge shared by our accomplished legal team.
A business lawyer assists business owners, entrepreneurs and corporations with a wide range of legal matters. Their responsibility is to ensure that everything from a legal perspective is correct at a company. A business lawyer can help you start a new business by dealing with all the required paperwork and red tape involved in a startup or new business entity.
An attorney can also carefully assist you with legal complications that you may encounter due to your business activity, such as acquisitions, bankruptcy, legal disputes, and employment law issues. A lawyer is your confidant, counselor, and guide through all things related to your business or company – offering you greater protection, profitability and peace of mind.
Starting and running a business is a significant and complex procedure. A business lawyer should be hired to help you navigate the formation of a business, review contracts related to your business operations and advise you on disputes that may arise as part of your business dealings. There are a seemingly endless number of tasks and services that a business lawyer can complete on your behalf in Denver. If you need assistance from a trained and knowledgeable professional for any aspect of running your business, a business lawyer is someone you can count on.
Our team of experienced lawyers includes Dan Wartell, Partner and trial lawyer whose practice focuses on complex business litigation, financial fraud, and business torts, and professional liability. His clients have included Fortune 500 companies, small and medium-sized businesses, and individuals.
Kyle C. Kreischer is a founding shareholder with Ciancio Ciancio Brown, P.C., and heads the Business Services and the Civil Litigation Teams. Kyle concentrates his practice in the areas of Commercial Litigation, Construction Litigation, Commercial Banking Law, Real Estate, and General Business Litigation. Additionally, he has significant experience in environmental law, science, commercial real estate transactions, civil appellate work, and administrative matters.
Marc J. Kaplan is a practicing trial lawyer, appellate lawyer, special master, and arbitrator. Having been certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, Marc is a formidable advocate in court. He provides his clients with expertise in civil litigation and appeals.
Dipak P. Patel is a Partner and member of the Civil and Commercial Litigation teams, and leads the firm’s Employment Law team. He is experienced in providing business entity and individual clients with practical advice regarding all aspects of the employment relationship and has worked for over a decade as counsel to both startups and established businesses, and as a litigator. He regularly represents companies and owners in both agency and court proceedings, in addition to representing individuals with severance agreements, discrimination, and wage claim matters. Mr. Patel also advises clients in severance negotiations by completing nuanced evaluations of employment policies, non‑competition, non‑solicitation agreements, and nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements.
Leslee Balten’s professional background is a diverse combination of civil and commercial litigation, as well as business and real estate transactional matters. Ms. Balten’s varied background provides her a unique ability to work with clients going through the full life cycle of business.
Attorney Max L. Eckstein, also our COO, handles the day-to-day operations of the firm. He has experience in the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactional field, entrepreneurial and growing business strategies, and is a veteran business developer. Evan Branigan has experience in digital asset (crypto and NFT) issues representing clients throughout the country. Dan, Kyle, and our other business law attorneys represent clients in nearly any type of civil litigation matter, including:
We also provide legal counsel for clients in discrete areas of law, including:
Our Denver business law attorneys have extensive experience presenting compelling cases before administrative agencies, state and federal trial courts, and courts of appeal. We can assist you with any type of commercial litigation or business law matter in Denver and throughout Colorado, from mergers and acquisitions to internet and digital media issues. If you don’t see your legal matter on this list, contact any of our Denver business lawyers for a confidential in-depth review of your particular case.
Owning and operating a business is no small feat. It requires a great deal of knowledge, both in business operation and within business law. You cannot run a successful business while also ignoring the laws, rules and regulations that apply to you. Doing so can put you at risk of getting into legal trouble, paying hefty fines, being forced to cease operations, even facing potential jail time.
The best way to ensure that your business not only complies with state and federal law but has what it needs to thrive is to hire an attorney to act as your advocate, counselor, litigator and representative. Ciancio Ciancio Brown, P.C., has highly experienced business lawyers who can fill these roles for your company. Below are some frequently asked questions (FAQs) that we often answer for business owners in Denver.
You are not required to have an attorney in order to start a business. In the State of Colorado, a business can be registered through the Colorado Secretary of State’s website by an individual. However, there are many different types of legal entities, and an attorney can help you determine the best type of entity to fit your company’s goals. Contact one of our business-specific attorneys to help guide you through the proper entity formation process.
Business size largely depends on the type of industry and geographic region in which the business operates. Section 121.201 of the Code of Federal Regulations contains the limits in both dollar amount and employee number for each specific industry. Generally, a business with $5MM or less of topline annual revenue would be considered a small business.
In order to register as a corporation in the State of Colorado, your business must have bylaws to govern the internal governance of the company. Each state or jurisdiction has different governance. Please consult one of our attorneys to help you understand your requirements and other entity formation or revision including, Articles of Incorporation, Articles of Organization, or similar documents (including other amendments).
There are four main types of businesses: limited liability companies (LLC), corporations, partnerships and sole proprietorships. An LLC is a flexible type of business that shares some aspects of both partnerships and corporations. A corporation is a legal entity created by shareholders, which protects the owner from being personally liable for the company. A partnership is a business owned by two or more partners. A sole proprietorship is an unincorporated company that is owned only by one person. Before you start a business, you should decide which type of business structure is right for you.
An LLC is an excellent business entity option for a wide variety of industries. Depending on your industry, geographic location(s), and business operations a specific entity formation may be better suited for your company. There are a number of operational, tax and other considerations that you should consider. Contact us for a more in-depth conversation, so we can understand your goals, and to learn more about the advantages and/or disadvantages of each entity designation.
In Colorado, the determination of an employee and an independent contractor is determined by the facts of the particular relationship. Colorado courts use the following factors to determine if an employer-employee relationship exists:
An employer will typically have the right to control the actions or work of an employee. Conversely, an independent contractor will likely not be subject to the control of the employer.
Companies are required to provide certain benefits for their employees, including providing worker’s compensation insurance at the expense of the company. To better understand what benefits are required by a state or the federal government, contact one of our business attorneys to help guide you through the process.
The term piercing the corporate veil refers to the legal standard that allows the officers and members of a business to be held personally liable for the actions against the business entity. Ordinarily, an individual will be protected by the “corporate veil” and shielded from individual personal liability for actions of the company or the company’s employees. In certain situations, the law allows a plaintiff to “pierce” the corporate veil and to hold the individual owner of a company personally liable for the company’s actions.
A joint venture involves two or more persons or entities joining together on a particular project. A partnership involves individuals who join together for a combined business. Typically, in a partnership, persons involved are co-owners of a business venture and their aim is making a profit.
A merger or acquisition is when two companies combine to form one company for business reasons. A merger typically occurs when one company purchases another company by buying a certain amount of its stock in exchange for its own stock.
Mergers and acquisitions can be a complex business situation and often require detailed understanding relating to stock or equity repurchases, redemptions, exchanges, conversions, common and preferred stock certificates, warrants, options, debentures, and any other securities. Bylaws and operating agreements of the company related to buyout clauses, business structure, non-compete clauses, service contracts, audited and unaudited financial statements (balance sheets, profit and loss statements, related statements of stockholders’ equity and cash flow), business plans, business valuations, and performance reports are all important to a sale, merger, or acquisition of a business. A good M&A team to help guide company ownership or a board is important to achieving the desired defined success of a deal.
If you’re curious about how our dedicated business law attorneys in Denver can make a measurable improvement to your business, we invite you to speak directly to one of our lawyers about your specific needs. In the meantime, we hope this breakdown of our basic business law services can help you learn a little more about what to expect when you hire us. Our roster of business law services includes, but is not limited to:
We protect small businesses during issues such as disputes, employment lawsuits and business dissolution. We provide both pretrial and trial representation to small business owners.
For intricate and complex commercial issues, you need a business-minded lawyer and advocate. Our team boasts extensive experience in commercial and civil litigation, employment, and business formation, with a unique collaborative approach by our team to take on any additional challenge your business may face.
If you have even one employee working for you, you can benefit from a lawyer’s expertise in employment law. You have a legal responsibility to act within the confines of the law as an employer, including federal and state wage and hour laws, discrimination laws, disability laws, and workers’ compensation requirements. Failing to do so could lead to lawsuits and penalties against you and your business.
These forms of alternative dispute resolution can be critical for a business owner, as they can save you a great deal of time, money, and press/news/publication coverage that could be harmful to your company’s reputation. Our lawyers can represent you during mediation or arbitration or act as an objective mediator, depending on your needs.
One of our specialties is liquor licensing in Colorado. We understand exactly how to handle the complicated process of getting your liquor license in Colorado as a restaurant, bar, tavern, hotel, retail store, movie theater or another type of business. We can also protect your rights if you’re facing an accusation of a liquor licensing violation.
Understanding your tax obligations as a business owner is essential to the future of your company. It is important to get it right from the very beginning to avoid tax penalties, liens, garnishments and collections that could ruin everything you have built. Our lawyers can help you resolve your business tax issues and partner with your CPA and other tax experts to get it right the first time
If you are planning on purchasing, renting, leasing or buying commercial property or equipment for your business, our lawyers can make the process easier. We can assist you with commercial lease agreements, contracts, purchase agreements, real estate disputes, and more.
Ciancio Ciancio Brown, P.C. is more than just a source of exceptional business litigation in Denver – we are your lawyers for life. As a full-service law firm, we offer a wide range of legal services to address all of your legal needs now and in the future. If you encounter any type of legal problem down the road, including criminal charges or a serious personal injury due to negligence, we are the right fit for you. Our law firm offers top-tier legal services in a wide variety of practice areas for all aspects of your business.
To learn more about any aspect of our practice, or to arrange a consultation with one of our Denver-area commercial law lawyers, contact Ciancio Ciancio Brown, P.C. We serve individual and business clients throughout the state of Colorado and Washington.
