Incorporation

One of the first, and usually happiest,  reasons anyone is likely to ever need a corporate law expert in Edmonton, Alberta is when they are starting a business - something we have extensive experience of helping with from beginning to end, so if you are stuck on the practicalities, please do get in touch and see how we can help you.

Right now, one of the most current corporate law issues people are having is the simple issue of ensuring that they are protected personally should their business fail, and incorporation is something that can make that happen by separating out personal and business liabilities.

The process of incorporating a business in Canada is fairly simple, but it does involve paperwork and that paperwork does have to be accurate if you want your business to be successfully incorporated, which is where we come in. We've been there and done it all hundreds of times, which means we can help you get the process of incorporating your business done fast, and more importantly, right.

Discrimination

With movements like #MeToo and Black Lives Matter sweeping the globe and shining a spotlight on how many people are discriminated against on a daily basis, it is fair to say that discrimination in all of its forms is becoming a hot topic, which means it is also one of the biggest current corporate law issues that business owners need to get to grips with.

In terms of corporate law in Canada, the main things you cannot and should not be discriminating against as an employer are sex and gender, race and religion, and if you or anyone in your company does, in fact, discriminate for any of these reasons, litigation is likely.

In order to ensure that you don't fall foul of discrimination litigation from any of your employees and have your business branded as a company that discriminates, you need to create watertight HR policies and you need to follow them. Our corporate lawyers can't help you with the latter, but we can certainly help you stay on the right side of the law when it comes to the former. We can also help to fight your corner if you are hit with a discrimination suit at any point in the future.

As well as ensuring you're following corporate law to the letter when it comes to discrimination, it is also a good idea to put your employees through anti-discrimination training so they can spot their own biases, work on them, and ensure that they do not make anyone feel discriminated against within the workplace.

Project financing

There has been a significant boom in building in Canada in recent years, so it is hardly surprising that corporate lawyers are dealing with a lot of project financing issues right now. We are able to ensure that our clients are paid on time and keep projects moving at the agreed place for a more productive project. Anyone who's running a big construction project, who wants to ensure that it will go as smoothly as possible, should consider using a professional project financing service for their own peace of mind and to ensure that the vast sums of money they are investing are being utilized to the fullest.

Mergers and Acquisitions

Mergers and acquisitions are a huge part of corporate law, even now when the economy is less healthy than it once was. What are mergers and acquisitions? It's the term used when one company purchases another company or when several companies or assets are consolidated. As you can imagine, this often means a lot of money changing hands, and a lot of aspects of corporate law to consider to protect the interests of all parties involved.

Mergers and acquisitions can be very profitable to companies, but they are also complicated, and if you don't have a good corporate lawyer in Edmonton, Alberta on your side, you could end up making an expensive mistake whether by buying for more than necessary or because you've missed an important part of the procedure and are thus subject to a penalty, or even litigation.

The good news is our corporate lawyers are always on hand to pore over contracts, review financial figures and get to grips with any existing assets or liabilities a company or entity may have before a merger or acquisition takes place. Basically, we'll look at mergers and acquisitions from every potential angle so our clients will always get the best possible deal.

Anti-Spam

Governments all over the world are now cracking down on the menace that is spam, which is great for consumers, but it could be disastrous for businesses who haven't yet gotten to grips with the latest legislation in this regard.  If you want to avoid being fined for getting a bit too heavy with your promotional materials, we can help you to create a watertight anti-spam policy that you can use company-wide to stay on the right side of the law,  whatever it may be in your jurisdiction, or in any part of the world where you choose to trade.

Venture capital

Venture capitalism is really popular right now, so when looking at the current corporate law issues, we cannot fail to mention venture capital, which is, put simply, a form of private equity investment whereby companies trade shares in their corporations for long-term capital loans. Again, a lot of money can change hands in these kinds of deals, which is why our corporate lawyers are on hand to look at the finances in detail, draft fair agreements and ensure that everything is legal and above board throughout. We can also advise you on which kinds of private equity firms and setups are most likely to work for you un your own particular circumstances. 

Securities 

When you run a business, it's important that you follow all of the correct procedures in regards to reporting your income, stock prices and other important financial information to your company's shareholders. Our corporate lawyers, here in Edmonton, Alberta, will help you to prepare these important financial reports and point out any inconsistencies or issues before you present them to the shareholders, where you could potentially get into serious trouble for misrepresenting your business, even if by accident.

Our corporate law team knows all of the right legal terms and regulations to ensure that your financial reports are clear, legal and unable to get you into trouble, while also giving you, and your shareholders, the clearest possible picture of what kind of shape the company is in, from share prices to pending litigations or even governmental investigations.

Intellectual property

Intellectual property is the term used to refer to things created by the mind of an individual like books, art, logos, and names, which are used in the business world.

Intellectual property is protected by Canadian law by copyright, trademarks and patents, which means that the people who came up with the idea have the sole right to use said ideas and make money from them unless they agree to give away those rights or license them to a third party.

Whether you are looking to protect your own intellectual property or you have fallen foul of intellectual property laws and have a lawsuit pending against you, corporate lawyers have the knowledge and experience to help you through the legal process to bring back a result that everyone is happy with.

Condominium corporation organization

A condominium corporation is an entity that is created when titles are issued to the individual units of a brand new condominium construction. Once the titles are issued, the condominium corporation can then be registered with the Corporate Registry.

Typically, a condominium corporation is made up of the owners of individual units within the condominium, and since it is responsible for managing and administering the units, as well as ensuring that any and all bylaws are adhered to, it is important that the profess if conducted correctly at every stage. This is something a good corporate law expert can certainly help you with. 

Having one of our corporate lawyers deal with your condominium corporation organization will certainly cut down on the conflicts of interest and arguments that can arise when the unit holders try to handle the process themselves.

Corporate name changes

Most people think that changing a company's name is as simple as...well changing its name. But if your company is an officially registered corporation, as we keep saying, it is an entity in its own right, and that means that it isn't that simple. You couldn't just change your name without filing paperwork and neither can your business.  Luckily, corporate law does allow for such name changes and our commercial lawyers are well versed in helping clients file the required Articles of Amendment correctly, and advising on when you can and cannot change your company's name, so you, once again, stay on the right side of the law.

Commercial real estate

Commercial real estate is pretty competitively priced in Edmonton, Alberta right now, which means a lot of the current corporate law undertakings are centred around the acquisition of real estate.

So many people think that buying commercial real estate and buying residential real estate are very similar undertakings, but the process of buying real estate for your company is actually a much more involved process with many more legal hoops to jump through, which is why most business owners will bring in a commercial lawyer to help them with this particular area of their company.

Company dissolution

Unfortunately, due to current global circumstances, we are seeing a far higher number of businesses being forced to close, which means that company dissolution is a major current corporate law issue.

What is a company dissolution? Basically, it is the process of winding a business up and closing it down permanently. Since a corporation is its own legal entity, you can imagine that this is not as simple a process as simply sticking a closed sign on your company premises or website, and then forgetting about it forevermore.

First, the dissolution has to be agreed upon by shareholders then you will need to take the correct legal steps in the correct order to ensure that everything is done within the law. We can help you go through all of the steps you need to in order to start liquidating your company, and of course, we can help you with that too. We'll file all of the paperwork and check all of the facts and figures to ensure that your company's dissolution is as painless as such a process can possibly be.

Hire our expert corporate lawyers now

Verhaeghe Law Office is home to a crack team of corporate lawyers in Edmonton, Alberta. Over many years, we have worked on corporate cases spanning the gamut from class-action lawsuits to unanimous shareholder agreements. Corporate law is at the heart of what we do, and we do it well. If you need legal assistance with any aspect of your corporation, do not hesitate to get in touch with us today. We're here to help.