Outside General Counsel

If you are a “foreign” Limited Liability Company, such as a Delaware LLC, you must register in Massachusetts if you do business here. See Mass. Gen. Law c.156C, §54. That’s not difficult, but it does take a bit of effort and yearly filing fees. You must also have a registered agent within the Commonwealth. Doing business properly and following all the rules is costly, but not doing so is riskier and can be much costlier.

It’s been a crazy ride for several weeks. In some ways, the practice of law is the same. In some ways, it’s different. Sometimes it just feels different. In spite of the photo, I've been able to work in my satellite office and have been the only one here.

Private businesses will be back. It has to be. By definition, entrepreneurs are resilient and versatile. If your business is closed or running a skeleton operation, this is the time to think about how the world will be changed when things get back to “normal.” I recently wrote about examining your existing business here: Make the Best of this Difficult Time When Your Business Is Closed or Slowed. You should also plan to move forward.

Over 14.5 million Americans belong to labor unions in the United States today, so it should come as a welcome sign for business owners who interact with third party workers such as subcontractors and franchisee employees that only those workers over whom they have substantial direct and immediate control will they be obligated to under the NLRA.

Fox Moulder’s motto was “Trust No One.” Lawyers can understand this paranoia. Divorce lawyers know spouses cheat. Criminal lawyers know clients steal (and worse). You should know that your business partners and key employees that you trust the most can betray you. This includes both majority and minority shareholders in close corporations, members of LLC’s (Massachusetts limited liability companies), and partners in partnerships. Sadly, this also includes family members in a family business.