Business formation & planning

Structure your business to protect what you've built and plan for what comes next.

Whether you’re forming your first LLC, aligning an existing business with your estate plan, or beginning to think about an exit — we provide the legal structure that makes it work.

Schedule a business planning call

We work with business owners at every stage

Starting out and want to do it right from day one.

Established and realizing your business and estate plan aren’t aligned.

Planning an exit and want to protect what you’ve built for your family.

Three stages, one firm

Business law that connects to your full picture.

Most business attorneys ignore estate planning. Most estate attorneys ignore business
structure. We do both because for business owners, the two are inseparable.

Starting a business

Forming an LLC correctly from the start protects you personally and sets you up for clean ownership, tax efficiency, and future flexibility. We handle formation and make sure it connects to your personal estate plan from day one.

LLC Formation
Operating Agreements
EIN & Registration

Growing & protecting

Your business is established. Now the question is whether your legal structure still fits and whether your personal estate plan accounts for your business interests correctly. We review, realign, and update both.

Entity restructuring
Buy-sell agreements
Estate coordination

Planning an exit

Retirement, sale, or succession to children or key employees exits go wrong when the legal structure isn’t prepared in advance. We work with your CPA and financial advisor to make sure the transition is structured, protected, and aligned with your family’s goals.

Succession planning
Buy-sell structure
Advisor coordination

What we handle

Business legal services connected to your estate plan.

Every engagement includes coordination with your personal estate plan. Your business
structure and your family’s protection should work together.

LLC formation & operating agreements

  • Utah LLC formation and state registration
  • Custom operating agreement (not a template)
  • Single-member and multi-member structures
  • Trust ownership coordination

Business succession planning

  • Succession plan design for family or key employee transfer
  • Buy-sell agreement drafting and review
  • Coordination with CPA and financial advisor
  • Estate plan alignment for business owner
Working with advisors in Salt Lake City and Northern Utah? We regularly coordinate with CPAs, financial advisors, and business brokers on behalf of our business owner clients. If you have an existing advisory relationship, we’ll work within it, not around it.

Corporate structuring & maintenance

  • Multi-entity structure design
  • Holding company and subsidiary coordination
  • Annual maintenance and compliance guidance
  • Real estate holding entity structuring

Common Questions

Questions from business owners.

Do I need an LLC, or is a sole proprietorship fine?

A sole proprietorship offers no liability protection. Your personal assets are exposed if your business is sued. An LLC creates a legal separation between you and your business. For most small business owners in Utah, an LLC is worth the cost and the maintenance.

My business is already formed. Can you still help?

Yes. We review existing entities, update operating agreements, and restructure ownership when needed. We also make sure your existing business is correctly integrated with your personal estate plan. Something most business owners haven’t done.

What does business succession planning involve?

It starts with understanding who you want to take over, when, and on what terms. Then building the legal structure to make that happen smoothly. For family succession, that often involves trust planning, gifting strategies, and buy-sell agreements. For key employee succession, it involves different mechanisms. We coordinate with your CPA throughout.

Should my trust own my LLC?

In many cases, yes. Having your revocable living trust hold your LLC membership interest means the business transfers seamlessly at your death without probate. But it depends on the structure of the LLC and your operating agreement. We’ll analyze your specific situation and recommend what makes sense.