Corporations
Mr. Handford works closely with his clients who desire to form a corporation to prepare all the documents necessary in order to properly establish corporate existence. These may include custom-drafted articles of incorporation, corporate bylaws, shareholder agreements, stock ledgers and certificates, Employer Identification Number (EIN) filings, and S-corporation elections. Along with providing in-depth consultation and analysis in the start-up phase, he is always available to answer clients' questions. Mr. Handford offers all of these services on either a flat-fee or an hourly billable basis (rounded up to the 10th of an hour). He is pleased to assist all types of enterprises, from the newest sole proprietor desiring a level of protection for personal and business assets to the most venerable company that may require establishment of a subsidiary, affiliate, or joint venture entity. Mr. Handford can also serve as incorporator, Virginia registered agent, and/or corporate secretary.

Limited Liability Company Law
The Limited Liability Company (LLC) is a relatively new and increasingly popular form of business entity that provides some unique advantages over the corporate form, but it is not always the best entity for every situation. Mr. Handford can analyze your business plan and recommend whether you should use an LLC or whether a different entity is preferable. If an LLC is best for you, he can prepare custom-drafted articles of organization, operating agreements, Employer Identification Number (EIN) filings and other necessary documents to properly establish a Virginia LLC. Along with providing in-depth consultation and analysis in the start-up phase, he is always available to answer clients' questions. Mr. Handford offers all of these services on either a flat-fee or an hourly billable basis (rounded up to the 10th of an hour). He is pleased to assist all types of enterprises, from the newest sole proprietor desiring a level of protection for personal and business assets to the most venerable company that may require establishment of a subsidiary, affiliate, or joint venture entity. Mr. Handford can also serve as organizer, Virginia registered agent, and/or company secretary.

Securities and Private Placements

Many businesses retain 100% ownership by their founders who also have provided the "sweat-equity" in running the enterprise since its inception. But what happens if there is a need for private capital and a bank loan is not available or desirable? Or employees, for example, desire to buy in to the business? Selling a portion of your business is not something you will take lightly for business reasons, but you may not realize that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (and the Virginia State Corporation Commission) may be interested in what you are doing as well. Without proper legal guidance, it is possible to run afoul of federal and state civil and criminal laws when attempting to sell an ownership stake in an ongoing business enterprise. Properly drafted securities filings and documentation help to protect you and lend credibility to your efforts. Mr. Handford can advise you in these matters and prepare Private Placement Memoranda, investor disclosures, and other limited offering materials on either a flat-fee or hourly billable basis.

Contracts
Mr. Handford advises business clients of all types in the preparation, negotiation, and execution of contracts involving supply, manufacturing, sales, distribution, transportation, equipment leases, office/building leases, loans, assignments, employment, independent contractors, settlement and release, service and software agreements, nondisclosure and confidentiality, joint ventures, and more. He offers these services on either a flat-fee or an hourly billable basis (rounded up the 10th of an hour), depending on the client's preference. He can provide as little as a quick review and comment by telephone on a single contract, all the way up to complete documentation and negotiation of the purchase or sale of an entire business structured as a simple asset or stock sale or through various types of merger transactions. Mr. Handford has been involved with such transactions valued from $50,000 to over $150,000,000.

Litigation and Trials

Mr. Handford has over fourteen years of experience in litigation and trial practice, as a claims and litigation staff attorney at Coast Guard Headquarters, a prosecutor and defense counsel for special and general courts martial, a federal prosecutor for felony criminal charges, and as a civil trial lawyer for maritime and casualty litigation in both federal and state courts. Mr. Handford now concentrates his trial practice in the areas of personal injury, business disputes and will contests. Corporate shareholder and LLC member struggles, entity dissolutions, contract disputes, and commercial collections are among the specific matters he has handled successfully for business clients. On the estate side, Mr. Handford has assisted clients in recovering for executor breaches and in obtaining court-ordered resolution of asset distribution problems on behalf of executors and administrators. Mr. Handford is equally comfortable before judge or jury and in situations ranging from the most basic contract dispute in local general district court to complex commercial litigation in the "rocket docket" of the federal courts of the Eastern District of Virginia.

Please see "Policies and Fees" for more information regarding possible fee arrangements for certain litigation matters.

Estate Planning

Admiralty and Maritime

Asset Protection

Business Formation

Buying and Selling of Businesses

Closely Held Business Law

Commercial Law

Corporate Governance

Import and Export Law

Incorporations

Maritime Regulation

Mergers and Acquisitions

Shareholder Agreements

Wills and Probate