Business Law
Ted Smith Law Group helps Central Texas business owners with entity formation, contracts, non-compete agreements, and commercial disputes, from startup through a sale or wind-down.
Starting or restructuring
An LLC, corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship each carries different liability protection, tax treatment, and management structure. The firm helps owners choose a structure that fits the business, prepares the formation documents, and can assist later with reorganizations, mergers, or winding down an entity that has run its course.
Deal work
Buy-sell agreements, asset purchases, shareholder and partnership agreements, and financing documents set the terms a business has to live with for years. The firm drafts and reviews these agreements, and represents clients buying or selling a business, negotiating a franchise relationship, or closing a private offering.
Protecting the business
Covenants not to compete are generally enforceable in Texas when they are reasonably limited in time, geography, and scope, and tied to a legitimate business interest. Courts will narrow or strike overbroad terms. The firm drafts and reviews these covenants and can help protect trade secrets, trade names, and copyrighted materials from misuse by a former employee, partner, or competitor.
When it goes wrong
Shareholder disputes, breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and disputes between business partners can threaten a company's operations and value. The firm represents business owners in these disputes, from an early demand letter through mediation, motions, or trial when a resolution requires it.
Questions
It depends on liability exposure, tax goals, number of owners, and how much management flexibility you want. LLCs are common for small and mid-size businesses because of their liability protection and flexible structure, but corporations, partnerships, and other structures each fit different situations. A consultation can walk through the tradeoffs for your specific business.
Generally yes, currently, if the covenant is reasonable in duration, geographic area, and scope of restricted activity, and is tied to a legitimate business interest like trade secrets or client relationships. Overbroad agreements risk being narrowed or thrown out by a court, so how the agreement is written matters as much as whether one exists.
A trade secret is generally information (a formula, process, customer list, or method) that has independent economic value because it is not publicly known and that the business takes reasonable steps to keep confidential. Protecting it starts with confidentiality agreements, limited access, and consistent internal practices, and the firm can help put those safeguards in place or respond if a secret has already been misused.
Options range from a direct negotiation guided by counsel, to mediation, to litigation if the partnership or shareholder agreement and informal talks cannot resolve it. What is available often depends on what your governing documents already say, so bringing the partnership or operating agreement to a consultation is the fastest way to see where you stand.
Call or text the Killeen office and the team will get back to you, usually within one business day.