New companies must take steps to comply with the law even before opening their doors for the first time. Business law attorneys are routinely asked to form new entities on behalf of their clients by filing the necessary documents with the Secretary of State. Clients may also need assistance choosing the business entity best suited for their enterprise. Businesses can be formed as corporations, limited liability companies (LLCs), partnerships, and other entities. Most of these business forms can be further customized to meet the needs of the company. Examples include corporations formed as “S-corps” in order to achieve tax savings, and partnerships formed as “limited partnerships” to allow some owners to participate as investors only. While the selection of the appropriate business entity will depend on numerous factors, the primary purpose of most entities is to shield owners from individual liability. Operating a business that is not set up to provide limited liability means that the owners are putting all of their personal assets within reach of the business’s creditors. By working with an attorney at the inception of the business, this situation can easily be avoided. Business law attorneys are also available to draft the internal agreements that will control how a new company is managed. A common example is an LLC operating agreement. This document should be drafted with care, as it governs how the company’s owners will share profits and losses, make important business decisions, and transfer their ownership rights. Even for savvy business people, problems can develop when emotions become involved. Attorneys can provide valuable insight into a transaction, not only because of their legal training, but also because of the objective nature of their analysis. This allows them to spot issues overlooked by business owners and managers who may be too emotionally invested in seeing the deal go through.