At Portalatin Business Law Firm, we help founders in Fort Lauderdale form U.S. companies, sign safer contracts, and protect their brands.
The firm has advised business owners since April 2017, and attorney Jessica Portalatin has been named to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list, a recognition reserved for roughly the top 2.5% of Florida attorneys. Formation and contract work is often handled on a flat fee, so you know the cost before the work starts.
A corporate lawyer handles the legal side of owning and running a company, like choosing and forming the right entity, writing the agreements between owners, reviewing contracts before you sign, and registering trademarks that protect your business name, logo, slogans, and product names. It is proactive work, meant to prevent disputes rather than clean them up later.
Consultations are available remotely if you are still coordinating a move or working with partners abroad, and the same team handles broader business legal support once your company is running.
Full legal service from a bilingual team
Consultations, contracts, and strategy in either Spanish or English, so that you understand everything in the language you feel the most comfortable with.
Legal foundations built before problems start
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Business Formation Statistics, Florida had more than 580,000 new business applications in a single recent year, most of those companies launch without operating agreements or brand protection. The firm sets up the structure, agreements, and protections first, so disputes have less room to form, focusing on being proactive rather than reactive
Recognized by peers and the profession
Attorney Jessica Portalatin has been named to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list, a list limited to roughly the top 2.5% of Florida attorneys, and holds a 4.9 out of 5.0 peer review rating with Martindale-Hubbell.
Brand protection handled alongside formation
Your business name and logo are assets worth defending, and the firm walks founders through what it takes to secure a trademark as the company grows.
A long-term legal partner, not a document service
Online filing sites hand you forms and disappear. This firm stays involved as you hire, sign contracts, and expand.
Choosing the right business entity affects ownership, taxes, liability protection, management, and how the company can grow over time. Common options in Florida include:
Forming the entity is only the first step. The ownership documents, operating agreement, shareholder agreement, and tax structure should all work together from the beginning.
Yes. A foreign investor can generally form and own a Florida LLC or corporation without being a U.S. citizen or resident. Florida’s formation requirements focus on the business entity itself, and a Florida LLC must maintain a registered agent with a physical street address in the state.
Foreign owners should also plan for several practical requirements, including:
For international investors, it is important to coordinate the business formation with tax and immigration counsel so that the ownership structure supports both the investment and the investor’s broader U.S. goals.
1. Virtual Meeting
The first meeting happens by video, where we discuss what you are building, where your partners and funding sit, and what you need done first.
2. Review Of What You Already Have
Existing entity filings, operating agreements, vendor contracts, and leases get read closely. Many founders arrive with documents from an online filing service that look complete but leave ownership and control undefined.
3. Legal Gaps And Risks Identified
You get a plain list of what is missing or exposed, from Florida registered agent requirements to contracts that do not name who decides what. Flat-fee pricing for formation and contract work is quoted here, before any work begins.
4. Documents Drafted Or Corrected
Articles, operating agreements, shareholder agreements, NDAs, and client contracts are drafted to match how your business actually runs. Each one is explained in the language you are most comfortable with, not just handed over signed.
5. Brand And IP Strategy
If your business name, logo, or product line is worth protecting, trademark searches and federal registration come next. Protecting your business name early costs far less than fighting over it after launch.
6. Ongoing Partnership And Periodic Review
As you hire, add partners, or open a second location, documents get updated before problems appear. That is the difference between proactive counsel and a document mill that disappears after filing.
Yes. In many cases, having a written agreement is even more important when the co-owners are relatives or close friends.
A shareholder, operating, or partnership agreement can spell out important issues before a disagreement happens, including:
Many ownership disputes begin because the parties trusted each other and never documented these expectations. Putting the rules in writing while everyone is aligned can help protect both the business and the personal relationship if circumstances change later.
Online services file paperwork, they do not tell you whether an LLC or corporation fits your tax situation, how to split ownership with a partner abroad, or what happens if that partner walks away. If you have co-founders, investors, employees, or real money moving through contracts, you need a lawyer before the first filing, not after a dispute.
A corporate lawyer builds and maintains your business: formation, contracts, ownership agreements, and brand protection. A litigator steps in once there is a lawsuit. Your accountant handles taxes and books, and works alongside your lawyer rather than replacing one.
Cost varies from firm to firm, but it depends highly on how comprehensive the owners want the terms of the agreement to be. The firm handle these types of agreements on a flat fee basis, which gives a lot of peace of mind to our clients. Templates rarely address what happens if an owner dies or exits, or if the parties are married, how the business will be handled post-divorce. Florida does not require an operating agreement for an LLC, but without one, state default rules decide your rules for you.
Yes. The firm works heavily with internationals and thus handles meetings virtually.
Federal registration with the USPTO generally takes several months to over a year, depending on examiner backlog and whether anyone opposes your mark. File as early as you can, ideally before you print packaging or buy domains, because discovering a conflict after launch means rebranding at your own cost. A clearance search first tells you whether the name is worth building on at all.
They are enforceable when they are reasonable in scope, duration, and the information they cover. Florida courts routinely uphold confidentiality agreements but will narrow or reject ones that try to lock down everything forever. Define the confidential information specifically and keep the time limit sensible.
Portalatin Business Law Firm handles entity formation, contracts, and trademark filings with flat-fee pricing quoted upfront, so you know the cost before you commit.
The right time to build legal protection into your company is before the first contract is signed and before someone else files your brand name. Call (786) 504-7487 to schedule a consultation in the language you are most comfortable speaking, and bring your questions about structure, partners, or protecting your business name and ideas.
