Practice
Buying or selling a small business
Asset sales of owner-run companies: the shop, the studio, the trade business with one location.
A small-business sale turns on a few things: what’s being sold, what the seller still owes, and whether the landlord will let the lease move. We keep one checklist for the whole deal, send it to both owners every Friday, and flag problems early enough to fix them.
We work with your broker, lender and accountant, and we don’t give valuation or tax advice of our own.
What the deal fee covers
Letters of intent, reviewed or drafted
Due diligence on contracts, liens and permits
Asset purchase agreements and schedules
Lease assignments and landlord consents
Seller financing and noncompete terms
The usual path to closing
Most small deals close in 60 to 120 days.
- 01
Step 1: Letter of intent
Price, terms and the conditions both sides need.
- 02
Step 2: Due diligence
We review what’s being bought, and what isn’t disclosed.
- 03
Step 3: Purchase agreement
Drafted or negotiated, with schedules for every asset.
- 04
Step 4: Closing
Signatures, funds, assignments and the keys.
The deal fee
Fixed for an asset sale with one location.
Buy or sell a business
An asset sale of a business with one location, from letter of intent to closing.
- Letter of intent, reviewed or drafted
- Due diligence checklist and review
- Asset purchase agreement and schedules
- Bill of sale, assignments and closing set
- Lease assignment with the landlord
- Accounting, valuation and tax advice
- Term:
- Billed per deal
Larger deals quoted in writing first
Our fees cover the legal work. State filing fees, registered agent service and other third-party costs are passed through at cost and listed in your quote.
Deal questions
Do you represent both buyer and seller?
No. We represent one side, and we’ll ask who’s across the table before we quote, to check for a conflict.
What about stock sales?
We take some. They’re quoted separately because the diligence runs deeper.
What if the deal falls through?
Your engagement letter sets out what part of the fee is owed at each stage, so you know before you start.
Buying or selling this year?
Tell us the type of business, the rough price and who’s on the other side. We’ll check for conflicts and quote.
The first call is free and doesn’t make us your lawyers; an engagement letter does.