Holmes Business Law PC

10/16/2026

Thinking about selling your business? The first legal document you'll sign probably isn't the purchase agreement. It's the broker agreement.

Read it before you sign:
• Do you owe a fee if YOU find the buyer?
• How long after the listing ends can the broker still get paid?
• Is the fee calculated on money you might not receive for years?
• How do you get out?

The full checklist:

A business broker agreement decides when commission is owed, for how long, and on which buyers. What PA and NJ sellers should check before signing.

10/14/2026

Starting a business? The legal work isn't one big task. It's a dozen small decisions in the right order.

Form the LLC. Get the operating agreement signed while everyone still likes each other. Check the name before you print the sign. Put your customer terms in writing. Hire the right way. Read the lease before you fall in love with the space.

We just launched the Launch Program: six months of legal help for new businesses, one monthly price, and a lawyer you can call without watching the clock.

Here's the first-six-months checklist:

Let Holmes Business Law P.C. help your start-up, small business, or enterprise grow with expert business attorneys and legal services you can trust.

09/10/2026

To celebrate 20 years practicing law, I thought it would be fun to participate in this year's Dynamic Women feature in . I am very excited to see many other accomplished women I know, including clients, in this year's edition.

I am grateful I've been able to build a business here and it's afford me many opportunities to get to know other amazing and dynamic women.

Special thanks to Phil Kramer and his team for a really fun shoot. Check out the section here: https://digital.modernluxury.com/publication/?i=869051&p=98&view=issueViewer

08/28/2026

Your employee handbook says you give three warnings before termination. You fired someone on the first offense. Guess which document their lawyer opens first.

Most handbook problems aren't missing policies. They're policies that promise more than you meant to promise — a discipline process written like a guarantee, a "permanent employee" reference, an at-will statement buried on page 40.

And a policy you don't actually follow is worse than no policy at all.

If your handbook came from a template, is more than a year or two old, or predates your first hire in another state, it's worth an hour of someone's attention.

Employees in PA or NJ? The full breakdown is on the blog, and you can book a client interview from there.

https://phillysmallbusinesslawyer.com/business-success-tips/employee-handbook-pennsylvania-new-jersey/

08/26/2026

"It's non-binding." That's what everyone says about a letter of intent. It's also how people end up bound.

Most LOIs are non-binding on the big stuff — price, terms, whether the deal happens at all. But the exclusivity clause, the confidentiality clause, and the who-pays-what clause usually ARE binding. Those are the ones nobody reads.

An exclusivity period means you've agreed to stop talking to other buyers or sellers for 60 or 90 days. That's a real commitment, made at the exact moment you know the least about the other side.

Sign the LOI knowing which parts you can walk away from and which parts you can't.

Buying or selling a business in PA or NJ? The full breakdown is on the blog, and you can book a client interview from there.

https://phillysmallbusinesslawyer.com/business-success-tips/non-binding-letter-of-intent/

08/21/2026

Selling your business? The buyer is going to want you to sign a non-compete — and it needs to be specific about geography, industry, and time, or it can create problems for you later if you want to start something new.

A non-compete tied to the sale of a business gets treated differently than one in an employment contract, but it still needs the right scope.

Buying or selling in PA or NJ? Book a client interview.

08/19/2026

Thinking about selling in the next year or two? The businesses that sell for the best price aren't scrambling — their financials are clean, their contracts are actually signed (not just verbal), and their key employees aren't a mystery to a buyer's lawyer.

Start that cleanup 12-18 months before you list, not after an offer comes in.

Selling in PA or NJ? Book a client interview.

08/17/2026

If you're buying a business, how often is the listing price the number you actually pay at closing?
In our experience, rarely.
That's because once you get into diligence, there's likely things to uncover that affect the asking price.

08/17/2026

Buying a business? Before you get anywhere near closing, get in writing: the full employee list and classifications, all contracts (signed and unsigned), the last 3 years of financials, and any pending disputes or claims. If a seller hesitates to hand any of that over, that's information too.

PA or NJ acquisition? Book a client interview.

08/15/2026

Had a client relationship go sideways lately? Or something you've been meaning to get looked at but keep putting off?

That feeling is usually right. A contract that's been bugging you, a classification question, a deal you're circling but haven't called anyone about — this is a good week to deal with it instead of carrying it into next month.

Book a client interview.