Austin TX Business Law Blog

Patents for Start-Ups

Setting up your start-up the right way with all the relevant legal protections in place is important in order for it to be successful. One type of legal protection that may be relevant to your business is patent protection. While not all start-ups need patents, in some cases, getting a patent may be the right way to secure your idea from being used by others.
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Alternative dispute resolution is any method to resolve a dispute instead of resorting to litigation. These methods tend to be more collaborative as the parties come together to work on a mutually agreeable solution. The two most common alternative dispute resolution methods are mediation and arbitration.
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Having a solid employee handbook in place is an important part of protecting your company and establishes clear expectations for your employees. In its most basic sense, the employee handbook will memorialize your company’s rules and policies on a number of critical aspects of the business and employment with the business. Your employee handbook should be distributed to all new hires and reiterated to current employees on a regular basis.
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Non-disclosure agreements are used to restrict the disclosure of confidential information and trade secrets that a person may have acquired or had access to during the course of his or her employment. An employer uses a non-disclosure agreement to protect the dissemination of key company information by a person after an employee has left the company. It is a restricted covenant intended to protect the company from its own confidential information being used against it later on.

What is a Non-Disclosure Agreement?

Unlike a non-compete agreement, a non-disclosure, when properly drafted, is not designed to restrict a former employee from competing with his or her former employer. Even with a non-disclosure agreement in place, a former employee is free to use any general knowledge and skills acquired at the former place of employment to set out and start a new business or work with a competitor.
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Buying a Franchise

Entrepreneurs looking to take on the business world but not wanting to build up a business from the ground up may finding buying a franchise to be an attractive option. A franchise can be a lucrative business endeavor and one where branding, pricing, marketing, and other business structures are already in place. Having a successful franchise, however, is not a guarantee.
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Setting out to buy a small business is an exciting adventure. For those with the entrepreneurial spirit, buying a small business can be the culmination of pursuing a life-long dream. Buying an existing small business can be an excellent investment. If you fail to do your due diligence prior to this major purchase, however, things can quickly go south. Be thoughtful and detailed in your review of a small business you are looking to purchase.
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Selling your company can be a bittersweet experience. The business you worked hard to build has become a success, but it is time for you to move to the next phase of your career or life. Before you place your company on the market, you want to ensure you consider several factors, so that your company is ready to be sold for top dollar. An Austin business lawyer can help you during each phase of the business transaction, including discussing the initial factors below.

Six Things to Consider As You Prepare to Place Your Company on the Market

1.            Hire Advisors and Professionals Immediately

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Texas Business Law Attorney

Putting that entrepreneurial spirit into action and forming your own business is a big step. Starting a business is the time to put all of those exciting ideas into a more detailed and concrete plan that will lay the foundation for its future. The Kumar Firm takes great pride in providing trusted legal counsel to those who are looking to start their own business. It is a journey filled with important decisions and legal considerations. The Kumar Firm will help you navigate these waters and help set your business up for success.

What are the Steps to Starting a Business?

The first step to starting a business is to develop a solid business plan. Get down into the specifics of what your business will look like. You will need to answer some tough, but necessary questions about your business such as:

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How can I guard against theft of my company’s trade secrets?

Recently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested a second Apple employee and accused the employee, who is a Chinese citizen, of attempted theft of trade secrets.  The allegedly stolen information concerned Apple’s autonomous car project.  This FBI investigation comes just months after similar charges were filed against another Apple employee for seeking to steal trade secrets concerning the same project.  Our Read more . . .

What are the benefits of diversity in the workplace?

Recently, Forbes magazine ranked Texas Health Resources number 140 on its list of the Best Employers for Diversity. The national list polled respondents with questions about employee gender, age, ethnicity, LGBTQ+, and other diversity indicators.  Texas Health is honored to have ranked top among the most inclusive employers in the country.  Texas Health issued a public release expressing pride over the award and stating that the workplace is comprised of more than 40 percent of employees who identify themselves as part of an ethnic population.  Our Austin, Texas business law employees applaud Texas Health for its recent ranking and discuss the many benefits of having a diverse workplace below.

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