Boynton Beach Business Attorney

Boynton Beach business owners, investors, and co-owners usually reach out when something has already gone wrong: a partner who stopped answering questions about the books, a buyer who walked away from a closing, a family company where nobody agrees on who runs what. The Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team handles business and real estate disputes for clients in Boynton Beach, throughout Palm Beach County, and across Broward County, and it also advises companies on contracts and compliance before a disagreement ever reaches a courtroom.

Searching for a Boynton Beach business attorney can mean two different things. Some people need a lawyer to draft and review agreements, set up the right entity, and answer day-to-day operational questions. Others need a litigator because a deal, a partnership, or a piece of property is already in dispute. The answer to which you need often determines how much money and time you lose, and the sections below explain how each kind of problem actually unfolds under Florida law.

Why Choose the Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team for Boynton Beach Business Matters

The Andrew M. Founder Andrew M. Schwartz was admitted to The Florida Bar in 1989 and has spent 37 years in litigation, with a career built around complex contract disputes, business divorces, and conflicts between partners, LLC members, and shareholders. He earned his undergraduate degree from Emory University in 1986 and his law degree from the University of Miami in 1989. Senior Counsel Sundeep Nath, a Northwestern-trained litigator, brings years of business and real estate experience in both state and federal courts.

The firm practices as a true legal team, which means everyone working on a matter knows the file and can answer when a client calls. A strict 24 hour return call policy applies when attorneys are in court, and conference calls are scheduled at times that work for everyone involved. The firm is also comfortable in mediation and arbitration, and it looks for the resolution that fits a client’s goals and budget rather than stretching a case out for its own sake.

On the results side, a recent five-day bench trial in Broward County ended with a 32-page final judgment granting the firm’s client specific performance of a commercial real estate contract. That outcome reflects the kind of work Boynton Beach clients bring us: disputes that turn on the precise wording of an agreement and the history between the parties. A meaningful share of the firm’s work also comes from referrals by other attorneys, including out of state lawyers whose clients have Florida disputes.

Business and Real Estate Problems Boynton Beach Clients Bring to Us

• Business Divorce: Co-owners who can no longer work together may face deadlocked management, buyout and valuation fights, or a request for judicial dissolution. The outcome can be a negotiated buyout, a structured wind-down, or a court proceeding.
• Partnership and LLC Member Disputes: Disagreements over profit splits, capital contributions, or an owner acting in his or her own interest often trace back to what the operating or shareholder agreement actually says.
• Family Business Conflicts: Siblings who inherited a company together, parents and children with different visions, and in-laws who share ownership all raise questions about control and compensation that require discretion alongside firm financial protection.
• Complex Contract Litigation: Purchase agreements, operating agreements, commercial leases, loan documents, and construction contracts produce disputes that turn on exact language and course of dealing.
• Missing Funds and Money Disputes: Unpaid distributions, diverted company money, commingled accounts, and managers who cannot account for funds can support claims for an accounting, breach of fiduciary duty, and recovery.
• Partition and Title Disputes: Co-owners of real estate who cannot agree, and owners who need to clear competing ownership claims, can turn to partition and quiet title actions.
• Injunctions and Emergency Relief: When assets, property, or business interests are at risk before a case can be decided, temporary and permanent injunctions may be necessary.
• Outside General Counsel: Companies that want regular legal access without hiring in-house counsel can use the firm for contracts, compliance, and operational questions, including service as registered agent.

What to Do When a Business Relationship Starts to Break Down

The first move is almost always to stop and read the paperwork. The operating agreement, shareholder agreement, partnership agreement, or purchase contract frequently contains buyout formulas, deadlock procedures, notice requirements, or dispute resolution clauses that control what happens next. Gather those documents along with tax returns, bank and merchant statements, ledgers, and correspondence showing how the owners actually dealt with each other. Resist the urge to move money, change locks, or cut off a partner’s access before you know what the agreement permits; a rushed self-help step can hand the other side a claim against you.

Deadlines deserve attention early. In Florida, an action on a written contract generally must be filed within five years, while a claim on an oral or implied contract has four years. Fraud claims run four years from discovery, subject to an outer cap of 12 years. An action seeking specific performance carries a one-year period, which surprises many people involved in a failed real estate closing. Professional malpractice claims run two years from when the claim was or should have been discovered. Because these clocks differ and can overlap within one dispute, having an attorney map them out early prevents a strong claim from expiring quietly.

If money is actively disappearing or an owner is about to transfer or encumber property, tell your attorney immediately, because the court can be asked for emergency injunctive relief that freezes the situation while the case proceeds. Boynton Beach sits in Palm Beach County, so cases above the county court ceiling are filed in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, which hears civil matters at the courthouse in West Palm Beach and its branch locations. Disputes with a Broward County connection belong in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, which operates a complex business division that handles business dissolution matters and large business and construction litigation. Federal court in the Southern District of Florida sits in West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale when federal jurisdiction applies. Many disputes never reach a trial at all and are resolved in mediation or arbitration, and a good strategy keeps that door open while preparing as though trial is coming.

How Florida Law Handles Dissolution, Buyouts, and Partition

When owners reach an impasse, Florida statutes supply real tools. For a limited liability company, a court can order dissolution on a petition from a manager or member where the company’s affairs are being conducted unlawfully, where it is not reasonably practicable to operate under the articles and operating agreement, where those in control have acted or are expected to act illegally or fraudulently, where assets are being misappropriated or wasted, or where managers or members are deadlocked and the company faces irreparable injury. Before dissolving, the court may appoint a receiver or custodian after a hearing, or order the company or other members to buy out the petitioner’s interest. If the operating agreement already contains a deadlock sale mechanism that is started before the court finds deadlock, that contractual process takes the place of a dissolution order.

Corporations follow a parallel track. A shareholder may seek judicial dissolution on statutory grounds, and once such a petition is filed the corporation may elect, or failing that other shareholders may elect, to buy all of the petitioner’s shares at fair value. If the parties agree on value and terms within 60 days after the first election is filed, the court enters an order directing the purchase on those terms. The corporation must notify the other shareholders within 30 days of filing that they can avoid dissolution by buying out the petitioner. Courts hearing these cases can issue injunctions, appoint a receiver or custodian, and take steps to preserve company assets while the case is pending.

Real estate co-ownership has its own remedy. In a partition action, all of which proceed in the chancery side of the court, the complaint must describe the land, identify the owners and where they live, and state each owner’s share. If the court orders partition, it appoints three commissioners, who report whether the land can be divided fairly. When division would prejudice the owners, the court may order a sale at public auction and split the proceeds in proportion to each owner’s interest. Property inherited from relatives may fall under Florida’s Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act, which adds protections and requires specific findings before property is divided or sold. Separately, a quiet title action asks the court to determine ownership and remove a cloud on title, and the owner generally must trace title back at least seven years.

Boynton Beach Business Attorney FAQ

When should a Boynton Beach business owner hire an attorney?

Ideally before a dispute starts, when agreements are being drafted and ownership terms are being set. Many conflicts between owners are really disagreements about vague or missing contract terms. Once a dispute is underway, early help matters because deadlines, evidence, and the possibility of emergency relief can all depend on what happens in the first weeks.

What is the difference between a business attorney and a business litigation attorney?

A transactional attorney drafts agreements, forms entities, and advises on compliance. A litigator resolves disputes through negotiation, mediation, arbitration, or court. Because our practice includes both outside general counsel work and litigation, a lawyer who knows how disputes are actually won can write the agreement in the first place.

What is a business divorce?

It is the separation of co-owners, whether partners, LLC members, or shareholders. It can end in a negotiated buyout, a sale of the business, a structured wind-down, or a court-ordered dissolution when the owners cannot agree.

Can I force a partner out of my Florida LLC?

That depends on your operating agreement and the partner’s conduct. Many agreements include buyout, expulsion, or dissociation terms, and Florida law offers remedies for serious misconduct or when the company can no longer function. An attorney needs to read the agreement before advising on options.

What can I do if my partner is taking money from the company?

Depending on the facts, you may have claims for breach of fiduciary duty, an accounting, conversion, and recovery of the funds. In urgent situations a court can order injunctive relief to stop assets from being moved or spent while the dispute is pending.

How long do I have to sue over a breach of contract in Florida?

Generally five years for a written contract and four years for an oral or implied one. A suit for specific performance of a contract, such as forcing a seller to close, has a one-year period, so those claims call for fast action.

Which court would hear my business dispute?

Claims within the county court limit are heard there, while larger disputes go to the circuit court. For Palm Beach County matters that is the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, and for Broward County matters it is the Seventeenth. The county court limit is adjusted periodically, so confirm the current figure before filing.

Can a deadlocked 50/50 company be dissolved by a court?

Yes, but not automatically. A member can petition on the statutory ground that managers or members are deadlocked, cannot break the deadlock, and irreparable injury to the company is threatened or occurring. The court may instead appoint a receiver or order a buyout, and a deadlock sale provision in the operating agreement can take priority if it was triggered first.

If I co-own Boynton Beach property with a former business partner, can I make them sell?

You can file a partition action, and a co-owner generally has the right to ask for one. The court decides whether the property can fairly be divided or must be sold, and special rules apply to inherited heirs property. A partition case is not the same as a dispute over title, which is handled through a quiet title action.

I live in New York or New Jersey but own a Florida business. Can you handle my case without my traveling here?

Yes. We regularly represent clients from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, handle the local court appearances, and keep out of state clients informed at every stage so they do not have to fly in for every hearing.

Does every dispute need to go to court?

No. Many are resolved through negotiation, mediation, or arbitration. The right path depends on what the agreement requires, the strength of the evidence, the relationship between the parties, and what the client actually wants out of the dispute.

Serving Business Clients From Boynton Beach Across South Florida

Our work for Boynton Beach clients extends well beyond city limits. We represent business owners and property co-owners throughout Palm Beach County, including neighboring Delray Beach, Boca Raton, Lantana, Lake Worth Beach, Greenacres, Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, and the communities of Highland Beach and Ocean Ridge along the coast. We also handle matters for clients with interests in Broward County, from Deerfield Beach and Pompano Beach to Fort Lauderdale, Coral Springs, and Plantation.

Because many clients own South Florida businesses and investment property while living elsewhere, we regularly represent people from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut whose partners or co-owners are here. Whether the dispute involves a Boynton Beach shopping center lease, a shared investment property, or a closely held company with a deadlocked ownership structure, the team handles proceedings in the courts that serve the region.

Talk With a Boynton Beach Business Lawyer Before a Dispute Gets Harder to Fix

If a partnership is fraying, money is unaccounted for, or a real estate deal is falling apart, the earlier a Boynton Beach business lawyer reviews your documents, the more options you will have. The Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team can look at your agreements, explain where you stand under Florida law, and recommend whether negotiation, mediation, or court is the better route for your goals and budget. Call to schedule a consultation and get a clear picture of your situation.