Greenacres Business Transactions Attorney

The most expensive business transaction mistakes rarely happen at the closing table. They happen months or years later, when a sloppy indemnification clause, a vague payment term, or an unsigned side deal turns into a lawsuit. A Greenacres business transactions attorney earns their keep by thinking about the dispute that might follow before the deal is signed. The Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team handles business and real estate transactions and litigation for owners, investors, and families in Greenacres and throughout Palm Beach County and Broward County.

Greenacres sits in a part of Palm Beach County where small and mid-sized companies, commercial landlords, contractors, and real estate investors do business every day, often with partners, relatives, or out-of-state owners. Those deals tend to be built on handshakes, form contracts, and operating agreements that nobody revisited after the company was formed. When a purchase agreement, lease, or shareholder arrangement is written carefully, it keeps disagreements from ever reaching a courtroom. When it is not, the document becomes the central exhibit in the fight.

Why Choose the Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team for Business Transactions

The Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team represents business owners, investors, and families across Palm Beach County, Broward County, and South Florida, including clients from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut who own companies or property here. Founder Andrew M. He earned his undergraduate degree at Emory University in 1986 and his law degree at the University of Miami in 1989. Sundeep Nath, Senior Counsel, is a Northwestern-trained litigator with years of experience in business and real estate cases in both state and federal courts.

That litigation background matters when you are signing a deal. Lawyers who spend their days in court know which contract clauses get fought over, which ones courts enforce as written, and which ones collapse under scrutiny. The firm practices as a true legal team, so everyone working on your matter knows the file, and a strict 24 hour return call policy applies when the attorneys are in court. The firm is also experienced in mediation and arbitration, and looks for the resolution that fits a client’s goals and budget.

The results reflect that approach. In May 2024, after a five-day bench trial, a Broward County circuit court issued a 32-page final judgment awarding the firm’s client specific performance of a commercial real estate contract. For a buyer or seller drafting a purchase agreement, that outcome illustrates why precise contract language and a well-documented deal history carry so much weight. Many clients also come through the general counsel program, where the firm serves as the company’s registered agent and helps with contract, compliance, and operational questions before they become disputes.

Deals and Documents a Greenacres Business Transactions Lawyer Handles

• Purchase and Sale Agreements: Buying or selling a business or a commercial property turns on the details: what is included, what is represented, how disputes are resolved, and what happens if a party walks away. Failed closings are a common source of litigation.
• Operating Agreements and Shareholder Agreements: These documents decide who controls the company, how profits are split, and how an owner exits. Buyout formulas, deadlock provisions, and transfer restrictions written early can prevent a business divorce later.
• Commercial Leases: Retail, office, and industrial leases in Palm Beach County involve rent escalations, personal guarantees, maintenance obligations, and default terms that deserve careful review before signing.
• Loan Documents and Guarantees: Promissory notes, security agreements, and personal guarantees can put an owner’s own assets on the line. The wording of default and acceleration clauses often decides who wins a later dispute.
• Construction and Contractor Agreements: Scope, payment schedules, change orders, and delay provisions are the usual flashpoints when a project goes over budget or past its deadline.
• Family and Friend Business Arrangements: Siblings, parents and children, spouses, and longtime friends often start companies with little paperwork. Putting roles, compensation, and succession in writing protects both the company and the relationship.
• Co-Ownership of Real Estate: Investors who buy property together need terms for decision-making, contributions, and exit. Without them, a partition action may become the only way out.
• Outside General Counsel Support: Ongoing access to a lawyer for contract review, compliance questions, and day-to-day business decisions, with the firm acting as registered agent.

What to Do Before You Sign, and When a Deal Starts to Go Wrong

If you are still at the negotiation stage, the best move is to get the document in front of a lawyer before you sign anything, including a letter of intent or term sheet, which can carry binding provisions people overlook. Ask for the full agreement, not a summary. Read how payment, default, notice, and dispute resolution are handled, and find out whether the contract requires mediation or arbitration before anyone can file suit, or sets a particular venue. Make sure every promise made in conversation shows up in the written document, because courts generally enforce what is on paper.

If the deal is already in trouble, gather the signed agreement, every amendment, emails and text messages about the terms, payment records, and any notices exchanged. Do not delete anything, and do not sign a new document or accept partial payment on terms you have not reviewed. Deadlines matter. A claim founded on a written contract generally must be filed within five years under Florida law, while a claim on an oral or implied contract has four years. A fraud claim carries four years from discovery, with an outer limit of 12 years. A suit seeking specific performance, which is the remedy that compels a party to complete a deal, has only one year, so waiting is a real risk when your goal is to force a closing rather than collect damages.

Where a case is filed depends largely on the amount at stake. County court hears claims between the small claims ceiling and $50,000, and circuit court hears claims above that figure. Business disputes in Greenacres are heard in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, which sits in and for Palm Beach County, with the main courthouse in West Palm Beach and a South County courthouse in Delray Beach. Cases tied to Broward County go to the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, which operates a complex business division for dissolutions of certain entities, large business disputes, and construction litigation. Federal court in the Southern District of Florida sits in West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale when a case belongs there.

The most common mistakes are waiting too long, relying on a verbal assurance, and continuing to perform under a contract the other side has already breached without reserving rights. If money may be moving out of the company or property is at risk, emergency relief may be available. Temporary and permanent injunctions can stop assets from being spent or transferred while a case is pending, which is why early advice from a Greenacres business litigation attorney can change the whole trajectory of a dispute.

When a Business Deal Turns Into a Partnership or Ownership Fight

Transactions between co-owners are where contract drafting and litigation meet. Under Florida’s LLC statute, a court can dissolve a company when owners are deadlocked and the company is suffering or threatened with irreparable injury, when carrying on the business in line with the operating agreement is not reasonably practicable, when controlling members act illegally or fraudulently, or when assets are being misappropriated or wasted. In those proceedings the court can appoint a receiver or custodian after a hearing, or order a purchase of the petitioner’s interest instead of dissolving the company. An operating agreement with a deadlock sale provision that is triggered in time can take the place of a judicial dissolution, which shows how much a well-drafted buy-sell clause is worth.

For corporations, a shareholder may seek judicial dissolution on specified grounds, and the corporation or the other shareholders can respond by electing to buy 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 on those terms. The corporation must also notify the other shareholders within 30 days of filing that they can avoid dissolution by electing to purchase.

Real estate adds its own layer. Co-owners who cannot agree can ask a court for partition under Chapter 64, which allows the property to be divided or, when division would prejudice the owners, sold with the proceeds shared in proportion to ownership. Where title itself is clouded, a quiet title action under Chapter 65 can cancel a competing claim and settle ownership. The firm handles these actions alongside the transactions that created the co-ownership in the first place.

Greenacres Business Transactions Questions Answered

What does a business transactions attorney actually do?

A business transactions attorney drafts, reviews, and negotiates the agreements that govern how companies buy, sell, lease, borrow, and share ownership. The work includes purchase agreements, operating and shareholder agreements, commercial leases, loan documents, and contractor agreements, along with advice on how those documents would hold up if a dispute arose.

Do I need a lawyer to buy or sell a small business?

You are not legally required to hire one, but small business sales are full of terms that cause problems later, such as what assets transfer, who owes existing debts, how the price is paid, and what happens if the buyer defaults. Having an attorney review or draft the agreement is usually far cheaper than litigating a bad one.

How long do I have to sue over a breached written contract in Florida?

Five years for a claim founded on a written contract. Oral or implied contract claims have four years, and a claim to rescind a contract also has four. Because deadlines differ by claim, it is worth getting advice early rather than assuming the longer period applies.

What is specific performance, and why is the deadline so short?

Specific performance is a court order requiring a party to carry out a contract, most often in real estate sales where money alone cannot replace the property. An action seeking it must be brought within one year, so a buyer or seller who wants to force a closing cannot sit on the claim.

Is an operating agreement really that important for an LLC?

Yes. It controls management authority, distributions, transfers, and exit rights, and it can set up a buyout or deadlock sale process. Without a thoughtful agreement, owners fall back on default statutory rules that may not match what they intended.

Can a verbal agreement be enforced in Florida?

Some can, but they are hard to prove and often disputed on their terms. Certain contracts, including many involving real estate, generally need to be in writing to be enforceable. Even where a verbal deal is enforceable, you will be relying on memory and circumstantial evidence rather than a document.

What happens if my business partner is taking money out of the company?

You may have claims for breach of fiduciary duty, an accounting, and recovery of the funds. When assets are at risk of being moved or spent, a court can issue emergency injunctive relief while the case is pending. Preserving bank records and financial statements early makes these claims much stronger.

Will my dispute have to go to court?

Not necessarily. Many agreements require mediation or arbitration first, and many disputes settle through negotiation. The firm has experience in alternative dispute resolution as well as in the courtroom and pursues whichever path is most likely to meet your goals efficiently.

I own a Greenacres business but live in New York. Can you handle my matter?

Yes. The firm regularly represents clients from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut who own businesses or real estate in South Florida. The team handles the local court appearances and keeps you informed so you do not have to travel for every hearing.

Does the firm work with other attorneys on transactions or disputes?

Yes. A significant part of the practice comes from referrals by other lawyers, including out-of-state attorneys whose clients have Florida matters and Florida attorneys who do not handle business litigation. The firm communicates with referring counsel throughout and respects the referring lawyer’s relationship with the client.

Can a tenant or landlord dispute under a commercial lease be resolved without a lawsuit?

Often, yes. Commercial leases frequently contain notice and cure provisions, and early written communication can lead to a negotiated fix. Residential tenancies follow separate statutory notice periods, such as a three-day demand for unpaid rent and seven-day notices for certain other violations, so it matters which kind of lease is involved.

When should a company hire outside general counsel?

When it needs regular legal guidance but not a full-time in-house lawyer. Having an attorney familiar with your contracts and operations means questions get answered before they become problems, and a litigator in your corner before a dispute starts often keeps a disagreement from turning into a lawsuit.

Serving Business Owners and Investors From Greenacres Across South Florida

The Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team represents clients in Greenacres and the surrounding communities of Palm Beach County, including Lake Worth Beach, Lantana, Atlantis, Palm Springs, Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, and Belle Glade. The firm also serves business owners and investors across Broward County, including Fort Lauderdale, Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Hollywood, and Plantation.

Whether you are negotiating a purchase of a local company, reviewing a commercial lease, setting up an operating agreement with a partner, or facing a deal that has fallen apart, the team works with clients throughout South Florida and with owners from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut who hold business or real estate interests here.

Talk With a Greenacres Business Transactions Lawyer Before the Next Signature

Whether you are about to enter a deal or already stuck in a dispute over one, the Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team can review your documents, explain where you stand, and recommend a path that fits your goals and budget. A conversation with a Greenacres business attorney costs far less than litigating an agreement that was never examined. Call the team today to schedule a consultation.