North Palm Beach General Counsel

Owners in North Palm Beach have a decision to make that most of them put off: whether to wait for a legal problem to arrive or to have a lawyer already inside the business when it does. The Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team offers outside general counsel services to companies in North Palm Beach and across Palm Beach County and Broward County, handling contracts, compliance, and the day-to-day questions that come with running a business. Retaining North Palm Beach general counsel means a company has a litigator reviewing its paperwork, not just a transactional drafter who has never watched an agreement get tested in a courtroom.

That distinction matters because most business disputes are decided by documents written long before anyone fell out. An operating agreement with no deadlock mechanism, a lease signed without a second read, a handshake arrangement with a co-owner that never made it onto paper: each of these tends to look harmless until the relationship sours. A general counsel relationship exists to catch those gaps while they are still cheap to fix.

Why Choose the Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team as Your Outside General Counsel

The Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team represents business owners, investors, and families throughout Palm Beach County, Broward County, and South Florida, along with clients from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut who have business or real estate interests here. 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 among 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. Joining him is Senior Counsel Sundeep Nath, a Northwestern-trained litigator with years of experience handling business and real estate cases in state and federal courts.

For a general counsel engagement, that litigation background is the point. A lawyer who has spent decades watching agreements fail knows which clauses cause trouble: vague buyout terms, silent valuation methods, unclear authority to spend company money. The firm practices as a true legal team, so everyone working on a matter knows the file, and a client who calls with a question gets an answer from someone who already understands the company. There is a strict 24 hour return call policy when the attorneys are in court, and scheduled conference calls can be arranged at times that suit everyone.

The firm’s results show up in contested matters too. After a 5-day bench trial, a Broward County circuit judge issued a 32-page final judgment awarding the firm’s client specific performance of a commercial real estate contract. A company that retains the firm as general counsel gets access to that trial experience before a dispute starts, and if one does, the lawyer who knows the business is already in place. Our attorneys are also experienced in mediation and arbitration, and Mr. Schwartz’s stated view is that clients want a lawyer who uses finesse when finesse will do and who keeps legal fees in line with common sense.

What an Outside General Counsel Relationship Covers for North Palm Beach Businesses

• Registered Agent Service: Through the firm’s general counsel program, the firm serves as the company’s registered agent, so service of process and official notices reach a law office that will recognize them and act, rather than an unattended mailbox.
• Contract Review and Drafting: Vendor agreements, customer contracts, purchase agreements, and commercial leases reviewed for the wording that decides disputes later, such as payment terms, termination rights, and what happens on default.
• Operating and Shareholder Agreements: Buyout triggers, valuation methods, deadlock provisions, and transfer restrictions drafted or tightened before co-owners disagree. Florida’s LLC and corporate statutes recognize deadlock sale provisions in agreements, so the language written today can control how a future standoff ends.
• Compliance and Operational Questions: The recurring questions that come up in running a company, answered quickly by a lawyer who already knows the business instead of a cold call to a stranger.
• Real Estate and Lease Matters: Commercial and residential transactions, tenant and landlord questions, and purchase and sale contracts, including the problems that surface when a closing fails.
• Early Dispute Triage: Spotting when a disagreement with a partner, vendor, or customer is heading toward a lawsuit, and choosing between negotiation, mediation, arbitration, or a demand for emergency relief.
• Family and Closely Held Businesses: Siblings, parents and children, and spouses who share ownership need governance documents that address control and compensation before emotion enters the picture.

Moves to Make Before a Problem Becomes a Lawsuit

Start by collecting the documents that define your company: articles of organization or incorporation, the operating or shareholder agreement, major contracts, leases, and any amendments. Read them for the questions you hope never come up. What happens if two owners deadlock? Who can sign checks? How is a departing owner’s interest valued? If the answers are missing or unclear, that is where a general counsel review earns its fee.

Pay attention to deadlines, because they are shorter than many owners assume. A claim founded on a written contract generally must be filed within five years, while an oral or implied contract claim has four years. A suit seeking specific performance carries a one-year period, which catches people who wait to see whether a deal will close on its own. Negligence claims must now be brought within two years. A lawyer who tracks your contracts can calendar these dates and tell you when waiting has become expensive.

If a dispute is already forming, resist the urge to settle it by email. Casual messages between co-owners become exhibits. Do not move money, change account access, or lock a partner out without advice; those moves can create the breach of fiduciary duty claim you were hoping to bring against the other side. If company funds appear to be disappearing, tell counsel right away, because a court can order emergency relief to stop assets from being moved or spent while the case is pending.

Knowing where cases are heard also helps. Business disputes in North Palm Beach fall within the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, which sits in and for Palm Beach County, and claims above the county court limit are filed in circuit court. Federal cases arise in the Southern District of Florida, which holds court in West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale. If your business also has dealings in Broward County, those matters belong to the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, which maintains a complex business division for larger commercial cases. A general counsel who handles these courts regularly can tell you early which forum a dispute would land in.

When Co-Owners Part Ways: Dissolution and Buyout Basics

General counsel work is largely preventive, but owners should understand the exit routes Florida law provides. A manager or member can ask a circuit court to dissolve an LLC when the company cannot reasonably carry on its activities under its articles and operating agreement, when controlling members are acting illegally or fraudulently, when assets are being misappropriated or wasted, or when owners are deadlocked and irreparable injury to the company is threatened or occurring. In a dissolution case, a court can appoint a receiver or custodian after a hearing, or order a purchase of the petitioning member’s interest.

For corporations, the statute allows similar judicial dissolution and gives the other shareholders a chance to avoid it 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 directing the purchase on those terms. These procedures are blunt instruments. A well-drafted agreement with a negotiated buyout formula is nearly always cheaper than asking a judge to sort out a deadlock, and drafting it is exactly what outside counsel does.

Questions North Palm Beach Business Owners Ask About General Counsel

What is outside general counsel?

It is a lawyer or law firm that serves as a company’s ongoing legal advisor without being on the payroll. The firm handles contracts, compliance questions, and operational issues as they arise, giving the business regular access to legal advice without the cost of an in-house attorney.

Why hire a litigator as general counsel?

A litigator knows how contracts and governance documents hold up when challenged. Having a litigator in your corner before a dispute starts often keeps a disagreement from turning into a lawsuit, and if a lawsuit comes anyway, the same lawyer already knows your business.

Does the firm act as our registered agent?

Yes. Through the general counsel program, the firm serves as the company’s registered agent in addition to advising on contract, compliance, and operational questions.

Is general counsel only for large companies?

No. Many of the businesses that benefit most are small and closely held: family companies, partnerships among friends, and investor-owned entities that have never had a lawyer review their governance documents. The purpose is access to advice without the expense of a full-time attorney.

How do we know if our operating agreement is adequate?

Test it against the hard scenarios: a deadlock, a departing or deceased owner, a member who stops contributing, or a partner who diverts funds. If the agreement does not say who decides, how value is set, and how an exit works, it needs attention. A review by counsel will identify those gaps.

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

Five years for a claim founded on a written instrument, and four years for an oral or implied contract. Rescission claims carry four years, and fraud claims run four years from discovery, subject to an outer limit of 12 years. Specific performance has a one-year period, so do not wait on those.

Can general counsel help if a partner is taking company money?

Yes. Possible claims include breach of fiduciary duty, an accounting, conversion, and recovery of the funds, and a court can issue injunctive relief to stop assets from being moved or spent while the case proceeds. Early documentation of account activity makes a large difference.

Will hiring general counsel mean every disagreement ends up in court?

The opposite is usually true. Many disputes are resolved through negotiation, mediation, or arbitration, and the firm looks for the resolution that serves the client’s goals and budget rather than drawing out a case for its own sake.

What happens to our relationship with counsel if a dispute does reach court?

Because the firm is a litigation practice, the same team can move from advising to representing you. Palm Beach County matters go to the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, and federal claims may be brought in the Southern District of Florida. Having counsel who already knows your documents saves time and cost at the point when both matter most.

We own the business with family. Can general counsel help keep it civil?

Often, yes. Siblings, parents and children, and in-laws who share ownership face hard questions about control, compensation, and succession. Clear written governance reduces the guesswork, and the firm handles these matters with the discretion they require while still protecting each client’s financial interests.

I own a South Florida business but live in New York or New Jersey. Can you represent me?

Yes. The firm regularly represents clients from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut with business or real estate interests here. We handle local court appearances and keep you informed at each stage, so you do not have to travel for every hearing.

Outside General Counsel Serving North Palm Beach and the Surrounding Region

Our work for North Palm Beach businesses begins in the village itself and extends along the Palm Beach County coast and inland. We advise companies in Juno Beach, Lake Park, Riviera Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, Tequesta, and Singer Island, and we work with owners in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach, Lantana, Lake Worth Beach, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Greenacres, and Boca Raton. Farther south, we serve clients throughout Broward County, including Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Coral Springs, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Plantation.

Whether a company is a professional practice, a real estate investment entity, or a family-owned operating business, the engagement works the same way: counsel who knows the file, answers promptly, and steps into a dispute when one cannot be avoided. We also welcome referrals from other attorneys, including out of state counsel whose clients have business disputes in Florida.

Speak With a North Palm Beach General Counsel Attorney

If your company has no lawyer who knows its agreements, or if the documents you have no longer fit the people running the business, now is the time to fix that. The Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team can serve as your North Palm Beach general counsel attorney, handling the contract, compliance, and registered agent work that keeps small problems from becoming lawsuits. Call to schedule a consultation and tell us about your company.