The LGBTQ+ community has made remarkable progress toward equality in recent years. Yet, studies show that LGBTQ+ business owners continue to face unique challenges when starting, maintaining, and growing their companies, particularly for those who want to be open about who they are when conducting business.

Having members of the LGBTQ+ community within the practice group, the lawyers in the LGBTQ+ Business Practice Group at Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP understand the importance of authenticity. Simply recognizing the challenges faced by those in the LGBTQ+ community is not enough. Being aware of the micro and macro influences that can impact not only your daily operations, but your success, is essential.

By coupling our understanding of the LGBTQ+ community with the bench strength of a full service law firm, Porter Wright's LGBTQ+ Business Practice Group offers a truly unique (and first of its kind) approach to legal counsel. Whether our LGBTQ+ clients have questions about how to structure their business for future growth and reduced tax exposure, how to protect trade secrets and other assets from unlawful misappropriation or theft, or how to address a myriad of labor, employment or contractual concerns, our attorneys understand and have the authenticity necessary to effectively counsel LGBTQ+ businesses. Our experience advising LGBTQ+ businesses includes working with clients across multiple industries, including professional services, commercial and residential real estate acquisition, development, and management, nonprofit organizations, food service and hospitality industry, and beauty and personal care. Regardless of the industry, stage of business, or corporate structure, we work with business owners to enable a path that avoids challenges, minimizes risk, and leverages the opportunities for success.

As a full service law firm, Porter Wright can assemble a team of attorneys across the firm to help clients meet their short- and long-term goals. Our goal is to become more than simply a legal service provider to our clients. We strive to become trusted advisors who know the intricacies of every client’s business. Being fully entrenched allows us to see what opportunities await and how to capitalize on them. It also allows us to identify and mitigate potential risks.

Our services for LGBTQ+ businesses include:

• Entity formation
• LGBT-Business Enterprise (LGBTBE^®) certification counseling
• Commercial and residential real estate advice (purchase and sale transactions, commercial and residential development, lease negotiation, title insurance, tax appeals)
• Labor and employment counseling, and employment litigation
• Business competition (competitive interference claims, non-compete, non-solicitation, non-recruitment and non-disclosure agreements, non-competition and trade secret counseling and litigation)
• Growth and operation (succession planning, compliance, including antitrust, licensing and franchising, corporate governance, entrepreneurship, family office, employee benefits and executive compensation)
• Commercial contract review, negotiations, and drafting
• Wealth preservation, and trust and estate planning
• Intellectual property, including copyright and trademark protection and prosecution
• Commercial litigation, arbitration and mediation, and other alternative dispute resolution
• Nonprofit organizations (entity formation)
• Tax planning and resolution
• Social media and website policy compliance review and drafting
• Insurance coverage counseling and claims resolution