How a contract is drafted can determine how effectively it can be enforced in a court.  Businesses and individuals should carefully review all of their goals in the earliest stages of the relationship and thorough, accurate preparation of the contract prior to signing can prevent lawsuits at a later date – or set the stage for you to win your case in court if they do happen.  One mistake many business owners make is to take a competitor’s contract or someone else’s contract and use it for their own purposes without having it review by a lawyer.  That contract may not address all of your business goals and may be poorly drafted, exposing you to unwanted liability and leaving you without options to redress if a breach of contract occurs.

DeStefanis Law Office can also assist you or your business with a wide variety of contract cases, including litigation.  We have experience involving non-compete agreements, commercial lease disputes, and debtor-creditor issues, to name a few.

Planning your estate can seem like a complex and difficult process.  Most people do not want to plan for their own passing.  However, planning ahead can ensure the benefit and care of families and loved ones.  Another important reason to plan ahead is to avoid the default probate process and all of the added costs, delays and lack of privacy that goes along with it.  Probate can take over a year to complete and can cost many thousands of dollars.  Some families just have special needs which call for the creation of a trust.  We are here to make it as easy for you as possible.  Depending on your situation and objectives we can create a plan that is best suited to you.

This document released by the American Bar Association discusses estate planning in more detail and the types of planning available.

This more detailed article about estate planning in Wisconsin was released by the University of Wisconsin Extension, Cooperative Extension.

These resources are provided here to help answer any questions you may have about estate planning and all that is involved.  Once you are ready to talk, or if you have more questions, contact our office for a visit.  As always, initial consultations are free.

• Wills
• Revocable Trusts/Living Trusts
• Irrevocable Trusts
• Trusts for Minor Children
• Special and Supplemental Needs Trusts
• Powers of Attorney
• Health Care Directives
• Trust Administration
• Tax Planning
• Probate Avoidance
• Beneficiary Designations
• Re-titling Property
• Gifts

We also help individuals and businesses navigate the complexities of the Internal Revenue Code and Treasury Regulations to give them the answers they need.  Whether it’s trying to sell or reorganize a business, looking into a Section 1031 like-kind exchange or even just need some information regarding the treatment of assets, we can help.

• Personal Income Taxes
• Business Planning
• Reorganizations
• Tax Negotiations
• International Tax

Business Planning – We help small businesses get the most out of their hard work!  When starting a business, it is important to understand about the structure and tax treatment of your company.  Tax obligations and record keeping are not things that you should attempt to learn on the job. You need an understanding and a plan from day one.

There are many varieties of business forms, such as sole proprietorship, LLC’s, partnerships and corporations.  Different business forms have different tax obligations. If you are starting a business with multiple owners you may need to determine what type of treatment each partner or co-owner will get in regards to tax, profits, capitalization, etc.   LLC’s are one of the most popular entities to use due to their simplicity, but is it the best form for your business?  An attorney can assist you in determining the most advantageous form for your business, considering your current and future needs.

Some people want to sell or reorganize a business they currently own, but tax consequences can be quite different depending on the form a transaction takes. For example, the use of retained earnings to purchase stock from one owner to be transferred to another owner can have very different tax implications than the use of those same funds to redeem an owners stock and place them back into the business. These are complex matters that need to be considered along with all of the clients’ particular objectives. DeStefanis Law Office can help your business find the best approach to meet all of its goals.

International Tax – In our growing global economy, there are an ever increasing number of businesses and individuals operating or working in multiple taxing jurisdictions. DeStefanis Law Office will assist taxpayers, foreign and domestic, to understand the U.S. tax laws regarding their multi-jurisdictional activities and maximize their efficiency.  We also assist American citizens working overseas or with foreign income in completing their individual tax returns.

Personal Income Tax – We can help individuals and businesses file taxes, including answering questions or giving advice where needed.

Tax Negotiations – We frequently assist delinquent taxpayers work out a solution to their issues with the taxing authorities.