Brevard County Business Law Attorneys
At Goldman, Monaghan, Thakkar & Bettin, P.A., we help Brevard County businesses start, grow, buy, sell, and protect what they build. Whether you are forming a new company, negotiating a contract, acquiring another business, or planning your exit, our business law attorneys are ready to help. We have served Brevard County businesses and entrepreneurs from our Cocoa office since 1984, and our attorneys draw on more than 180 combined years of legal experience across transactional and regulatory matters.
Our Business Law Services
We serve as outside general counsel for our business clients. That means you can bring us the full range of issues your company faces instead of coordinating with several different firms. Our core business services include:
- Business formation and entity selection: We help founders choose the right structure and set it up correctly, from Florida LLCs and corporations to professional entities and Florida’s new protected series LLC. We prepare the governing instruments that keep owners aligned, including operating agreements, shareholder agreements, and partnership agreements. Learn more about business formation.
- Buying and selling businesses: We guide owners through asset and equity purchases on both the buyer side and the seller side, including letters of intent, due diligence, purchase agreements, and closing. We regularly handle transitions of professional and healthcare practices, including dental and medical practice de novo start-ups, sales and acquisitions.
- Commercial contracts and general counsel: We draft and negotiate the agreements that control your business, including master service agreements, vendor and supplier contracts, nondisclosure agreements, commercial leases, and data privacy agreements. Learn more about contract drafting and negotiation.
- Franchise and regulated industries: We review franchise disclosure documents (FDDs) and franchise agreements for prospective franchisees, and we advise on the licensing and compliance issues that regulated businesses face, including HIPAA and business associate agreements for healthcare clients.
- Business financing: Whether you need an SBA loan or general advice on structuring and securing funding for your business, our attorneys can help.
- Succession, sale, and dissolution: Businesses change hands and wind down. We help owners plan for succession, sell on their terms, and dissolve cleanly when it is time.
Our Brevard County business lawyers also work alongside the firm’s commercial litigators. We use alternative dispute resolution and proactive risk planning where we can, and we are prepared to advocate for you in court when a dispute cannot be resolved any other way.
Choosing the Right Business Entity in Florida
It is general information, not legal advice, and the right choice depends on your specific facts and goals.
| Structure | Owner liability | Commonly used for |
| Sole proprietorship | Unlimited personal liability. | Simple single-owner businesses with low liability risk and no partners. |
| General partnership | Unlimited; partners are jointly and severally liable. | Informal ventures among two or more owners; often avoided because of the unlimited liability. |
| Limited partnership | General partner is unlimited; limited partners are generally limited to their investment. | Investment funds, real estate holdings, and ventures with passive investors. |
| Limited liability company (LLC) | Members generally are not personally liable. | The default flexible choice for most small and midsized Florida businesses. |
| Protected series LLC (effective July 1, 2026) | Adds a separate liability shield for each series, if the series are kept strictly separate. | Owners holding multiple properties or business lines who want to separate risk under one parent. |
| S corporation (a federal tax election) | Same shield as the underlying corporation or LLC. | Closely held, profitable businesses seeking pass-through treatment with salary and distribution planning. |
| C corporation | Shareholders generally are not personally liable. | Businesses raising outside investment or issuing multiple classes of stock, including venture-backed startups. |
| Professional entity (P.A. or PLLC) | Shields general business debts, but not a professional’s own malpractice. | Licensed professionals practicing together, such as dentists, physicians, attorneys, and accountants. |
Each structure also carries its own filing, recordkeeping, and management rules. We are glad to walk through those with you and to coordinate with your CPA on the tax side.
Florida’s protected series LLC framework took effect July 1, 2026. It lets a single parent LLC hold multiple ventures or properties in separate protected series, each with its own liability shield. That protection is not automatic. It depends on strict separation of assets, careful recordkeeping, and correctly drafted governing documents.
The Business and Financial Insight Behind Our Advice
When we advise a business, we look past the immediate document to the long-term financial and business impact of the decision. We build in practical safeguards, such as noncompete and confidentiality provisions, that help position a company for growth. Several of our attorneys bring backgrounds beyond the practice of law. Attorney Matthew J. Monaghan holds a Master of Science in Taxation (MST) and previously worked as a certified public accountant (CPA) (license inactive). That combination of legal, business, and financial experience helps us advise clients across the full range of their business needs.
Talk With a Brevard County Business Lawyer
Our firm has served Brevard County businesses and entrepreneurs from our Cocoa office since 1984. To talk through a formation, a transaction, a contract, or any other business law question, call 321-639-1320 or contact us online to schedule your initial consultation.