I am Erik Newton, the attorney at Newton’s Law PA, a business law firm in downtown Lake Worth Beach. I represent owners of closely held businesses and healthcare practices across Palm Beach County: buying or selling a business, setting up or reorganizing a company, and the contracts, leases and agreements a business runs on. I handle each deal myself, from the first confidential conversation through closing. Consultations are available in English and Spanish.
Business law for Palm Beach County owners
The work below is about decisions that are hard to undo: selling the company you built, buying one to grow, bringing in a partner, or signing a lease or contract that binds you for years. What I handle:
- Buying a business: the letter of intent, due diligence, the purchase agreement, financing documents from your bank or SBA lender, and the lease assignment. See business acquisition attorney.
- Selling a business: getting records ready for buyers, the letter of intent, disclosure schedules, how and when you get paid, and the non-compete and transition terms. See business sale attorney.
- Mergers and acquisitions of closely held businesses, in deals that typically run from $500K to $5M. See M&A attorney.
- Entity formation, structuring and reorganization: choosing the entity and preparing its governing documents.
- Contract drafting and review.
- Commercial real estate: leases, purchases and sale-leasebacks.
- Employment agreements and restrictive covenants, including non-competes under Florida law.
- Partnership, buy-in and co-ownership agreements.
- Tax structuring, worked through with your CPA.
I do not take on construction, hospitality or banking work.
Healthcare practice owners
Many of my clients own dental, physician, veterinary, optometry and medical spa practices, including practices selling to DSOs and other corporate buyers. A practice deal adds questions an ordinary business sale does not have, such as patient records, licenses that do not transfer, and who may own the practice. The healthcare mergers and acquisitions page covers each type of practice. For the recurring legal work a practice generates between deals, see general business.
How I work with you
A scoping call first. We talk through what you are trying to do, the documents involved and the timeline. For most transactions, flat-fee engagements are available; fees are quoted per matter after a scoping call.
Documents and negotiation. I prepare or review the documents, explain the terms that matter, and negotiate them with the other side or its lawyer. When a deal involves taxes or financing, I work alongside your CPA and lender.
Closing and after. I see the matter through signing and closing, and through the transition terms that follow a sale.
Our office in downtown Lake Worth Beach
Our office is at 631 Lucerne Avenue, Suite 22, in the heart of downtown Lake Worth Beach, where independent shops, colorful storefronts and art galleries give Lake and Lucerne Avenues their neighborhood character. Street parking and public lots are available downtown; check posted signs for any fees or time limits. If you’re visiting for a meeting or signing, leave a little time for coffee at Common Grounds Brew & Roastery on South J Street, a short walk away, or head east across the Intracoastal bridge to the beach and pier afterward. We love working in a community where people put so much of themselves into what they build. That spirit feels familiar to us: the business and practice owners we serve build their businesses on personal relationships, years of hard work and the trust of the people who walk through their doors.
I work with owners across Palm Beach County, including West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Jupiter and Wellington, and with clients elsewhere in Florida and in Illinois. Meetings can be in person at the Lake Worth Beach office or by video.
Newton’s Law PA
631 Lucerne Ave Ste 22, Lake Worth Beach, FL 33460
Phone (561) 464-4529
Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM
Questions business owners ask
What does a business attorney do?
A business attorney helps owners set up, run, buy and sell a company: forming the entity and preparing its governing documents, drafting and reviewing contracts and leases, setting employment and non-compete terms, and handling the documents for a purchase or sale, from the letter of intent to closing. Since 2009 my practice has focused on transactional and advisory work: preparing, reviewing and negotiating the documents.
How much does a small business attorney cost?
It depends on the work. Flat-fee engagements are available for most transactions; fees are quoted per matter after a scoping call. What drives the cost is mainly the structure of the deal, how much due diligence it needs, and the number of documents and parties. Ask any lawyer you consider to put the fee and the scope of the work in writing before the work starts.
What kind of lawyer do I need for a small business?
Usually a business or corporate attorney who does transactional work: forming the company, contracts, leases, employment terms, and buying or selling. A dispute that is already in court generally calls for a litigator, and tax questions are best worked through with your CPA alongside the attorney. Some fields, such as healthcare, add licensing and ownership rules, so it helps if the attorney already works with businesses like yours.
How do I find a good small business lawyer?
Start with The Florida Bar’s lawyer directory, which shows whether a lawyer is eligible to practice in Florida and any discipline in the last ten years. Then ask how much of the lawyer’s work is like your matter, who will actually do the work, and how fees are set. Before the work starts, the scope and the fee should be in writing.
Do I need to come to the office?
No. Meetings can be in person at the Lake Worth Beach office or by video, and consultations are available in English and Spanish.